Archer's Voice

Archer: Is this your home, Bree?

Me: Yes, Archer, my home is where you are.

Archer: Did you sleep this morning? You shouldn’t drive when you're tired.

Me: I'll be okay. I'll make lots of coffee stops.

Archer: Drive safely. Drive carefully. Come back to me, Bree. I miss you so much it feels like a part of myself is missing.

Me: Me too, Archer. My Archer. I'm coming back to you. I'll be there soon. I love you.

Archer: I love you, too. Always.

Archer: Don't text me while you're driving, but next time you stop, let me know where you are.

Archer: Bree? It's been a couple hours and I haven't heard from you…

Archer: Bree? You're scaring me. Please be okay.

Archer: Bree… please… I'm losing my mind. Please text me. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.

CHAPTER 27

Archer – Seven Years Old, May

"Archer!" my mama called, her voice sounding just a little bit scared. "Baby, where are you?"

I was sitting under the dining room table, the heavy tablecloth hiding me as I kneeled on the floor with my action figures.

I hesitated, but when my mama called me again, sounding more worried this time, I crawled out from under the table and went to her. I didn't like to hear my mama scared, but I also knew something was going on and I was scared too.

My mama had been whispering into the phone all morning and for the last half hour, she'd been upstairs stuffing clothes and other things into suitcases.

That's when I'd hidden under the table and waited to see what would happen next.

I knew that whatever was going on was happening because my daddy had come home last night, again smelling like some other lady's perfume and had slapped my mama in the face when she said his di

I had a feeling my mama had finally had enough. And if I had to guess about who she was on the phone with, I'd say it was Uncle Co

My mama turned the corner into the dining room just as I was crawling out from beneath the table and let out a loud breath. "Archer, sweetheart," she said, putting her hands on my cheeks and bending down so that her eyes were right in front of mine. "You worried me."

"Sorry, mama."

Her face got soft and she smiled at me and moved the hair back from my forehead. "It's okay, but I need you to do something for me and it's really important. Do you think you can listen and do as I say and not ask questions right now?"

I nodded.

"Okay, that's good." She smiled, but then it disappeared and the worried look came back into her eyes again. "We're going to go away, Archer–me, you, and your… uncle Co

"I want to go," I said, standing up taller. "I don't want to live with him anymore."

My mama just looked at my face for a couple seconds, her lips pressed together. She breathed out and ran her hand over my hair again. Tears came into her eyes. "I haven't been a good mama," she said and shook her head back and forth.

"You are a good mama!" I said. "You're the best mama in the world. But I want to live with Uncle Co

She sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek and then nodded her head at me. "We're going to be happy, Archer, do you hear me? You and me, we're going to be happy."

"Okay," I said, keeping my eyes on her pretty face.

"Okay," she said, finally smiling.

That's when our front door opened and Uncle Co

"You ready?" he asked, looking at my mama.

She nodded. "The suitcases are right there," she tilted her head toward the four pieces of luggage sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"You okay?" Uncle Co

"I will be. Take us away from here," she whispered.

Uncle Co

I nodded and followed him and my mama out the front door. They both looked around as Uncle Co

As we drove away, heading out of Pelion, I watched as Uncle Co

"Me, you, and our boy," Uncle Co

"Just us," my mama whispered, that same soft look moving across her face.

My mama looked back at me, and paused for a second before saying, "I packed your Legos and some of your books, baby." She smiled and leaned the side of her head on the head rest, still looking at me. Her shoulders seemed to be dropping lower by the mile.

I just nodded. I didn't ask where we were going. I didn't care. As long as it was away from here, anywhere was fine.

Uncle Co

My mama smiled. "This is the first time in years I feel like I’m not strapped down against my will," she said and laughed softly. "But okay, safety first." She tilted her head and winked at him, and I gri

My mama reached for her belt, and all of a sudden there was a large jolt and our car swerved crazily. My mama screamed and Uncle Co

Our car spun all over and then all I heard was the scream of metal on metal, glass shattering, and my own screams as our car flipped for what seemed like hours, finally coming to a stop with a loud creaking sound.

The terror hit me hard and that's when I started to cry, squeaking out, "Help! Help me!"

I heard a loud groan from the front, and then Uncle Co

I heard the back door being pulled open, and then Uncle Co

I finally made myself open my eyes and look up into my uncle's face, his hand reaching toward me. I grasped his arm and he pulled me out into the warm, spring sunshine.

My uncle Co

"Okay." Terror and confusion made me cry more.

Uncle Co