The Long Ride Home (2 page)

B
efore Rita left town,” Millie said between sniffles, “she destroyed all evidence of her former life. She even went through my house and took all the pictures of her family and trashed them. Thank the dear Lord she didn’t check my wallet. She never told me her new name or contacted me after she left.” Millie pointed to the beat-up photo on the table. “That’s all I have left of her—and of you, Skye. I’ve held that picture close to my heart all these years. I’ve often just sat and stared at that picture and wondered where you were. I can’t tell you how I feel right now. Seeing you after all these years is—is—like a miracle.” Millie’s face lit up, revealing a set of teeth that needed more than one visit to the dentist. It was the first sincere smile Skye had seen on the woman.

Skye’s glance darted from Millie to Mrs. Chambers. “Mom, how can we find out if my father’s still at that prison? Can’t we call and ask?”

“I’m afraid not,” Mrs. Chambers said. “The prisons won’t release any information about their inmates to just anybody. They won’t even tell us if he’s been released or not.”

“Then how can we find out?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah, how?” Skye added.

“We’ll go online to a website called ‘Department of Corrections.’ Believe it or not, if he’s in a prison anywhere in the U.S., we’ll be able to find out.”

“Heaven knows, I’ve tried to call Jacy and write over all these years, but it was no use.” Millie wiped her nose again. “I never thought of going on the Internet to see where he is now.”

“I’m a counselor of troubled youth at the Maranatha Treatment Center in central PA,” Mrs. Chambers said. “On numerous occasions I’ve tried to track someone down, either a missing client or someone’s relative.”

“We have our laptop with us,” Skye piped in. “Let’s look for my dad right now.”

“Easy, girl,” Mr. Chambers said. “All in good time.”

“Several of our past foster kids have needed information about someone in prison too,” Mrs. Chambers added. “We’ve been able to help one or two with the Internet.”

“Hmm,” Millie said, “that’s amazing. It’s too bad we don’t know Rita’s new name. I bet we could find her on the Internet, too.”

“Probably so,” Mrs. Chambers said.

“Can’t we check online now? I’ll go get the laptop.” By now, Skye was desperate.

“Wait a minute, honey.” Mrs. Chambers gently tapped Skye’s hand. “Over the next twenty-four hours we have to arrive at camp, get the horses bedded down, move into our family quarters, and report for orientation. Our heads will be spinning.”

“But I can’t wait that long. I’ll just die!” Skye chewed her lip and glanced around the table, focusing on Morgan, who sat strangely quiet with no expression on her face.
That’s so not like her,
Skye thought.
She’s usually upbeat about everything.

“And, Skye, somewhere in between we have to eat again…not to mention sleep,” Mr. Chambers said.

Millie picked up the photo of Skye as though it were made of glass. “I’m sure you’d like a copy of this, so I’ll get one made ASAP. Now, you mentioned that you’re staying at a camp. How can I keep in touch?”

“We’ll give you our cell phone number,” Mr. Chambers said. “For the next two weeks, we’ll be working at Rebucks’ Rocking Horse Ranch on the shore side of Charleston. We’ve just come from a week-long horse show in Virginia—”

“Skye and her horse, Champ, won four blue ribbons!” Morgan interjected. “You should see her ride!”

That’s the Morgan I know.
Skye reasoned, then directed her words at Millie. “Don’t you have any information at all about my mother?”

“I’m afraid not,” Millie said. “She’s been in hiding a long time.”

“Would you be able to come visit us sometime in Pennsylvania?” Skye asked.

“I’d like that very much.” Millie’s watery eyes sparkled with a newfound hope. “My two kids and I would love to be able to say we have family other than just the three of us.”

“What are my cousins’ names?” Skye asked.

“Yes,” Mrs. Chambers said, “please tell us all about them—and you yourself.”

Millie smiled again, this time glowing with obvious pride. She pulled two more photos from her wallet and handed them to Skye. “This is Dennis. He’s nineteen and he just joined the Marines. He’s stationed in Norfolk at the naval base. He’s in supply, you know, making sure the troops have enough ammo, gear, that kind of thing. My daughter’s name is Emma, and she’s seventeen. She’s always on the honor roll, and this summer she’s working
two part-time jobs to earn money for college next year. I’ve always wanted my kids to have things better than me.”

“It looks like you’ve done a pretty decent job,” Mr. Chambers said.

“Wow,” Skye said, “Emma is really pretty. I can’t believe I’m actually looking at my real, living, breathing true-to-life cousin.”

