Finally, they pulled up in front of a sparking glass building. Grant wrenched open the car door and stumbled on the sidewalk.
“Are you all right?” Kate asked.
Grant nodded. His mouth felt dry, and he tried to control his breathing. Kate looked at him, concerned.
“Come inside,” she said. Her hand was cool and steady on his back, and it grounded him.
Grant barely registered the warm woods and colorful artwork in the lobby. A secretary met them at the elevators, and they followed her to the twentieth floor to a glass-enclosed conference room. His uncle Jack and a kind-looking woman sat inside.
“Cheri, hi! Great to see you!”
She and Kate hugged. Walter shook Cheri’s hand and introduced Grant.
“Hi, Grant,” said Cheri. “I’m the chief operating officer of the Holbrook Foundation. It’s so wonderful to meet you!”
Walter and Jack looked coolly at one another. As they all sat down, Cheri pulled out her notepad.
“Tell me, Grant, have you thought of what you would like your advocacy focus to be?”
“He probably needs to do something veteran related,” Walter said before Grant had a chance to speak.
Jack interjected, “PerhapsGranthas an idea of what he wants to focus on, since this will beGrant’sproject.”
“Veteran advocacy makes the most sense,” Walter shot back.
Cheri said smoothly, “Perhaps, Grant, you would like to think on it?”
Grant shrugged, still looking out the window.
Cheri smiled sympathetically. “You know, you’ve been through a rough ordeal…”
“You have no idea what I’ve been through.” Grant turned on her and snarled.
She jumped in her seat. Kate looked at Grant, alarmed.
Jack jumped up, yelling, “Do not speak to her like that!”
“Let’s all calm down,” Kate pleaded.
“Look,” Cheri said. “He’s recently returned, and he hasn’t even had a chance to decompress. Since he’s still legally a member of the armed forces, he can’t do anything such as fundraising or anything even remotely political. So let’s table this discussion until then. When are you out?”
Grant shrugged. “Maybe six weeks.”
“Let’s revisit this then. Grant can take some time to think about what direction he wants his life to take. You may want to go to college or travel or do consulting. No need to rush into anything.”
In the car, Grant could feel the frustration wafting off of his father.
“This has not progressed like I thought it would,” Walter said.
“I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment,” Grant spat. “Maybe if you hadn’t abandoned me with those… never mind. It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t be here, anyways.” Grant just wanted to go back to his room, lie in bed, and snuggle with Kate. She was the only person he felt safe around. He didn’t want to call it love. It was more like an obsession.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Walter sighed.
Grant didn’t look at him. He stared out the window as they started on the long drive back to the estate. It was raining, and they were stuck in heavy traffic. The raindrops running down the window reflected the light from the traffic lights, making it look as if the car were drenched in blood. Grant suddenly punched his fist against the window, and it cracked. Then he pushed the door open and let it slam against the side of the car.
Kate and his father yelled at him as he sprinted through the traffic to the side of the road. Feeling suddenly nauseous, he puked. He had barely eaten anything that day, and only a frothy yellow liquid came out. Wiping the vomit-flecked spittle from his mouth, Grant wandered into the woods that flanked the road. He thought he heard Kate, but he wasn’t sure, and he pushed to increase his pace until he was flat-out sprinting.
As his adrenaline and panic subsided, Grant looked around. He was in someone’s backyard. He fought through the English ivy to the road. His phone was still in the car. He didn’t have any numbers programmed into it, in any event. He picked a direction and started walking. Soon, he came to a larger road that had a sign pointing to New Cardiff; it was several miles. He squared his shoulders and set off.
