Family Money(5)

But then, I couldn’t imagine a lot of things about life here for these kids. Most of them didn’t even have decent shoes, so our first night we’d purchased dozens of boxes of new kids’ shoes at a Payless shoe store in Brownsville and brought them to the orphanage with us the next day. These were cheap shoes, but the kids were beside themselves with joy as they tore open the boxes. It was like Christmas in July, with my daughters as the happy gift-giving elves.

I’d hoped this whole experience would leave a lasting impression on Olivia and Nicole and help them understand that most people did not live like we did back in Austin. Ours was a fantasy world. But I knew that fantasy would be completely shattered if we returned home without Joe.

I drove my Tahoe up to the gate of the property. The kids were all playing outside right now. Half of them were in the open field next to the main building, kicking soccer balls. I spotted my two girls on the steps in front of the main building, still dressed in princess outfits, along with a group of other girls. Olivia wore her favorite yellow Belle dress from Beauty and the Beast. She was a brunette like her mom, so she always liked to be a princess with the same hair color. Nicole was as blonde as can be, so she never wanted to dress up as any princess other than Elsa from Frozen. Carol was outside with them.

I got out of my vehicle and walked over to the chain-link gate, which was secured with a combination lock. My fingers were still shaking as I spun the dial back and forth. Because of this, it took me four tries before the lock released. I tugged the gate open, drove through the clearing, got back out, and locked everything up again. Then I parked my Tahoe in the short gravel drive right next to the orphanage’s small yellow school bus. I sat there a moment, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. It was a surreal feeling being moments away from wrecking my wife with this news. Taking the deepest breath possible, I let it out slowly and said a little prayer. Then I opened the door and climbed out of my vehicle. I didn’t even want to make eye contact with my mother-in-law. Had she already seen that I’d returned without Joe? I quickly glanced over to where Carol stood with the girls. Thankfully, she was too busy blowing bubbles in the air to pay much attention to me.

I headed straight for the building with the kitchen. I figured Taylor would be inside helping to get things ready for dinner. Even though I felt like a scared child, I knew I needed to be strong for my wife. I had to offer her some comfort and reassurance that everything was going to be okay. She could not see the fear I actually felt right now. I pulled open the door to the second building, stepped inside, and spotted Taylor in the large kitchen, working along with Esther and several other house moms. They were all busy sorting dishes and setting three long tables.

Taylor wore a light-blue hoodie, even though it was nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside. My wife got cold at the slightest breeze. She glanced over at me standing by the door and gave me the same smile that had first slayed me when we were sixteen and back in high school together. We had both been involved in sports in those days. I excelled on the gridiron. She ran track. I flirted for a few months before finding the courage to ask her out. She said she’d only go out with me if I could beat her in a quarter-mile race—which was one full lap around the track. Ever cocky, I accepted the challenge. Our friends caught wind of it, and a dozen of them showed up after school. I barely stretched and kept cracking wise-ass jokes. But Taylor had on her “focus face,” as I grew to call it, the whole time. Eyes narrow, brow bunched, lips pursed. One of Taylor’s girlfriends sent us off at the starting line, and I quickly raced way out ahead. I kept glancing over my shoulder at her with an arrogant smile. But my legs started to feel rubbery around the final turn. She passed me thirty meters from the finish line while her girlfriends all whooped it up. I’ll never forget the way she turned back to me and said, “Come on, slowpoke.”

Fortunately, she agreed to go out with me anyway.

I loved her smile so much and wondered if this would be the last time it carried this much genuine joy. I couldn’t smile back, no matter how hard I tried to force it. My lips just wouldn’t move. Again, I felt the weight of the moment. She wiped her hands on a towel and walked over to me.

“Hey, where are the groceries?” she asked.

“I need to talk to you.”

She tilted her head. “Okay.”

“In private. Can we go out back?”

Her forehead bunched. “What’s wrong?”

I could tell she already saw it on my face. I’d never been good at hiding anything from her. “Let’s go outside.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Just tell me, Alex. You’re scaring me.”

“Please, Taylor.”

I reached out my hand for hers. She hesitantly placed her palm in mine. I walked her out the front of the building and circled around to the back, where we were alone and away from the chaos of the children playing. I turned to her, again tried to figure out where to start. But she beat me to it.

“Where’s my dad?” she asked me.

I swallowed.

Her eyes widened. “What, Alex? What happened?”

“We were in the marketplace when some men jumped out of a van and grabbed your dad. I tried to stop them, but they pulled him into the van and drove away before I could do anything.”

Taylor’s whole body tightened. “What . . . ?”

“I spoke to the police. The officer told me this kind of thing has happened before around here, and everything usually turns out okay. They just want money. The police are going to do everything they can to find him.”