Mrs. Chambers leaned toward Skye and stared at the photo. “And I see she has dark hair and brown eyes like you, Skye. There’s definitely a family resemblance.”

“Gorgeous, of course,” Skye kidded and handed the photos to Morgan. “What do you think?” she said with a giggle.

“Well,” Morgan said as she studied the pictures, “Emma and you do kinda look alike. Gorgeous, of course! And Private Dennis Eister is one handsome dude in his dress blues.”

“Uniforms seem to run in my family,” Millie said. “One of Emma’s jobs is at a fast-food joint. She really looks cute in maroon and gold. The other job she has is in a toy store at a mall. Although there’s no uniform there, she loves that job because she loves kids. She wants to be a teacher.”

Mr. Chambers studied the pictures intently. “We’ll have to try to arrange to meet your family, Millie. We’d like to get to know you all better.”

“Well, Denny won’t have leave until the end of the summer,” Millie said, “but Emma still lives at home. I know where the Rebuck camp is. Since you’re going to be in the Charleston area for two weeks, I’d love to see Skye, really all of you, again.”

“And we can meet Emma,” Skye added.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Millie said with another broad smile. “I’m going to knock Emma’s socks off with this news. I’ve told her all about Skye since Emma was
old enough to understand. She’ll be thrilled to pieces to meet her only cousin.”

Mr. Chambers handed the two photos back to Millie. “Well, let’s definitely plan on getting together again. Once we’re settled at the camp, we’ll call you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Millie said with a chuckle. “I’ll tie my cell phone around my neck.”

“And Skye,” Mr. Chambers said. “The first chance we get, we’ll check the Internet. We want to find your father as much as you do.”

T
he first chance Skye had to go online was Sunday after camp chapel and lunch when the teen volunteer staff finally had some free time. While Mr. and Mrs. Chambers attended an orientation class, Skye and Morgan went to their cabin, turned on the computer, and started their search.

As they began, Morgan stared straight at Skye to ask her a question. “Skye, why are you so gung ho to find your parents?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Skye blurted out, almost stunned by Morgan’s question. Light-hearted Morgan seemed deeply troubled—by something. Skye’s thoughts quickly transported her to the first day she had met Morgan at Keystone Stables. Ever since then they had been best friends, as close as sisters. But now Skye felt a strange distance between them, and she needed to find out why. She leaned back in her chair and looked into Morgan’s eyes. “Morgan, what’s the matter with you? I’ve noticed you’ve been acting kinda funny.”

“I just want to know why you want to find your parents. That’s all,” Morgan said.

“I’ve always wanted to find them,” Skye said. “You know that. Does it bother you?”

“Nah, not really. You just seem like you’re in your own little world lately.”

“Well, I’ll try to come back to earth,” Skye giggled. “I’ll put it in writing, if you want.” Skye giggled as she found the Department of Corrections website and plugged in her father’s name. After several attempts, she came up dry. Skye had run into her first wall, and it was solid stone.

“Hey,” Morgan suggested, “try Family and Friend Search. Some of the kids in our youth group said that website promises to ‘find anyone across the entire USA.’ I’ve been thinking of plugging my dad’s name in, but I haven’t done it yet.”

Skye went to the website but also got nowhere. Fourteen men with the name “Jacy Nicholson” were listed, their addresses scattered all over the country, and she had no idea where to begin.

“Sally, easy on the reins now,” Skye said on Monday morning in the training corral at the Rebucks’ Rocking Horse Ranch. The air was so steamy hot, she could have sworn she heard it hissing around her as she tackled her first assignment instructing a beginning rider.

Standing in the center, Skye worked Champ on a longeing line. Obediently, he circled the ring in a slow trot, carrying an eight-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was doing her best to listen to Skye’s instructions.

“Keep your heels close to his belly,” Skye said, “and your toes pointed out. That’s good, Sally, very good.”

Ordinarily, Skye would be one hundred percent into a job like this one. Working with kids and horses was right up her alley, and she was determined to do the best job
she possibly could. But her thoughts drifted constantly to Millie and what the woman had said about Skye’s father and mother. So although Skye did her job, and did it well, she just couldn’t keep her mind from drifting back over the last day-and-a-half’s events.

So much has happened since Friday at that diner! How am I ever going to find the right Jacy Nicholson? Maybe he’s not even using that name anymore. Maybe he’s in another country. Maybe he’s dead! And where’s my mother? What’s her name now?
Skye’s mind darted from Sally to Millie and churned like tumbleweed in a dust storm as she tried to decide what to do next to find her parents. Finally, she forced herself back to her work with Sally and Champ in the riding ring.

