too much shock to really be argumentative. “Good,” Heinrich grinned. “I know you’re confused, but I hope almost everything will be explained tomorrow. Okay?” I nodded again. “Tonight we have your party, tomorrow we have a big talk, eh?”
“I don’t want to have the party anymore,” I said. I almost whispered because my adrenaline rush had gone and I was feeling drained and ready to cry.
“Your grandparents want to celebrate, eh? Your friends are coming,” Heinrich looked from me to my papá. “It will be okay to have fun.”
“What if they come back?” I asked.
“No, honey,” my papá said. “They won’t. They can’t. Not while Heike’s here.”
“And, you know, I brought a friend with me,” Heinrich said. “He’s around here, somewhere. He’ll be some help, too.” Heinrich smiled. “Maybe,” he added, and he and my father laughed.
“Do I need protecting?” I asked. “I don’t even know what you’re protecting me from.”
My papá and Heinrich looked at each other again. “Tomorrow, we’ll talk. I promise, mi cielo, you will know everything tomorrow,” my papá assured. I nodded, but I was still unsure. I looked around for any signs of the men that seemed to scare my father, but there was nothing.
We began to walk down the hill. Heike - apparently a nickname of some sort - and my papá talked the whole way down. It was weird, at first, but then really heart-warming to see my papá with a friend. My papá had some acquaintances he camped with - mostly Gaby’s friends’ dads - but he was usually too busy with his family for real friends. Heike, I could tell, was his real friend, so much so that they often finished each other’s sentences and lines of thought in alternating Spanish, English, and, apparently, Dutch. I was really surprised my papá knew Dutch and, of course, I only understood ⅔ of the conversation so I quickly got lost. My papá and Heike seemed to have completely forgotten the scare on the mountain and I wondered if I had hallucinated the whole thing, but every so often one would glance back at me and look at me in a way that I knew I hadn’t dreamt anything. But, they had fun talking and joking with each other and left me alone so I could breathe and relax and let the adrenaline ease out of my body. It was difficult, though, to make it down the hill without tripping as I continually looked behind me in case those weird guys were following us.
It took only about a half hour to make it down to the road. I didn’t think, didn’t go over what happened, I just tried to breath and meditate because, if I didn’t, I thought I would probably pass out. But, I knew this wasn’t over. There was no way I wasn’t going to grill my father about what the hell was going on. I just needed to convince my mind to chill out until then.
When we got to the road, Heike’s oh-so-modest yellow hummer was waiting for us. “I rented it just for you, Menno,” he said to my papá and then he began to laugh. I laughed a little, too. My father was a giant, tree-hugging, nature lover and, even though he seemed upset, I could tell he was slightly amused.
“Really, Heike, really?” my papá said. “Come on!” I could tell his annoyance was fading, but he put on a show of throwing his hands up and sighing.
Suddenly, the door to the hummer opened and a guy popped out. It startled me, at first, because I thought he might be one of those weird guys from up in the foothills, but I was relieved when Heike and my papá seemed to know him. He said something but his accent was so heavily Australian I didn’t understand anything he said.
The Australian accent - and the fact that he was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen - momentarily made me forget all my troubles. Holy moses basket was that guy gorgeous.
The men laughed but then they remembered me and got embarrassed. “Braith, shut-it,” Heike said, and gestured toward me. “Katja, this is Braith,” Heike said. “My
“I don’t want to have the party anymore,” I said. I almost whispered because my adrenaline rush had gone and I was feeling drained and ready to cry.
“Your grandparents want to celebrate, eh? Your friends are coming,” Heinrich looked from me to my papá. “It will be okay to have fun.”
“What if they come back?” I asked.
“No, honey,” my papá said. “They won’t. They can’t. Not while Heike’s here.”
“And, you know, I brought a friend with me,” Heinrich said. “He’s around here, somewhere. He’ll be some help, too.” Heinrich smiled. “Maybe,” he added, and he and my father laughed.
“Do I need protecting?” I asked. “I don’t even know what you’re protecting me from.”
My papá and Heinrich looked at each other again. “Tomorrow, we’ll talk. I promise, mi cielo, you will know everything tomorrow,” my papá assured. I nodded, but I was still unsure. I looked around for any signs of the men that seemed to scare my father, but there was nothing.
We began to walk down the hill. Heike - apparently a nickname of some sort - and my papá talked the whole way down. It was weird, at first, but then really heart-warming to see my papá with a friend. My papá had some acquaintances he camped with - mostly Gaby’s friends’ dads - but he was usually too busy with his family for real friends. Heike, I could tell, was his real friend, so much so that they often finished each other’s sentences and lines of thought in alternating Spanish, English, and, apparently, Dutch. I was really surprised my papá knew Dutch and, of course, I only understood ⅔ of the conversation so I quickly got lost. My papá and Heike seemed to have completely forgotten the scare on the mountain and I wondered if I had hallucinated the whole thing, but every so often one would glance back at me and look at me in a way that I knew I hadn’t dreamt anything. But, they had fun talking and joking with each other and left me alone so I could breathe and relax and let the adrenaline ease out of my body. It was difficult, though, to make it down the hill without tripping as I continually looked behind me in case those weird guys were following us.
It took only about a half hour to make it down to the road. I didn’t think, didn’t go over what happened, I just tried to breath and meditate because, if I didn’t, I thought I would probably pass out. But, I knew this wasn’t over. There was no way I wasn’t going to grill my father about what the hell was going on. I just needed to convince my mind to chill out until then.
When we got to the road, Heike’s oh-so-modest yellow hummer was waiting for us. “I rented it just for you, Menno,” he said to my papá and then he began to laugh. I laughed a little, too. My father was a giant, tree-hugging, nature lover and, even though he seemed upset, I could tell he was slightly amused.
“Really, Heike, really?” my papá said. “Come on!” I could tell his annoyance was fading, but he put on a show of throwing his hands up and sighing.
Suddenly, the door to the hummer opened and a guy popped out. It startled me, at first, because I thought he might be one of those weird guys from up in the foothills, but I was relieved when Heike and my papá seemed to know him. He said something but his accent was so heavily Australian I didn’t understand anything he said.
The Australian accent - and the fact that he was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen - momentarily made me forget all my troubles. Holy moses basket was that guy gorgeous.
The men laughed but then they remembered me and got embarrassed. “Braith, shut-it,” Heike said, and gestured toward me. “Katja, this is Braith,” Heike said. “My
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