G Hopf: Sanctuary

Haley rushed into the room and placed a coffee mug on the table in front of him and turned to go back to the kitchen. She took a few steps and quickly turned back around.

“You take cream with your coffee, right?”

“Ah, yeah. Thanks, Mom.”

He looked at the steam coming off the coffee and took a sip, grinning. The bold taste of the coffee made him feel much better.

Haley came back into the room and took a seat in the chair across from him. Gently holding her mug in her lap, she asked him a few questions about his travels. Haley was very excited to see him, but also nervous because he had shown up with no notice. She kept many of her family secrets close to her chest, and now she was sharing them with John for the interview. She would have a time and place when she would share things with her sons, but she wanted to tell them when she was ready. Having Hunter there meant the conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later.

“Mom, is everything okay?” he asked, sounding a bit concerned. Though he hadn’t seen his mother in a long time, he knew her well, and had zeroed in on her anxiety.

“Yes, I’m fine, just happy to see you! I’m still surprised that you’re here,” she answered brightly.

“Are you sure?”

“I have to admit, I can’t quite believe you’re here. Seeing you makes everything so much better,” she said, smiling ear to ear.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” he asked. His tone had shifted to one that was softer. He stood and pulled a chair close to her.

She grabbed his hand. “Oh, Hunter, don’t worry about me. I want to hear about you! How long can you stay?”

“The ambassador is here for a quick emergency meeting, then we head back late tomorrow.”

“I still don’t understand why you had to go all the way to the ROT to get a job when you could have easily gotten a job here, not down there,” Haley said, her tone exposing a lingering frustration.

“Again with this?”

She recognized his testy tone and shifted her attitude. “How are things in Texas?”

“Good. Actually, things are really good for us down there.”

“Are you staying safe?”

“We are as safe as you can get down there. All the troubles are hours from us. Austin is as safe as Olympia,” he replied.

“Honey, I wasn’t born yesterday. I read the papers! And you do remember, your cousin Brian works for the president? That means nothing happens without me knowing about it. They tell me exactly what’s going on down there,” Haley said. She stared at him, then took a large sip of coffee.

“My mission down there is important. It’s critical for us to provide as much support to the ROT as possible. They are our allies and without them, not much stands in between us and—”

“I know the talking points. I’m just so tired of war,” Haley said, interrupting him.

“It’s important work.”

“I know, son, I do,” she said, then shifted to another topic. “Any word from your brother, Sebastian?”

“No, I haven’t heard from him in months.”

“I haven’t either. I’m worried about him,” she said. Cracking a smile, she said, “Must be that darn Van Zandt blood coursing through your veins. Causes the males of the family to up and take off.”

“It’s Grandad’s fault, right?”

“Funny you mention him,” she said, adjusting herself in the chair. “I have to be honest. Everything isn’t okay with me.”

The blood drained from his face. “What is it?”

She took a deep breath. “A few weeks ago, I was approached about doing an in-depth interview. About Grandad and Nana, your uncle Sebastian. Everything.” She paused, clearing her throat. “I agreed to it. I had the first interview last Friday. This may sound pathetic, but it’s been… much tougher than I thought it would be. Not only because I’m talking about difficult times, but also because I decided for once I’d be honest and tell the world what really happened. It’s not just a chance to tell the history of our country, it’s a chance to tell the history of our family… the true history.”

“Good for you, Mom!” Hunter exclaimed. Then he added, more seriously, “It may be tough, but it’s important.”

She nodded and continued. “I think I deliberately closed off parts of my brain for years. But now I know why your grandad sat me down years ago. He wanted me to be the one to tell this story. He probably knew that.” She paused. “He always knew.”

Haley tried to convince Hunter to stay, but in just a few hours he was off again, back to work serving the Cascadian ambassador. He promised to come back later and stay the night. When Hunter decided to go into the public sector, there wasn’t any problem finding him a spot—the Van Zandt and Rutledge family names were revered in many parts of the republic. However, he had gone against his mother’s wishes and went to work for the Cascadian State Department’s Foreign Service as a specialist. He quickly rose through the ranks and now was the Deputy Chief of Mission for the ROC Embassy in the Republic of Texas.

Haley wasn’t convinced that her son’s job was purely administrative. Deep down, she felt he was probably working in a clandestine division as an operative. Haley couldn’t prove it and no one in her sphere of influence in government would say. She felt uneasy about where her two boys were. The world was still a very dangerous place.

Shortly after Hunter left, a knock at the door announced John’s arrival. Her demeanor was different than it was the first time she opened her door to him. Although she was still feeling a bit raw from Friday’s interview, the surprise visit from Hunter and her renewed purpose in telling her stories to honor her father’s legacy had her in a better state of mind. She could now shroud her tender emotions in strident purpose.

She opened the door and there before her was John, this time by himself. The camera crews had gotten what they needed the last time.

“Good morning, John,” she said pleasantly.

“Good morning, Haley,” he answered, giving a slight grin.

Haley asked him to come in and they both exchanged pleasantries and small talk. She deliberately didn’t mention Hunter’s arrival; she wanted to keep some distance and privacy.

After a few minutes of chatting they both took their chairs in the living room.

John was very excited about the continuation of the interview. For him, the weekend had dragged on, but it did allow him the luxury to reflect on the interview and spend a great deal of time compiling a list of follow-up questions. He pulled out his thick notepad and clicked his ballpoint pen.

“Wow—that is all I can say. I have to admit that I didn’t expect to have this type of reaction to this interview. I thought I’d come, we’d talk, you’d share the same stuff I’ve heard all my life, but you didn’t do that. The level of detail you’re providing, not just about your family but the others who were involved in the Great Civil War, is amazing. Let me say thank you again for this honor—it truly is.”

“I’m glad I’m providing you with a good interview,” Haley answered.

“This isn’t just any interview, this is a gift to the people of Cascadia. It’s what they need to hear.”

“Good. They need to know the truth, all of it. The good and the bad,” she said, then paused. She cleared her throat and continued, “Delivering a functional government, a government established on rule of law, is not easy. So many take it for granted. Once things fell apart after the attacks and the United States federal government was incapable of handling the situation, a power vacuum appeared. Many different players rushed in to fill that void created by the collapse of our former central government. As we know, those groups eventually clashed in the Great Civil War. But very few people know that our victory was forged not just out of force and tactics on the battlefield but from a strategy that included compromise and diplomacy.” She paused. “The history that our children learn talks mostly about Pablo and the Pan-American Empire versus the United States. But no one really knows all the people involved and how it all came to be.”