Jacqueline Druga - Under the Gray Skies

“Not like this.”

“We’re south,” she said. “The southern camps have been like this a year.”

“That explains it.” I tossed up my hands. “I started in the south and headed north. I heard they have a registry here.”

“Every camp that is preparing for the return has a full registry, we need to keep track now on who is going back, where they were from originally, what skills sets they have. But… Madison, her family isn’t here.”

I sighed out and lowered my head. “It figures.”

“I checked. This is the third camp I have been to down here that has a registry. They aren’t at any of them. I check every camp.”

“I appreciate that. But…” I upped my voice. “If you checked three, that means I have only four.”

“I can get you a ride to the Tennessee camp tomorrow if you want.”

“I would like that.”

“So…” Callie hesitated. “Del. What about Del?”

“Del? Last I saw him was three years ago. I am hopeful it’ll be easier to reunite with him. He was injured in that accident and was placed on a yellow ship.”

“Wait. He went to a yellow camp? I didn’t see him. Of course I was only there for the transition to return. That’s what I do. I go to camps for three weeks, get them ready to leave then move on.”

“So he’s back in the states?” I asked.

“Yes. El Paso. If he was in a Yellow Camp he left last week. Ruth is, too.”

My breath shivered and I couldn’t speak. “You saw Ruth?”

“Yes, I did. Celebrated her ninety-fifth birthday. She’s doing great. Told me she was too old for traveling, but we sent her anyhow. That’s where I’m going to end up when it’s all done. El Paso. You have to make plans to go there.”

“I will. This is all coming together, you know. It has to mean something. Seeing you, hearing about Ruth.”

“It means you’re close.”

“Hopefully, Maybe I’ll…” At first the mild arguing, or rather louder bartering, caught my attention and I turned my head.

The face.

I knew that handsome face. I saw it every day for three years. The two children with him were older, but their blonde hair was unmistakable.

“What’s wrong?” Callie asked.

“I just got another sign.” I slowly walked over.

The man was trying to get a fresh tomato for his children and the woman at the vegetable cart wouldn’t budge. She wasn’t interested in his items.

I undid the front pocket of my backpack and pulled out two plums. “Here.” I gave them to the children, staring at them, their faces. They had grown. “It’s not a tomato, but they’re sweet. Enjoy. Don’t choke on the pits.”

“What do I owe you?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Hey!” The vendor woman shouted. “That’s my business.”

“Too bad,” I said.

“Thank you again,” he said. “We just got here yesterday from another camp. I don’t know how this bartering works. Usually my homemade flint gets us lots of stuff. Not here. So thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Can I give you flint?”

“No,” I shook my head. “You can tell me… This is going to sound strange. Is your name Clark?”

“Yeah, yeah it is. Do I know you?”

Callie came over and asked if everything was all right. I told her, “It’s more than all right. It’s a sign.” I undid the zipper on the backpack and pulled out the plastic bag. “These belong to you and…” I pulled out the notebook and ripped out the first page. “This is for you. Your wife loved you very much. You should know that. Those belonged to her.”

A soft ache crept from his mouth as his fingers cradled the bag and he fought his emotions. “You knew my wife? Did she suffer, did she…?”

I held up my hand. “I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing her, but my friend did. Your wife saved her life and helped her get out of California. My friend always wanted to find you, get that to you and say thank you.”

“Where is your friend?” Clark asked.

“She passed away. That’s what I’m doing here. You can say I’m finishing her quest. I’m trying to find her family and give them this notebook that she wrote in while searching for them.”

“That’s really amazing of you,” Clark said.

“She was a great woman and would do the same for me.” I squinted my eyes. “I think. Yeah, she would.”

“What was her name?” he asked, staring down to the baggy. “We’d like to include her in our prayers.”

“Lacey. Lacey Kale.”

His eyes lifted. “As in wife of Davis Kale?”

I immediately looked at Callie, then Clark. “I have been searching for him for three years. Davis Kale. Two kids. Jana…”

“…and Evan. His mother in law was with them, but she just passed away. That’s why they weren’t transferred here. They’re still dealing with that and decided to wait.”

“So you knew him? Were you with him?”

“Our families migrated together the last four times. We’ve been at Dakota One since May so that’s like, what? Three months.”

I spun to Callie. “Dakota One?’

“Thirty miles north of here,” Callie replied.

“Can we…?”

“No need to ask,” Callie cut me off. “I’ll see if I can get a jeep. Be right back.”

I wrapped my arms around Clark. “Thank you so much.”

“No, thank you.”

I looked down at his children, they were so well taken care of. As a mother I had to convey to Clark how proud Amber would have been.

Callie returned shortly and was authorized to take a jeep. We only had it for three hours and we had to leave quickly. I thanked Clark again and we left.

Driving to Dakota one, I carried a feeling of resolve in my heart. Completion was coming. I didn’t have a bad feeling, not at all. I was filled with excitement of finally finding the family that I grew to love, yet had never known.

I loved them from all I learned, and I loved them for Lacey.

It was crazy how it actually all looped together. Amber was the reason for the notebook, and the reason Lacey made it through that night. It brought her to James Herron and he afforded Lacey the ability to get to a point where I saw her.

Every single person we met played a vital role in each step. In a way it had come full circle. Lacey’s death became my mission. That notebook was the reason I knew the name James Herron. He discovered Davis’ name in the log. Without his help, I would have run out of time.

The notebook allowed me to recognize Clark, who in turn finally led me to Davis.

It was almost as if Lacey inadvertently created a plan B with her notebook.

When we arrived at Dakota One, I wanted to scream. In my excitement I failed to ask Clark if he knew where in the camp we’d find Davis.

The camp was huge and surrounded by a fence. There were no tents, just row after row of square white homes. They looked more like trailers, than houses.

Callie stopped the jeep and parked it at the entrance.

The guard told her where the command building was and we walked through the gate.

“We’ll head to the office,” Callie said. “See if they have a registry.”

I stopped and held out my arm. “No need.”

Lacey described it and there it was.

All the buildings looked the same, yet there it was, rising above them all, screaming to us, ‘Here, here we are.’

That Summer is Here , Sun Flag, her family.

It was hard to pinpoint which house it was on, but it was hoisted up high enough for us to follow.

Two sections in, four rows deep and several buildings down, we saw the flag.

The flag pole was attached to the roof.

I started running toward the house, but then I stopped.

“What is it?” Callie asked.

“What do I say?” I shook my head. “How do I approach this?”