“Okay, Sally!” Skye said to her young student. “Pull gently on the reins and make Champ stop. The riding part of your lesson is over for today.” Skye approached Sally still sitting on Champ and looped the longeing line in her hands. Removing the line from Champ’s halter, Skye patted Champ’s sweaty neck. “Good boy, Champ,” she said, and then looked at Sally.

Sally’s hardhat and long blonde curls framed plump rosy cheeks and brown puppy-dog eyes with curly lashes. “How’d I do, Skye? Did I keep my feet turned right? I wasn’t pulling too hard on his reins, was I? I just love Champy,” she went on, “and I want a horse just like him when I get big. Where can I get one just like him?”

Skye giggled to herself.
“At a loss for words” will certainly never be this cutie’s motto.
“Sally, you did just fine for your first lesson. We have all week to talk about how you can get your own horse when you are all grown up. The next thing you need to learn is how to take off the saddle and bridle and how to groom him. Horses love to be brushed. Are you ready to do that?”

“Oh, yes,” Sally said. “Where do we do that? Can we do that now, Skye?”

“We sure can,” Skye said. She grabbed Champ’s cheek strap and turned him toward the barn. “Sally, we’ll walk Champ to the door. There I’ll help you dismount, and then we’ll take off his tack and you can groom him.”

“Oh, this is so cool,” Sally bubbled. “I’ve never even been on a horse before, and now I get to brush one and everything!”

“I’ll show you how to comb his mane and tail, too. Let’s go.”

Just as Skye led Champ to a hitching post in front of the barn, she spotted her foster mother coming toward her from the direction of the administration office. Dressed in her tan and red western riding clothes, Mrs. Chambers made a stunning appearance. Even in the shade of her tan Stetson, her blue eyes sparkled.

“Hi, Mom,” Skye said, “What’s up? I thought our trail ride didn’t start until after lunch.”

Mrs. Chambers folded her arms on the top rail of the fence. “It doesn’t,” she said. “But I—”

“Ooh, a trail ride,” Sally blurted out. “Can I go on that, Skye, can I, huh?”

“I’m afraid not,” Skye said. “That’s for the older kids. But you’ll get to ride here tomorrow morning in the corral again.”

“Oh, okay,” Sally said. “Can I get down now?”

“Sure you can,” Skye said and then turned. “One moment, Mom.” Skye held her index finger up toward Mrs. Chambers and then tied Champ to the post.

Skye reached up and slid Sally out of the saddle. “Now just wait one second until this nice lady and I talk about something, okay?”

“Okay,” Sally said.

“Now stand here in front of Champ and pet him on the nose.” Skye reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out three sugar cubes. “Give him these. And hold one at
a time with your hand flat like this. Then he’ll be able to nibble it without biting you.”

“Okay.” Sally started to follow Skye’s instructions.

Watching Sally carefully, Skye stepped to the fence where Mrs. Chambers waited. “What’s happening?” Skye asked.

“Well, I just had a phone call from Millie, and I’m wondering if you’d like to skip the trail ride. Millie and Emma don’t have to work this afternoon, and they want to come here to see you.” Mrs. Chambers pointed her thumb over her shoulder. “The office said they can have one of their hired help cover for you, if you’d like. I’m on my way to the barn to groom the horses and get them ready for the ride.”

For the first time in Skye’s life since she had met Champ, she had to decide whether she wanted to do something else rather than be with her beloved horse. But, as she had correctly assumed when she met Millie, things in her life would probably change, and the changes had already begun.

Skye glanced back at Champ and quickly analyzed the situation. In the blink of an eye, she had acquired “family,” not that the Chambers and Morgan weren’t, but Millie and her two kids were “real family,” the one she longed to know. She simply had to find out more.

“What time can they be here?” Skye said with a racing heart.

A
t one o’clock, Skye sat at a center table in the empty mess hall waiting for Millie and Emma. From behind the serving counter busy voices, rattling glasses, and clanging pots echoed throughout the entire hall. A heavy garlic smell from a lasagna lunch still saturated the spacious room, but Skye was so focused on Millie’s arrival, the commotion and smells seemed miles away.

Skye sat so that she could observe both entrance doors on opposite sides of the cafeteria. The door to her left swung open, and Skye stared in that direction, her heart taking a funny beat. Two teen boys wearing white aprons hurried inside and then headed into the kitchen.

