The Choice ( a serial work of fiction) Part 3

It felt to me as if we had driven a world away from Maria's . The street lights along the highway were more sparse here than they had been, even as close as the restaurant. The pines, in places , blocked most of the sky. Every so often, I could see the lights of neighborhoods tucked discreetly away through the thickets that buffered the highways from their backyards. Even if I HAD stayed with Maria, even if things had not changed-I could not see myself living in such a place.

" Where are we going? " I asked , looking at my uncle. His face lit by the dashboard lights , had a greenish tinge, the stuff of horror movies.

" For now , I have borrowed a house from a friend. I want you to spend some time looking at houses with me , so donot make any afternoon plans. I think that buying is safer than renting-fewer prying eyes. I would also appreciate you sitting in on the housekeeper interviews. I need you to meet the attorney that will be handling your finances.

" Seems like a lot of people involved in this secret."

" There are , some of them have family members in similiar situations. Others , their silence can be bought , with a little help from the mythology to reinforce their silence."

The turn signal clicked loudly , as we took the next exit off of the highway. I could not see where I was headed for daytime workmen had laid the green exit sign on the ground, to the side of their excavation. All that marked the exit was a flashing sign with an arrow proclaiming it to be Exit 44E. Nothing more.

The sky was still deep blue as we left the highway. It was lighter than when we had left the restaurant. I ached from sitting too long in one position, I shifted slightly . As we started around the rotary , buildings were beginning to be visible . I made out the name of a candle shop as well as a realtor. A dark building proclaimed itself to be the Seafood King for all of your celebrations. We bore to the left onto a dark street , surrounded by houses such as I had, earlier viewed from the back. The occasional dog lodged his protest as we passed , but it was effortless because none ran out towards the car.

Sleepy, I put my head back. wherever I was, wherever I was going, I was not going to have to
find it by myself tonight . My uncle reached in back of my seat briefly , handing me a soft raspberry throw. Parent, I mused groggily and remembered the old joke that a sweater is something that a child wears , when its mother feels cold.