Chapter 7

“Penn? Penn? Is that you?”

Suddenly, the most frightening being who could possibly appear before me was the one who actually did: the one I could not resist.

“Judah?” I had not seen him in years—more than two. Hardly could I believe he still looked for me. I had hoped that he might, but at the same time, for his sake, I had wished for him to move on.

“Yes, Penn. Good God, yes! It’s me!” Judah had said. He’d thrown his manly arms around me and he’d pulled me close and tight.

I left my head at that moment, stepping from the past, from the joy that turned tragic. I looked out the window to see if I could still see Ewan Parish’s car in the distance, but it was too far gone.