Skye glanced at her watch and sighed.
Five after one. Millie said they’d be here around one. That could mean one thirty
—
or one forty five!
She sipped a glass half full of warm lemonade, raked her fingers through her hair, and tapped her fingernails on the table.
Where are they?

The door to her right swung open and in came Millie, followed by a teen girl who could easily pass for Skye’s sister. Clutching her red wallet and keys, Millie had on her waitress uniform, minus the cap, and Emma wore an
orange tank top and jean shorts. In Emma’s arms was a humongous book with a blue-flowered cloth and white lace cover.
Her hair is exactly like mine,
Skye thought.
The same color and length and everything. This is too cool.

Skye smiled and stood as both visitors smiled back and headed toward the center of the room.

That big book’s gotta be a photo album,
Skye surmised.

Skye was never much into hugging, but she suddenly had a strange urge to do so. After all, this was her real family, and real families were supposed to hug. She chewed her bottom lip and contemplated what to do.
They might not be into hugging either,
she reasoned and, although she wanted to run into Millie’s arms, Skye held back and waited.

“Skye, honey, how are you?” Millie blurted out and gave Skye a warm embrace. “Let me look at you,” she said as she moved Skye to arm’s length and their eyes met. “I still can’t believe you’re Jacy’s little girl, all grown up—and standing right before my very eyes.”

“I’m fine—ah—Aunt Millie,” Skye said. Without warning, tears blurred her vision as she glanced at Emma. “Let me guess,” Skye joked. “Could this be Cousin Emma?”

“Hi,” Emma said, her voice quivering with excitement. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you. I almost went nuts when Mom told me what happened at the diner Friday night. She’s been telling me about you and Uncle Jacy and Aunt Rita since I was this big.” Emma held her hand out to her side. “She called Denny at the Marine base right away and told him, and I could practically hear him yelling all the way from Norfolk. Seeing you again has made Mom happier than I’ve seen her in a long time. Thanks.”

“I really didn’t do anything other than be at the right place at the right time—I guess,” Skye said. “This whole thing has me going crazy, too. I’ve wanted to learn about my parents ever since I can remember, and now—”

“Would the camp folks mind if we’d sit here and chat a while?” Millie looked around the empty room.

“Oh, no,” Skye said. “This is where the director said we should meet. Nobody will be in here again until five o’clock.”

“That’s great,” Emma said. “Mom and I both work evening shifts, so we have lots of time to gab before we have to go.”

Skye sat, and Millie and Emma joined her across the table. Skye wanted to start the conversation, but her exploding thoughts had her tongue all knotted up.

Emma immediately opened the album to the first page. “Mom and I thought you’d like to see what we all looked like over the last ten years. One thing we’re not short on is family pictures.”

“Skye,” Millie said, “after your mom destroyed all your family photos, I realized how important it was to have roots, so I started taking pictures like crazy. I have four more albums like this. Oh, here’s a copy of your picture that I promised.” Millie pulled out the photo from her apron pocket.

“Thanks,” Skye said. She studied the picture and then slipped it into her back jean pocket. “And I’m sure glad you took all these other pictures of your kids. Now I can get to know you much better.”

“This is so exciting, I can hardly stand it,” Emma said. “Denny said that he can’t wait to meet you, but that won’t be until his first leave at the end of the summer. Mom, how’s that gonna work if Skye’s in Pennsylvania?”

“We’ll work something out, sweetie,” Millie said.

“I’m sure Mom and Dad Chambers will do all they can to help us,” Skye said. “They’re really super.”

“I can tell you really love them, Skye.” Millie pulled the album in front of her. “And it’s very obvious that they love you just as much.”

“Did I tell you that Morgan’s a foster child, too?” Skye asked.

“No, you didn’t,” Millie said, paging through the book as though she were looking for something. “What happened to her parents?” She stopped and looked at Skye.

“All Morgan knows is that her parents got divorced about four years ago and her dad went to California with another woman. Morgan’s mom has a bunch of other kids and lives near Philly. She just couldn’t handle Morgan’s special needs, so she gave Morgan the choice to go to a ‘facility’ for kids like her or to go into foster care. Morgan’s mom comes to see her only once or twice a year, which really tears Morgan up inside. Mom and Dad Chambers are really the only parents she’s known for the last three years, and she thinks it was the best thing that ever happened to her.”

“Hey, Skye!”

Skye turned and saw Morgan wheeling toward her from the kitchen.

“Hi, Morgan,” Skye said. “You’re not finished with work already, are you?”

Morgan eyed Millie and Emma as she approached the table. “Nah, I just took a five-minute break. I wanted to meet your cousin.”

