Unbreakable (4 page)

She stooped down to pick up her backpack that was resting on the floor but before she could walk away her dad enveloped her in a hug. “I’ll miss you. Stay safe, Sophie. I love you.”

Obviously you won’t miss me too much or you wouldn’t be sending me away
. “I’ve gotta go. The flight will be boarding soon.” She pulled back from her dad’s embrace, turned and walked towards security control. She didn’t look back once she was through, even though she was certain her dad would still be watching her until she disappeared out of sight. Glancing up at the departure board, Sophie confirmed the boarding gate number and followed the airport signs until she had located it. Slinging her pack onto a chair beside her, she sat down and pulled out her iPod. Stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing her ankles, Sophie leaned back in her chair as the songs played at random, but in truth she wasn’t really listening. They simply served as background noise while her thoughts drifted over the past few months.

Her community service had been finished a few weeks ago. Sophie had alternated between a soup kitchen and a senior center and though she was glad that she’d completed the community service, she had to admit that it hadn’t actually been that bad. To be honest, it had been an opportunity to focus on other people’s problems and forget her own for a while. She hadn’t wanted to interact with the other volunteers at first, partly because she just wanted to get in, do the work and get out as soon as possible but also because she was embarrassed. She knew what people would be thinking…
Oh look, there’s the thief. Better watch your belongings, who knows what she’ll steal next
. Her embarrassment had quickly developed into anger. So what if they judged her? These people didn’t know her and she didn’t know them. She didn’t give a damn about their opinions.

However, as the days and weeks had passed Sophie had come to realize that for the most part people didn’t judge her. She didn’t get along with everyone, but the majority of the people she interacted with just accepted why she was there and were friendly to her. They were grateful for the extra assistance and some of them shared stories of their own less-than-squeaky-clean pasts with Sophie. One of the main things that Sophie realized however was that most people simply wanted someone to talk to – and surprisingly Sophie found she enjoyed being that person. Whether it was visitors or their family members or alternatively the regular staff and volunteers, people were comforted with a simple exchange of words. Sometimes the exchanges were brief; other times Sophie had spent countless hours just listening to people telling her things. Occasionally they told her funny anecdotes. At other times they related incredibly sad details of their lives but with a dignity that made Sophie uncomfortable. Her life wasn’t so bad in comparison to these people.

However, just because she had found it increasingly easier to talk to people about their problems, it didn’t necessarily make it easier to deal with her own. For the most part, she let people talk while she listened and offered the odd comment. It seemed to be a cathartic experience for them without much emotional investment required on her part. It was a completely different matter talking about her own thoughts, feelings and experiences with people she’d only met weeks before. She offered the occasional bit of information when required but she certainly wasn’t going to open up and lay all her woes on the table.

As the months passed though, she found herself opening up slightly more. She’d told a few people about the stolen car and being found by the police and she’d mentioned that she didn’t get along well with her parents and they were having ‘issues’. She didn’t go into great detail but the people she told didn’t press her for more than she was willing to tell them. There was something about the environment she was in that made it easier for Sophie to relate to people who were strangers until a few months ago than to her parents whom she’d known her entire life. Maybe it was the fact that some of them had been through similar – or worse – circumstances. Maybe it was simply the fact that she knew her time would be up soon and she wouldn’t see these people again. Perhaps it was similar to how people sometimes shared life stories with complete strangers sitting next to them on a plane, secure in the knowledge that they wouldn’t see these people ever again so it didn’t matter as much what they told them.

A voice broke through Sophie’s thoughts and she looked up to see people gathering at the boarding gate. As her row was called she stood up to join the queue and ten minutes later she was seated on the plane. Glancing out of the window, she surveyed the various planes that lay stationery or were slowly taxiing along the runways of San Francisco International Airport as she considered her destination. In a few hours she would be on a ranch in back-of-beyond Texas. Where was her mom right now? New York City. Why did her parents get to stay in civilization while she got sent to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve with cows and horses?
You liked those cows and horses the last time you were there
, a small voice whispered in her head.
Yeah, when I was thirteen
. Now she was eighteen. It was only a few months until she would be finished with school. It didn’t matter what her dad said. She wasn’t a kid. Her and Abby had even spoken about moving out and getting an apartment together after school. Not that that was going to happen now…

The captain’s voice announced a few minutes later that they would be departing soon. Following the standard safety demonstration, the flight attendants walked the aisle, checking baggage was stored securely, chairs were in the upright position and seatbelts were fastened. As the plane began to slowly move forward, Sophie kept her gaze fixed out the window. The plane aligned with the runway and sped up significantly as the landscape flicked by. There was something oddly appealing about the sensation in her stomach as the plane lifted off the ground. Sophie looked down at the increasingly distant airport and surrounding roads, the cars small little specks of color as the plane left San Francisco behind.

Get a good look, Soph. It’s the last civilization you’ll see for two weeks
. Turning to face the seat in front of her, she sighed, slipped in her earphones and closed her eyes.

***

The flight passed uneventfully and several hours later Sophie found herself standing in Dallas/Fort Worth International next to the baggage carousel. She hadn’t spotted her suitcase yet but that was fine by her. The longer it took to arrive, the more she could put off the awkward meeting that was soon to take place. The number of suitcases slowly began to increase until she spotted her bag at the far end of the carousel. Waiting until it reached her, she leant down and snatched it off. Taking her time to extend the handle, she began to make her way leisurely towards the waiting area, towing the suitcase behind her. She could see groups of people waiting through the doors, some with signs who were obviously waiting for business passengers while others waited for friends or family. Strolling through the doors, she tried to scan the crowd as nonchalantly as possible until she heard someone calling her name.

