The End of Blame: Chapter 3

"So, this what you meant?"  Jack asked, as they quietly moved the boat into the blue ocean.  Even at night, in the dark, he could see the water was blue, a sort of turquoise like he'd never seen.  They climbed into the boat and he began to quietly paddle. "Where do I go?"


"Just a while in that direction,"  she pointed.  "It won't be long, and I'll take a turn in a while."


"You think we'll be able to hide somewhere?"


"I know we will.  I've visited here many times since I was a child.  And when you see the blue caves, you will understand.  Do you have that flashlight?"


"Yeah."


"All right then.  Just keep going in that direction and we will be there soon."  She sat back, hugging herself.  Over the water, the air was a bit cooler.  She said, "You didn't have to do this, or come with me."


"What other choice was there?  I didn't want you to get caught, or be alone, so we ran."


"I figured if we took the bus to Zante, for a while, we could lose the crewman that spotted me.  Then, we could hide out, and make it back before your ship leaves.  I must get to the states."


"I'm a big boy.  I made my own decision.  The only thing is..."  he flashed on his mother, who by then, would be frantically searching for him, and his father as well, and both of them devastated.  Somehow, his father would blame himself.  His stomach turned at the thought of both.


Before he finished his sentence, she spoke for him, "You are worried about your parents?"


He nodded.  "My mother just lost a baby.  She was shot, while she was pregnant."


The look of horror on Orinia's face was visible to his eyes, even in the darkness.  The light reflecting from the moon lit her face enough for him to see a shine against her eyes and the outline of her expression.  Her dark hair was putting the light back into the night like satin.  She said, "That is horrible.  A baby?  A child?"


"It was during a trial.  The trial was to put the kidnapper of my father in jail."


Orinia showed her concern and dismay by reaching across and touching his arm.  He continued to paddle softly.  She said, "It's no wonder you are worried for them, then."


"You don't know the half of it," he said.


After about 30 minutes of his gently paddling, she said, "There.  The blue caves are right there."  And in the moonlight, he could see the blue glow, even then.  The water reflected light back up from the rocky bottom, and the stone caves loomed above.  She said, "If you bring the boat in there, we can just rest there until morning."


He paddled the boat a small way under the cave, as far as if would go, and they sat a moment.  "Won't the boat drift?"


She said, "The water is very still here, like glass.  If you wedge the boat in between two rocky points, it won't drift."


He did as she directed, and she was right.  The boat lodged itself quietly.  They sat in the total dark for a few moments with just some reflected light from the water.  He took the flashlight and turned it on.  "There."


At that point, he could see her.  She was stunning to his eyes, even in this situation.  She said, "Don't waste the battery too much."


"Just a little while.  Now, do you want to tell me more about why you're running?"  Earlier that day, on the long bus ride to Zante, she had told him of her childhood, and after hearing it, he was unable to do anything but protect her and remain at her side.  He wondered for a minute if this was what his father felt when he first laid eyes on his mother.  Either way, he was hooked.


She said, "Well, despite everything I've told you already, my grandfather and I don't see eye to eye.  I want to leave Greece and see the world.  He wants me to stay here, and marry a Greek boy, and live happily ever after.  I want to see America.  I want to study there and become something important.  I want to help people.  There are colleges here, but, I want to see the United States.  It has been a long-time dream of mine, to visit and study there."


"Can't you reason with him?"


"Not really.  He is very strict and very conservative.  He is already picking out boys for me to meet.  And if I could reason with him, I probably would not be in a boat, here, right now."


Jack smiled, "I guess he wouldn't like me much, then?"


"I wouldn't say that, Jahck Mahnning."  she said, in her way.  Her words were lilting and curled when she spoke.  "Tell me more about yourself, then."


"I don't know what to say, really.  I've told you most things."


"Your life sounds as if it has been privileged but difficult.  Your poor father, and your mother."


Jack thought of them, and for a moment, he ached, somewhere in his abdomen, and a lump was in his throat.  "They're probably here, in Greece already.  I should probably call them."


"I do agree with this.  Especially in light of what you told me."


He reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone, and realized that there was no service in the caves.  "No service," he said.


"I thought not.  Shall we go back to town and try and then paddle back?"


"No.  We might be seen by that guy that was following us earlier, or by the police, now that my parents are probably here." he scrolled through his phone.  "Oh God, my Dad texted me earlier.  I didn't even see it until now."