“It’s nice to know you,” Emma said. “I’ve already heard a lot about you from Mom.”

“Skye and I have been best friends for a long time, so I’m interested in what’s happening with her right now.”

Hmm, she almost sounds too interested,
Skye thought.

“Well, we’re really glad that Mom met Skye at the diner,” Emma said.

“And we’re glad to know you, too,” Millie said.

“Right,” Morgan said, starting to wheel away. “Well, gotta get back to work. See you later, sis.”

“Yeah, later,” Skye said.

“She seems really nice,” Millie said.

“Yeah,” Skye said. “She’s really cool.”
But I’m wondering if she’s missing her mom with all this going on with my family.

“Mom, show Skye what you looked like when you were a kid. Those pictures are a riot.”

“We can go through the book from cover to cover if Skye wants,” Millie said.

“I’d really like to,” Skye said. “We have a lot of time to catch up on.”

“And we want you to tell us all about you, too,” Emma said.

All afternoon Skye talked with her aunt and Emma. While Skye examined every last picture in the photo album, Millie and Emma filled her in on the Eister household and what had happened in their lives for the last eleven years. They talked about school and their jobs and how so very proud both of them were of Private Dennis Eister, U.S. Marine Corps. Millie also shared all the details about the day Skye was born and how cute she was as a toddler and how hard it was to give her up.

Then Skye had her turn to talk. As fast as her lips could move, she told them about all her foster homes, Keystone Stables, her horse Champ and her best friends—especially Chad. She also made a point to tell them about Jesus and how important he was in her life. When Skye glanced at her watch, she could hardly believe how the time had passed.

“Wow, it’s already four o’clock,” Skye said, standing. “I’ve got to get down to the barn and help cool down the horses. They should be back just about now from their long trail ride. I think Champ’s the only one who got the day off.”

Millie shuffled through the album, looking for something. “Wait a minute, Skye. I have something very important to show you.” She pulled a small stack of envelopes
from the back of the album. “Oh, here they are. I knew I had stuck those letters in here.”

“What letters, Mom?” Emma asked.

“Skye,” Millie said, “on Friday evening when I was driving home from the diner, it dawned on me that I might have something that’ll help you track down your dad.”

Skye’s heart took off and her gaze darted from Millie’s eyes to the letters in Millie’s hands.

“These are all letters I wrote to your dad and Charlie Hamlock—the other inmate I knew.” Millie flipped through the pile. Turning the last letter over, she handed it to Skye.

Skye saw that it had been addressed to her dad. “But why aren’t any of these opened?”

“Remember I told you that your dad wouldn’t see me or write? And remember I had said that I had written to Charlie for awhile, but he stopped writing?”

“Yep,” Skye said.

“Well, these are all letters I had intended to mail, but I never did. I finally decided it was no use. Why I kept these letters all this time is beyond me.”

“So how can they help Skye?” Emma asked as she examined a letter.

“Look on the back,” Millie said. “It’s not really the letters that will help. It’s what’s on the envelope.”

“There’s some kind of number here,” Emma said. “Is that important?”

“You bet your booties,” Millie said. “The average person can’t just decide to send a letter to someone in the pen. The inmate will never get the letter unless that code number—it’s called the ‘inmate number’—is on the back. Without that, the prison returns the letter without the inmate ever seeing it.”

Skye looked at the envelope and read, “LX-4102. So this was, or is, my dad’s number.”

“Yep, and here’s Charlie’s number, too.” Millie handed Skye another envelope.

Skye read, “QH-9332.”

“Hey, Mom, that’s super,” Emma said. “Skye can write and see if she gets a response—from either of them.”

“I’m going to write, too, and see what happens,” Millie said. “If either of them is there yet, they
just might
write back this time.”

“Are the numbers ever changed?” Skye asked.

“No,” Millie said. “I remember Charlie telling me that early on. He joked that he was stuck with that number for life.”

“Is there anything in the letters that might be important?” Emma asked. “Or are they private and you don’t want us to read them?”

“It’s okay if you read them, but there’s nothing in any of them that will help Skye,” Millie said. “Skye, keep one letter from your dad and one from Charlie.”

“What if they’re not at that prison anymore?” Emma asked.

“Well, the way I understand it, the prison will forward the mail to the person if they know where he is,” Millie said. “They’d definitely know if he’s in another pen or at a halfway house. After that, I’m not sure if they keep track. So, if the letters come back—”

“I’ll be up against another stone wall,” Skye said.