Turning to face the direction of the voice, she spotted her uncle waving at her. As she made her way around the metal railing that had been erected between the passengers and the people waiting for them, her uncle came forward to meet her. “Hi, Sophie. Welcome back to Texas. It’s lovely to see you again.” The words were uttered in an easy drawl. “Am I allowed to hug you or are we playing it cool with a handshake?”

Sophie stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging. “Um, a hug is fine, I guess.”

Her uncle extended both arms around her and gave her a firm, brief hug before releasing her. “Don’t worry, I won’t draw things out.” He winked at her and then reached for the handle of her suitcase. “Let me take that. You okay with that backpack?”

“I’m fine, thanks.” Sophie stepped aside as her uncle took hold of the suitcase handle and tilted it.

“Okay, let’s go. The truck’s out front.” Her uncle led the way across the airport and out the front doors. As they walked he chatted casually beside her. “So was your flight okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” Sophie glanced out of the corner of her eye at him. He looked pretty much how she remembered him from the last time she’d seen him. No doubt she must look rather different to him now though. “Uh, so how’s Aunt Kay?”

“Keeping herself busy, despite my best efforts to persuade her that a night off now and then isn’t a bad idea, especially since we’ve got the extra help from Miller.”

“Who’s Miller?”

“One of the ranch hands. He came to us about two years ago with his family. He’s been a big help. Anyway, your aunt’s got the guest room ready for you. No doubt still fussing over final details as we speak. Truck’s right over there.”

Sophie looked in the direction he indicated, expecting to see a beat up, muddy truck but instead a pristine Ford pickup gleamed back at them. “Nice ride.”

Her uncle glanced at her and smiled. “Yup, can’t disagree with you there. You look a bit surprised. Not what you were expecting?”

“Not really. Aren’t ranch trucks meant to be all weathered-looking and filled with junk?”

“Well I’ll be honest with you, it got a wash before I came to pick you up but it’s fairly new. We bought it last year since the ranch has been doing well and we wanted to help keep it that way. Good tools go a long way to keeping things running smoothly.” He unlocked the front passenger door and the back door before hoisting her suitcase onto the back seat. “You can put your backpack in the back if you want and then come sit up front.”

Sophie shrugged her backpack off and placed it on her suitcase as her uncle walked round to the other side of the truck. Closing the back door, Sophie slid into the passenger seat next to her uncle before closing her own door with a heavy thud.
No going back now
, she thought as they pulled out of the parking space and the airport shrunk behind them, the low hum of the engine the only sound as they navigated onto the highway.

“It’s going to take about an hour and a half to reach the ranch.” Her uncle kept his eyes on the road as he spoke easily beside her. “Right about now you’re probably feeling pretty awkward and no doubt you don’t fancy the idea of a long car journey having to make small talk with an uncle you haven’t seen in years. Feel free to stick on the radio if you want. Not sure what sort of music you’re into but you can tune it to any station you want.”

Sophie glanced at him in surprise before facing the window again. “That’s okay, Uncle Philip. I’ve got my iPod with me.” She was grateful for the out her uncle had provided and spent the journey gazing out the window, the songs playing again at random for the duration of the journey. The buildings of the city eventually faded into the distance until they were nothing but a memory and instead Sophie was surrounded on all sides by ranchland or farmland. Some of it was being used for crops but she occasionally spotted cattle and horses in the distance as well.

She recognized the dirt track as her uncle turned off the main road and headed along it, the surrounding landscape flat pastures on either side except for the cluster of trees further up ahead which shielded the ranch house from sight. Within a minute they were nearing the trees and she could see figures scurrying in the distance near the porch.

“You’ve still got Badger and Tilly,” Sophie smiled as she spotted the Border Collie and American Bulldog leaping off the porch stairs before racing towards the truck. She’d remembered playing with the dogs when she last visited the ranch.

“Yup, they’re getting on a bit but they love to be out and about with me during the day or helping Kay in the kitchen, which usually means trying to grab any scraps that fall when she’s not looking. They seem to remember you.” Philip laughed softly as they pulled up to the porch and the dogs crowded round Sophie as she opened the door and slid out. “Come on, you two, the girl’s just arrived. At least give her some time to get settled before bombarding her.” The dogs quieted at his words but still wagged their tails eagerly, not letting Sophie out of their sights as she retrieved her backpack and followed Philip up the porch stairs as he carried her suitcase for her.

“Kay, darlin’, we’re home,” Philip called out as he held the door open for Sophie. “You go right on in.”

Sophie took a second to compose herself before stepping through the door. The house hadn’t changed much from what she could remember. Granted, the memory was a bit fuzzy, but the photos still drew her attention as faces smiled at her from walls and table tops. The entrance hall table held a framed photo of the family reunion that had taken place five years ago on the ranch. Sophie recognized herself standing next to her three cousins in the front row, while Aunt Sue and Uncle Riley, Uncle Philip and Aunt Kay and her parents stood in a row behind them, with her grandparents in the middle of the adults. It had been a gathering of the family on her dad’s side. Aunt Sue, Aunt Kay and her dad were siblings and had organized the gathering. Everybody looked so happy on the photo, even her parents.
That’s because they were happy back then
. The thought brought a surge of bitterness to Sophie but she was distracted by her aunt who appeared from the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist.

“Sophie, honey! I’m so glad you’re here!” Aunt Kay came forward, removing the apron as she did so before depositing it on the hallway table. “Wouldn’t want to get flour all over you when you’re barely a minute in the door. Oh, sweetie,” she hugged Sophie tightly before pulling back to look at her. “You’ve grown into quite the beauty! You were always a pretty girl but now you’re becoming a beautiful young woman. Don’t you think so, Philip?”