Breathe

Waiting had never been Eve’s strength, and this pause, the anticipated breath as she waited for Bucky to return for her was excruciating. Still the weeks were put to good use as she planned to once again leave a place she had called home.

Three days after the gala and the storm, she gathered her new friends around her table for a traditional Jiggs dinner just the way Frank had taught her to make it.

When the mashed turnip and salt beef had all but disappeared, she rose to stand at the head of the table, grasping the back of her chair nervously.

“What’s the story ducky?” Jobe prompted gently.

“I, uh, well, I need to tell you all something.” Sofie passed Eve a glass of water and she sipped and cleared her throat again before speaking in halting sentences. “It’s time I tell you all the truth. My real name is Trinity. I’ve been in hiding for thirteen years.” Trinity rose to her full height, her shoulders back and relaxed as she made the pronouncement that had been weighing on her. “And I’ve decided I’m not going to hide anymore. I’m taking back my life.”

After the initial shock had worn off, they of course had questions. Mike poured the tea as Jen started.

“Who where you hiding from? Was it the guy at the gala? I knew I should have reported him!”

“No, Jen, he’s… well, he’s the man I’m in love with. No, I was hiding from my father.”

“Your Dad? Whatever did he do?” Frank asked, his eyebrows nearly melding into the soft white of his hairline.

“That’s well, complicated, but in short… my father hired someone to kill me.”

“Oh, my goodness gracious pet! Whatever for?” Sofie gasped, nearly spilling her tea in her haste to set it down and grasp Trinity’s hand.

As the motherly woman rubbed little circles into the back of her hand, tears welled up in Trin’s eyes. Her throat constricted painfully and she only managed to say two words.

“My mum…”

And then she was wrapped in warm arms and Sofie’s soft pink cardigan absorbed her tears as Jobe’s rough hand patted her back gently.

“There, there, Ducky. Have yourself a good cry-out, no shame in that. Fact is, I think we all need one right abouts now.” Jobe’s gruff voice spoke truth, though she couldn’t yet see that the tears she shed were shared by everyone around the table.

Minutes past as Trinity’s shaking sobs slowed and finally stopped. When she looked up Jen’s face had gone white, Mike was flushed thinking of his own little girl, and Frank’s ears had gone red-hot.

“And that man,” Franks inflection on the word spoke his disgust. “is still after you?” The expression now on his face was such a change from his usual soft and gentle manner that it was a little jarring, though Trin read in it the protective love he had for her.

“I, I don’t actually know, he’ll be in prison for the rest of his life, and he blames me for it.”

“What will he do if he finds out where you are?” Jen asked, her eyes as red as her face was white.

“If his goons show up here, I’ll give them a warm welcome.” Frank muttered, cracking his knuckles.

“That’s the other thing I wanted to tell you. I’m, well, I’m leaving.”

“Where to?”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Quit all your yapping and let her explain.” Sofie glared, quieting the group.

“I’m going with James back to the US. Between him and his friends, I’ll be well protected. And I’m keeping the cottage, so I’ll be back to visit.” The smile that overspread her face as she said his name was enough to dispel her friend’s fears, anyone that made her look that carefree and happy couldn’t be all bad.

“Are we going to meet the young man before he whisks you away?” Jobe asked, pretending to be grumpy and disapproving even as his eyes shone.

“He’s gone back for a few weeks, to make the arrangements, but I’ll be sure to bring him round when he returns.”

Jobe muttered about two weeks notice and how hard it is to find good help and the conversation passed into an easier, lighter one, though questions about her past and her plans for the future still cropped up from time to time.

James was a few days later than she had expected and when she asked why, he just shook his head. He met Jobe, Sophie and Frank, Jen and Mike and their kids. Silvia had already got the former soldier wrapped around her tiny four-year-old finger as she demanded he toss her up and catch her for the fiftieth time.

They were sad to see her go, but spending a few days with Bucky around had reassured them that Trinity would be safe and happy. With one last longing look at the ocean, and the outcrop where she had whispered so many of her dreams and fears to the sky, Trinity turned for home.