My Name Is River Blue (49 page)

Papa called me
back, telling me that my room could wait. He then asked the others to give us
some privacy while we discussed something in his office. I hoped that he was
not planning some emotionally draining goodbye speech. Inside his office, he
sat behind his desk, and I sat on one of the two chairs that angled towards
Papa.

Papa was silent
for a full minute. He leaned forwards in his chair, his large fingers propped
on a black metal box that I had never seen before that night. It was about
twelve inches long, six inches wide, and two inches deep. It had a combination
lock, and I was more than curious about the contents. If he had given me a
thousand guesses, none of them would have been correct. When Papa began his
explanation, he only vaguely sounded like the man who was normally so
predictable.

"River, I
have lived my life trying to follow the rules. Rules of law and rules that my
folks taught me about how a moral man should live his life. I have watched men
like Bill Summers use money and power to ignore those rules while they trashed the
lives of ordinary people.'

"I agree
with Mr. Lee that the jury will take a day or two at most to reach a guilty
verdict. We can appeal, but we have to find new evidence to get you a new trial.
While I intend to do all I can to prove your innocence, I can do that whether
you are in prison or not. What I'm going to suggest goes against some of what I
taught you, but I can't watch you go to prison for something you didn't do. I
can't live with knowing what could happen to you and that I could have saved
you from it.'

"River, you
have a decision to make, and you have to make it tonight. It's possible that
the jury could reach a verdict tomorrow, and if it's the guilty verdict that we
all fear, the judge will have you held pending sentencing, and your chance for
freedom will be gone."

I couldn't stay
quiet any longer. "Papa, you're telling me to run? How?"

Papa held up his
hand to stop my questions. "Listen to me because the clock is
ticking."

"Yes, sir."
I leaned forward, arms on my knees, anxious to hear Papa's proposal that we
both break the law.

"I have
been making a plan for your future since shortly after I knew the case the
prosecution would present. The plan is as foolproof as I, along with the help
of a friend, can make it. When I took a break from court today, I made a call
that set it all in motion. I took a guess that you would accept my offer.'

"When our
time in the army was up, my best buddy chose another government job, and I came
back home to the farm. He and I stayed in touch through the years, sharing news
about our families and the events in our lives. I often told him about the
farm, the fitness centers, and my involvement in the community. He shared what
he could, but he was never at liberty to discuss his job since it was
classified. He retired just recently, but the skills that he learned and the
contacts that he made were still very useful in making my plan for you come
together.'

"With his
help, I have created an option for you as an alternative to prison. The
important thing for you to understand is that we have done all the thinking for
you, and if you decide to go this route, the only way it will work is for you
to follow the plan without any deviation."

It was hard to
believe what Papa was saying. I had thought of running, but I never seriously
believed that I could get away with it, and I never thought of asking Papa for
help. All I could envision was a short life on the run before the cops caught me
and returned me to serve my prison sentence. Another reason that I had
dismissed the idea was because Papa would lose the bail money if I failed to
show up in court and that thought made me interrupt him.

"Papa, if I
run, you lose a lot of money, and won't you be in trouble for helping me?"

"River, it
will cost me money, but I've been wealthy for a long time. As far as trouble,
I'll be covered. You only have to decide if you want prison or a chance at
freedom and a decent life."

"Papa, if I
was guilty, I would accept my punishment, but I don't want to go to prison
again for something I didn't do."

"Then you must
be willing to follow a plan that will take some sacrifice on your part. You
have to understand that you will be giving up the life you have now."

"Just tell
me what I need to do."

"In this
black box, there is every document that you need to assume another identity. There
is a social security card, driver's license, birth certificate, passport, and others
you might need. Everything that needs your photo has one. All the documents are
temporary because in the near future you will get a new set with a new photo in
which your face looks just different enough to convince people that it's not
River Blue. You will get your new photo and documents after some minor plastic
surgery. You will give this box to my friend when you first see him, and you
will unlock it together.'

"River, you
will have to leave your life in Bergeron County behind you and that includes
the people. You cannot return, and no matter how tempted you are, you cannot
make any contact with anyone, including Manny, Tyler, and me. For your sake and
ours, when you walk out of our lives, it's forever. I won't know who you are or
where you are. I don't even know the name on the temporary papers in this
box."

"But your
friend will know?"

"Yes, he
and only he, but he will never tell me anything. The only thing I will know is
what I know now. I know my friend will help guide you to a new life and will
make sure that you can survive on your own before he cuts contact with
you."

I hung my head. I
was sick at the thought of losing the last of the people I loved. I reasoned that
even in prison, I could have visitors.

"River, you
know where I had the land cleared last month near Deer Lake?"

"Yes, sir.
Where you cut out the big circle. You still haven't told me what you're putting
there, and it doesn't make sense. The trees around it are so thick that no one
can see it from the lake or any other side."

Papa nodded. "I
didn't want anyone to see it. All I wanted was a place big enough for a
helicopter to set down behind the trees, so even if someone were spying on the
property, they couldn't see you when you load into the chopper tonight."

"
Tonight
?
When?"

Papa looked at
his watch. "In four hours and fifteen minutes."

"So then
what? Where am I going?"

"The pilot,
who knows nothing about you and your situation, will take you to a private air
field where another pilot will meet you when you set down. From there, the new
pilot, who also knows nothing about you, will fly you in a private plane to
meet my friend, who will introduce himself as Tom. From start to finish, it
should take about three hours. When you meet Tom, you must do everything that
he says without hesitation or argument. The first time you even hint at
resisting his directions, he will leave you on your own. You have to realize
that he is going through quite an effort for you, and I promise you that he
will not accept anything but your complete obedience."

