Susan Pfeffer - Shade of the Moon

“Thank you, Syl,” Jon said, handing Opal one of the glasses and sipping some water from the other. “Where’s Matt?”

“Working,” Syl said, putting the bread and vegetables on a plate, which she handed to Opal. “He left yesterday. He’ll be gone for a couple of weeks.”

“I’m sorry I missed him,” Jon said.

“Why don’t you stay?” Syl asked. “Opal can sleep in my room, and you can share Gabe’s.”

Jon swallowed a bite of carrot. “It’s not a good idea,” he said. “A couple of days ago I told some people my name and where I was from. I didn’t say I was going to Coolidge, but they might figure it out. It’s too dangerous for all of us if I stay.”

“Start from the beginning,” Syl said. “What happened to Lisa?”

“She killed herself,” Jon said. “She left a note taking full responsibility for stealing Miranda’s baby from the Stocktons. It probably would have worked except I came home. And Ruby ran away.”

“The cops picked me up, thinking I was Ruby,” Opal said. “And Mr. Jon here decided to rescue me.”

“We got married,” Jon said. “Well, I thought we got married.”

“We said our ‘I do’s,’” Opal said. “But we never did no consummating.”

Syl shook her head. “I liked Lisa,” she said. “She was easier for me than Laura. Oh, Jon, I haven’t said how sorry I am about Laura. You’ve really had a rough time of it. How are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” Jon said. “So much has happened. I don’t think I really understand it yet, that she’s gone.”

“She was my teacher,” Opal said. “She was a good woman.”

“I didn’t know you knew,” Jon said. “I never told Ruby.”

“I can figure things out faster than her,” Opal replied. “Miss Syl, I swear these are the best carrots I ever had.”

“Will you please stop calling me that,” Syl said. “Sister-in-law or not, you’re family.”

“I thank you kindly,” Opal said. “I think I’ll take that shower now. I don’t know that I ever felt this dirty before.”

“Follow me,” Syl said. “I’ll get you some clean clothes and a towel and soap. Jon, you wait here. We still have things to talk about.”

Jon looked at the carrots but refrained from eating another. He’d forgotten how beautiful Syl was, but she’d aged in the last three years, gotten even thinner. Matt earned decent money, but with Gabe in the house, Syl was probably eating less than she should.

Syl came back a few minutes later. “Keep eating,” she said. “You look starved.”

“I’m fine,” he said.

“All right,” she said, and began putting the carrots away. “It’s hard for Gabe. He’s used to a lot of foods we don’t have. But he won’t go hungry.”

“Will you?” Jon asked.

“Lisa put some money in Gabe’s suitcase,” she replied. “She must have known what she was going to do. Your friend Sarah wanted to go into town and wave her claver ID around at the market, but Alex wouldn’t let her. Sarah’s a nice girl, Jon. Very smart. Matt likes her a lot.”

“I like her, too,” Jon said. “I took Ruby with me—well, I thought she was Ruby—because she knew Miranda was my sister. The only way I could get her away from the cops was by marrying her. Only when I did, I had to turn in my claver ID.”

“Strange times,” Syl said. “They make us do strange things. Do you have plans, Jon?”

“I thought we’d go to that town Matt told us about,” Jon said. “The one Alex and Miranda went to. If they’ll let us in.”

“I think they will,” Syl replied. “Matt says they don’t care about people’s pasts. Everyone starts out equally. At least that’s the plan. They call it New Harmony. It’s in Kentucky, about seventy-five miles from here.”

“Seventy-five miles,” Jon said. “A couple of hours by car. Do you think Miranda and Alex will be safe there?”

“As safe as anyplace,” Syl said. “Matt and I will move there when he gets back. Alex took Miranda and the baby there, dropped Sarah off with her folks, and went back to New Harmony. When Matt finishes his last run, Alex will come back here and drive us. We were hoping you and Lisa would show up by then. Does Opal know about it?”

“Not yet,” Jon replied. “I’ll talk to her about it in the morning. Do you know how to get to New Harmony, Syl? Can you draw me a map?”

Syl burst out laughing. “Matt’s a courier,” she said. “The whole house is filled with maps. I’ll show you the route tomorrow. You can take the map. Matt won’t be using them anymore, thank goodness.”

“Night, Miss Syl,” Opal called. “See you in the morning.”

“I’m coming in,” Syl replied. “Jon and I are through here.”

“Thank you,” Jon said. “Thanks for everything, Syl. Thanks for loving Gabe.”

“You’re my brother,” Syl said. “And now Gabe’s my son. It’s easy to love both of you.”

Gabe was still sleeping when Jon walked into the kitchen early the next morning. He was surprised to find Syl there. “You’re up early,” he said.

“So are you,” she said. “Opal’s still asleep.”

“She’s exhausted,” Jon replied. “The trip was hard for her. I knew where we were going and why, but she came along because no one gave her a choice.”

“She has choices now,” Syl replied. “Not a lot, but more than she probably had in White Birch.”

“How many bikes do you have?” Jon asked. “I counted three in Gabe’s room.”

Syl smiled. “It was the bike room before Gabe moved in. Matt likes having spares around. He keeps an extra three in there.”

“And Alex is going to drive you to New Harmony?” Jon asked.

“That’s the plan,” Syl said. “Matt figured New Harmony will be thrilled to have a car. And Alex can’t return it to Sexton.”

“It’s a pretty big car,” Jon said. “It should fit all of you and a lot of your things, too.”

“We don’t have a lot of things,” Syl said. “Gabe’s trucks don’t take up much room. Jon, are you asking if you can take two of the bikes for you and Opal?”

He nodded. “I’d like to get there as fast as possible,” he said. “The bikes would make a big difference.”

“They’d make a big difference for us, also,” Syl said. “If you and Opal take them, they’ll be waiting for us when we get to New Harmony. It’s a great idea.”

“Do you have the map?” Jon asked. “I’d like to check the route out.”

“Here,” Syl said. “This is the route Matt showed Alex.”

Jon looked at the map. “It looks pretty straightforward,” he said. “Do you know if there’s a lot of trucking around there? The fewer people who see us the better.”

“Matt said no when Alex asked,” Syl replied. “But there’s always a chance. Sexton’s been sending more and more food to this part of the state. I don’t know what we’d do without their greenhouses.”

“New Harmony isn’t importing food, is it?” Jon asked.

Syl shrugged. “Probably,” she replied. “This is an imperfect world, Jon. The people at New Harmony are trying a different approach, but that doesn’t mean they’re saintly. Don’t go in with illusions. They’ll just break your heart.”

“I saw Mom’s body riddled with bullets,” Jon said. “Any illusions I had died with her.”

“I’m sorry,” Syl said. “I keep thinking of you the way you were in Pennsylvania. We’ve both grown up since then.”

“I’ve done a lot of bad things,” Jon said. “I’m glad they’re not saints in New Harmony. I’d never fit in if they were.”

“I know,” Syl said, and rolled her eyes. “Saint Alex.”

Jon laughed. “He’s lost a lot of his saintliness over the years,” he said. “He called clavers ‘fat asses.’ I heard him.”