The Stolen Child I started to get, but my mother I haven dealt with yet

Chapter 13: Where to go...

Jerry and Emma were at first quite taken back when Jamie had stated in an adamant voice that their departure from Tony's B&B must take place within the the next two hours. Still, they could clearly see that arguing with Jamie at that moment would have been a waste of valuable time and energy. For that reason it was Jerry who decided to phone a friend of a friend in order to arrange transport and housing. And if going to Hastings sounded like a bad idea to Jerry or Emma, they chose not to challenge the wisdom of Jamie's maneuvers at this particular point in their juncture. The execution of the plan had gone as Nora instructed Jamie, leave the house shortly after Tony and Gloria had left to let the dogs out for their evening walk. Emma, Jamie and Sam waited up in the front bedroom with their coats on and bags packed. Jerry had appointed himself as guard, with his coat on and bags packed, he sat on the top stair and listened. When he heard the couple stirring below in the main hall, the dogs japing and Gloria sussing them, he waited until he heard the front door close. Then he swiftly stood up, stepped two steps over the landing to the bedroom door, opened it and said, 'it's time.' The threesome stood up simultaneously, Jamie was holding Sam and they all headed for the downstairs door. As they were leaving, Jamie placed an envelope containing the room keys between some other letters that were laying on the hallway table and proceeded to depart the building following in the path of her friends who, hypothetically, lead the way to ....safety.

When they finally reached a gas station on a road that was outside of Herne Bay, the group of desperados stood huddled together in the darkest corner of the property, awaiting Jerry's contact to arrive. It was a cold night. The group had been waiting for a least an hour with no sign of a car or person in sight. For these reasons they were growing anxious, increasingly uncomfortable and although nobody said a word, they all knew what the other was thinking it. Sam was the only member of this party who had found solice in his sleep. He weighed heavy in Jamie's arms as she cradled him. Jerry had once again assigned himself the task of guard and stood on the lookout. He stood at the corner of the building looking out for some sign of contact as was agreed upon during his telephone calls three hours prior. He turned to look back and check to see if all was well with his sister, Jamie and Sam. He looked at them and nodded as they in turn met his gaze to nodded back to him. Just then he noticed that Sam was hanging heavily in Jamie's arms and his first impulse was to walk over to her and take Sam....but the situation would not permit him to leave his post. Jerry turned his head away from the direction in which Jamie and Emma were located and focused on the area in front of him. As he gazed out onto the lane his mind began to wonder. He couldn't help but question what in God's name was happening to them.Who were these people that seemed hell bent on harming Jamie and why. He had sworn an oath years ago to protect her, because he loved her...and now here he stood. He had fallen in love with Jamie the first time he had set eyes on her, the day she came home from university with Emma. They were both studying for an English degree and their teachers certificates. Emma had met Jamie at the old house where she rented a room with a number of other students. The girls first met at the boarding house and later that week at the college. The two had found themselves becoming fast friends. That was 10 years ago and their friendship continued to hold strong. Emma had brought Jamie home one weekend to meet their parents whom lived just outside Oxford. Jamie was a Canadian belle, far away from anything called home and she was different. Different from anyone he had ever met and for his feeling, different in every way from anyone he knew. She certainly never did things according to the norm...as this situation was definite proof of. Jerry had in the course of the years made his feeling for Jamie know, again after she had discovered that she was pregnant and the father had made himself scarce. He told her that he would love and take care of her and the baby, love the child as if it were his own. Jamie cried while he confessed his love to her and told him that she loved him as well, but for reasons that pertained to her past and the unintelligence she had displayed by allowing herself to have become involved with the man who had fathered Sam, she was convinced that she needed to deal with her demons first. She needed to discover who she was and get to know her unborn child before entering into a lifetime commitment with Jerry. Jerry's trail of thoughts was rudely interrupted by the sound of an approaching vehicle. As Jerry snapped out of his line of thought, Jamie and Emma instinctively pulled their bodies close to each other and took a step back into the the darkest part of the corner in which they were standing. Jerry remained where he was. He leaned his body up against the side of the building in a matter of fact way, as though he were a guy hanging around waiting for a friend or a delinquent youth that was wasting his time on a midday evening, looking for something to do. He pulled up his hoodie before the lights of the vehicle fell upon him. These began to grow larger as they approached where he stood. The vehicle made an abrupt and noisy stop and then a voice followed. The voice began a dialog with Jerry. Jamie heard the two voices, but could not make out what was being said. She felt her heart began to beat a little faster. Although she trusted Jerry, she could not be sure of his choice to contact this friend given the present circumstances. For that matter, she wasn't even sure she could trust her own judgement if it had not been for the advice and guidance of Nora and Winfield. She gave Emma a sideway glance who also was clearly straining to make out who and what was transpiring between her brother and the driver of the vehicle. After a few moments had past Jerry turned around and waved to the women to come forward. As they did, Jerry continued to walk around the vehicle and slide a door open, Emma and Jamie followed his lead. When all their belongings had been placed into the van and the foursome were seated, Jamie could make out two things, the vehicle was an old Volkswagen camper and the driver, who was now gearing the van into the first gear, was from what she could see, not an European...or Englishman. After about fifteen minutes of silence and some miles further up the road the driver turned to Jerry who was seated up in the front beside the chauffeur and said, 'I'm taking you to the farm, just outside Hastings. We have an entire underground network, you should feel like a fish in water there.'' The women, ' and he nodded his head to the rear of the van where the women and Sam were,' they can help around the farm. We can use all the help we can get. Cause we aren't on the radar, the need to be self sufficient is more than just a necessity.' Ja,' Jerry replied, ' No problem...look we really appreciate this man. I know I'm putting you out...it's a bizarre situation and I know Mike is precious with his ...ability to remain anonymous.' The man driving the van laughed and said, ' when he came to tell us your story after you'd phoned, you should have seen him man. He was ecstatic, sayin,' what I'd say, evidence of the conspiracy is coming here in the flesh....baby. Now you'll all have to believe me....fucking awesome! The man ended as he embellished each of the words he had spoken out loud to Jerry and the others. He leaned back and yelled back to the passengers in the rear, ' hey man , you're real celebrities, welcome and relax...especially the chick with the babe......you're really intense.' Jamie shot up and looked straight back at the man who was driving the van. In the fraction of the second that she looked at him she saw that he appeared, to be an Indian.