Escape Velocity

Chapter Three

When Gramp was on his way to the ER, I had missed my parents' call and the chance to wiggle out of Parallax. But weather conditions had boomeranged my parents mid-flight back to New Zealand—bad luck for my parents but good news for me.

KangaWho chimed and I took a deep breath. I clicked on the icon of the kangaroo bouncing in an old-fashioned phone booth.

The video window opened. There was my dad in front with my mom leaning in from the side. He said, "Savanna, let me speak with Gram a sec, okay?"

I stood up so Gram could be in front of the computer. She brushed at her hair as she spotted her image in the corner. "Hi, Nate. How are you all doing? Still excited?"

"Hey, Mom. Excited, yes, but it's a lot of hurry up and wait. How's Dad? Can I say hello? I'd like to see how he's doing."

Perfect. My dad played right into my hand. I'd prepped Gramp earlier. I'd convinced him my withdrawal from Parallax was necessary because Gram would need extra help after the whole ER crisis.

Gram said, "He was confused earlier today. I think it's better to keep disruptions to a minimum."

That's not part of my plan.

I stuck my head close to Gram's and said, "I'll get him."

My mom said, "Didn't you hear your grandmother? She doesn't think it's a good idea. Leave him be."

"But I was just talking to him. He's fine. I don't see what the problem is." As the words poured out, my voice edged into whininess.

My mom's lips were drawn in tight. "Savanna! This isn't about you. For once, try to understand that."

I understood all right. As far as my mom was concerned, it would never be about me. But I knew Gramp wanted to talk to my dad. He told me. And I had to find a way to bring up Parallax with him in the room. While Gram launched into all the details about the hospital visit and what it meant for Gramp, I went upstairs.

My dad was asking about a new Alzheimer's med when I walked back in with Gramp.

"Here he is! Gramp, say hi to everybody." A glance at my parents told me to speak fast. It was now or never. "Don't you think it would be a good idea for me to skip Parallax and help out?"

Gramp, expressionless, slumped into a chair. My mom's eyes flashed with anger.

Now wasn't the right choice after all. I should've gone with never.

My mom said, "It's obvious you aren't able to place Gramp's well-being above your own selfishness. The sooner you head to Parallax, the better."

The better for everyone else. Same as always.

~~~

Gramp's synapses seemed to dry up more each day. Yet, every time I asked about his long-lost sister, it brought him back to me, back to life. It was as if he had brain cells that refused to give up hope. Just like me.

"She'd be in her eighties if she's still alive. I wonder if she knows about me. Or imagines me," Gramp said one evening.

"If she knew about you, she would have tried to find you."

I had his mother's diary open on my lap and thought about the latest entries I'd read. Much of it was difficult because the ink had faded and the handwriting was hard to decipher. I'd learned cursive, but the Italian lettering was so different. It was slow going. And some of it was more like an account book. I made myself read each entry as I came to it, but her household budget wasn't exactly great literature. I absorbed everything, looking for a mention of a child. Understanding her would lay out the path to finding her daughter. I needed that to be true.