Maverick looks at me, silently asking if I’m good. Somehow, we’re able to communicate without even speaking after only a few days of knowing each other. The realization fills me with a strange warmth.
I nod, so he turns and jogs toward the group of rowdy camp occupants who are indeed starting a bonfire and passing around the whiskey bottles, not even bothering with cups. I find myself staring at him from afar, admiring his quiet strength, the authority he exudes by simply being present.
“So,” Joe says, startling me. I had forgotten he was standing next to me. “You seem like you’re adjusting well.”
I laugh humorlessly. “I didn’t really have a choice.”
“You’ll return to New Athens, then? To your husband?” he asks, folding clothes and sorting them into piles.
A thought occurs to me: if Maverick and Gabriel grew up together, Joe must’ve known Gabriel too, from before. “Did you know Gabriel when he was friends with Maverick?”
“Of course,” he replies. “They were inseparable as kids. Though their falling out was warranted, from what Maverick has shared with me.”
I swallow. “He told me what happened.”
Joe sighs, a deep sadness in the sound. “Even the best men can fall victim to the allure of power.”
“Maverick didn’t,” I say.
A small, proud smile graces his face. “No. He didn’t.”
“Do you worry?” I ask, my eyes finding Maverick again among the partygoers. He laughs and takes a swig from the whiskey bottle, apparently having warmed up to the idea of a little fun.
“Every day.” Joe’s gaze follows mine. “But I know he’s where he needs to be to accomplish his goal.”
I turn my attention back to Joe. “And what goal is that?”
His eyes bore into mine. “To save as many people as he can.”
I bite my lip. “Can I ask you a question, Joseph?”
He smiles at me. “Fire away.”
“Would you think me a terrible person if I decided not to return to Gabriel?”
“Do you love him?”
“I…” It’s the first time I’ve questioned my love for my husband, but we both know my hesitation speaks for itself. “I’m loyal to him.”
He doesn’t answer right away, instead pursing his lips thoughtfully. “Loyalty is a funny concept, Mrs. Sinclair. Whether it be loyalty to a person or to our country, it demands our undying devotion. But loyalty that’s been coerced isn’t true loyalty at all, it’s manipulation.”
Tears flood my eyes, stinging my nose and throat. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“When’s the last time you had the freedom to make your own decisions?”
I shake my head. “I can’t even remember.”
Joe nods sympathetically. “Choice can be paralyzing. Give yourself some grace.”
I reach over and clasp his weathered hand, feeling at ease. “Thank you.”
He pats my hand with his free one. “Come on, Mrs. Sinclair. Can’t let those kids have all the fun.”
“Della,” I say with a smile. “Call me Della.”
Delilah
Present Day