"Do you want to tell me what it says?"


"Jack, please, son, let us know you are all right, if you can.  Can't be badass without my number one fan."


She laughed, "My goodness, what does he mean, 'badass?'"


"It's a long story," he said.


She said, "We have a long while."


He began to tell her more of the Manning saga, and she hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, listening.


***


Todd and Blair disembarked the plane in Athens.  Todd asked the airport to hold the jet there for them, in case they needed it.  He also instructed the pilot to refuel, not knowing where this would take them.  Waiting at the airport were Viki and Little Sam.  The boy ran to his mother and hugged her, and Todd saw tears squeeze out of the sides of her eyes.  After letting go of her, he turned to Todd, and said, "Dad, you gotta find Jack.  He's missing."


Todd said, "I know, Sam.  That's why we're here.  We came to help find him."  The little boy's expression was frightened.  Todd said, "Now you don't worry about this, he's all right, we'll get him back."


Sam said, "Dad, is he kidnapped?"


Todd said, "I don't know for sure, but I don't think so, Sam.  I don't want you to worry about this, all right?  Let the grown-ups do the worrying."


"But, Dad, I want to show you my camera..."


"Not right now, Sam.  Maybe later, Buddy."


Sam took this to mean that he should remain quiet, so he did.  Viki, who had been hugging and comforting Blair, stepped forward and said, "Todd," and hugged him.


He said, "Sis, no worries.  None of this is your fault."


"He was there, and then he was gone.  I can't, for the life of me, determine what happened."


"We'll get to the bottom of it,"  he said.


"Blair, you haven't said much, are you all right dear?"  Viki asked.


"I...I don't know Viki, I suppose I am all right."  She looked at her middle son, and tried to smile.  "I know Todd will find Jack."


"Well perhaps we should get back to the hotel.  I've gotten you a room, though I'm sorry it's not quite that large.  I've secured a rented car.  Come on, let's go."


They followed her to the parking area transport, and waited for the bus.  Soon, the shuttle took them to the parking lot, and deep into it, what seemed miles away, was her rental car.  They piled in, Viki drove, and Sam sat close to Todd, putting his little hand into Todd's large and strong one.  Still remaining quiet, he looked up at Todd's face.  He wasn't smiling, he was afraid.  Todd smoothed his cheek and said, "It's okay, Buddy."


Todd's other arm was around Blair's shoulders.  She was remaining visibly strong, but inside, she was crumbling.  He could feel the tenseness in her body, and occasionally, she would shake, and then gain control again.  He was worried about her, but then, he was worried about all of them.


As they pulled up to the Athenian hotel that Viki had chosen, he said, "Nice taste, Sis."  It was a beautiful resort on the water.  They went in, and after the formalities of checking in, went to their rooms.


Sam finally broke his silence, and said, "Mom, Dad, I want to stay with you."


Viki said, "Oh, that can be arranged Sam."


Todd was hesitant.  He said, "But Aunt Viki will be all alone."


"She's old, she can do it.  I'm just a little kid."


Todd was uncertain that the boy should stay with them, only because he had not been sleeping well, and there were the dreams.  They had progressively gotten worse over the last month, and without the kids there, he realized, they had no knowledge of what he was going through, and he wanted to keep it that way as much as possible.  Even Blair did not know the magnitude of it; but of course, she knew the nightmares had worsened.  "Isn't it fun to stay with Aunt Viki?"


"Yeah, but, I'm scared Dad, I want to be with you."  Sam's eyes filled up.


Todd said, "All right.  Fine.  You can come with us."  He was certain this would mean no sleep for him that night, at least until Sam fell asleep and could be put back into the suite with Viki.


Blair somehow knew what he was thinking, and said, "All right Sam, come on then.  Get yourself into your pajamas."


"What will you wear, Mom?  You don't have a suitcase."


Viki said, "I have a nightgown she can borrow, now go get ready for bed."  The rooms we adjoining, so that they could easily go between them.  Blair saw Todd move to the window and look out over the balcony at the ocean.  She said, "I'll be there in a minute, Viki."


With both Sam and Viki in the other room, she walked up behind her husband and said, "Todd.  Are you all right?"  She ran her hands over his shoulders and hugged his back.


He was stoic.  Staring out into the water, he said, "I need my son.  I need all of you."


"I know that.  Tell me we'll find him?"


Without hesitation he said, "We'll find him."


"Tell me it's soon," she said.


"It's soon."


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