"This is
just so much to take in. I have so many questions. Like where am I going to
live, and what will I do for money?"

"You will
live with my friend in a safe, isolated area until you're ready to be on your
own, and I have provided all of the funds you will need. I can't say much more.
You just need to have faith that you will be fine as long as you do as Tom
tells you."

"Papa, I
trust you, and I can do what your friend says, but it's hard to think of losing
you guys. What will Uncle Manny and Tyler think?"

"He doesn't
know any specifics, but Manny won't be surprised to learn you're gone, and
he'll understand. Tyler knows nothing, but he's a smart boy, and he will know
you did what you had to do. They both want the best for you.'

"As for me,
River, I love you too much to see you stay. It will be a hell of a lot easier
for all of us to know that you're safe. I don't want us to visit you in prison every
week until we see nothing left of the River we used to know."

"Thank you,
Papa. I'll never forget you and what you've done for me."

Papa was close
to breaking and so was I. He abruptly ended our meeting. "River, you need to
say your goodnights and get a little sleep before we have to meet the chopper.
Remember, nothing more than goodnight."

***

In our apartment,
the intensity of my feelings showed as I fiercely hugged Uncle Manny and tried
unsuccessfully to fight back my tears. We held each other for a long time, and
he knew as well as I did that we were saying more than goodnight.

Instead of
sleeping in his new bedroom in Papa's house, Tyler came out to the barn to stay
with me on what he knew could be my last night. He said that he didn't want me
to be alone, but I knew it was as much for him as it was for me.

Later, when I
was dressed and ready to leave, I looked down at Tyler, who was sleeping soundly.
His bed-hair stuck out blond and crazy, and he wore a slight smile that I
imagined was caused by a cute girl who had begun taking riding lessons at the
farm.

Lindsey and
Tyler were the same age as Carlee and I were when we first met in junior high.
When he was around her, he wore the same dumb look as many other boys did the
first time a girl excited them in a way that was both thrilling and
frightening. Tyler was in the midst of the changes every boy goes through on
his way to becoming a man, and I was sad that I wouldn't be there for him as
the big brother he wanted me to be.

I pushed Tyler's
hair out of his eyes and studied his face a moment. I whispered my goodbye, and
left a brief note for him on the nightstand before I walked out of his life.

Papa and I said
goodbye in the woods while we waited for the helicopter. He told me that when
my ride set down that I had to board it immediately. I felt a bit like a
soldier taking orders for a secret mission.

I had planned to
control my emotions and make it easier on Papa, but as soon as I hugged him, I
lost it, and I knew that he hurt just as badly as I did. I thought back to the
day when I was thirteen years old and met Papa for the first time at the old
fields of Harper Park. There was no way for me to know back then how much the
man would mean to me.

That night at
Deer Lake, I knew that when I walked away from Papa I would be alone again, the
same as I was when I first met him. The difference was that I would have good memories
to carry with me, and Papa said that good memories are a treasure that some
people try all their lives to build and never do.

When the time
came, Papa firmly pushed me away. I left him in the trees and walked as fast as
my bad leg would allow me to the helicopter that would take me away from Bergeron
County and everything I had ever known. As I began my first ride in an aircraft
of any kind, I looked down and saw the flairs that Papa had placed around his
makeshift helicopter pad. I knew he was standing inside the tree line to my
right and I waved goodbye.

I never saw Papa
again.

As the
helicopter hovered over the lake, memories of sunny days and moonlit nights
with people I loved played through my head. Even today, when I close my eyes
and focus, I still see those scenes at Deer Lake as if I were watching my
favorite home movies.

I see Papa and Uncle
Manny setting up camp, pausing to chuckle at Ant and me, thirteen-year old
savages, chasing each other into the lake and dunking each other until we gasp
for air.

I hear the magic
in Ant's voice along with the crackling fire, as we dream of playing pro
football and living the good life in a big city. There's Ant and I on another
day. We smile as we watch the excitement in Max's eyes when he hooks his first
fish.

I see the first
time Tyler sets up camp. With each task he completes, he peers at me from under
his blond mop. He looks for approval, and each time I grin, giving him the
thumbs up. A wide smile splits his face when I tell him I'm proud of him.

Carlee and I are
holding each other in the water, kissing long and hard, and working our way up
the bank and into the tent where we love each other as the night passes into
morning. I see us when dawn sends silver slivers of light through our canvas
covering, and we crawl, sharing the red blanket, to sit just outside the tent.
We watch the sun break into an orange glow over the horizon just at the top of
the pines. At the most peaceful moment of any day, on the bank to our right, we
see a doe nosing in for a drink. She breaks the still water, but only gently,
as waves spread soundlessly across the surface of the lake. I look from the
deer to Carlee, and I'm in awe of her breathtaking beauty, her blue eyes filled
with the wonder and glee of a child on Christmas morning. I kiss her slowly and
tenderly. I love her so.

Carlee faded
away along with Deer Lake, and I could see nothing but a blur of distant lights
somewhere ahead and below us. My throat swelled, my chest squeezed, and my eyes
burned as if my tears were liquid fire. After I began crying, I didn't try to
stop. I couldn't have. I held onto the black box with the stranger inside, and
I wept aloud for the loss of River Blue and the people and places he loved.