“I know what you are going to say.” She was about to continue when Eunice returned with two glasses of water.
“I’m bringing your food right out,” the waitress commented, setting the glasses in front of them. By silent mutual agreement, they held off from speaking further until after their food was delivered. During their wait, he stared out at the traffic. At the strange yet strangely familiar scene.
“No matter how far we jump, things never really change, do they?” he softly commented. He was aware of her slowly shaking her head as two plates were slid in front of them.
“Here’s yer fork, spoon, and knife,” Eunice said, pulling two sets of napkin-wrapped utensils from the pocket in her apron and placing them on the table. “Is there anything else you need? Ketchup?”
“No. We are good. Thank you, Eunice,” Juda replied and turned to her husband. “This place, these people. I want to stay here. I want us to raise our family here.” Her voice choked up. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Cayn, I think I am with child.”
He almost dropped his fork. He knew his mouth gaped open and quickly closed it. “Juda…”
“We could be happy here,” she insisted in a soft voice. “I have my job. I am certain you could also find employment here.”
He still remained focused on the news about a baby. “Juda, are you sure you are with child?”
“A-almost,” she stuttered. “I have not had my flow for…a long time. And I am feeling more tired than usual. And I am always hungry.”
A pang of hope sparked in his chest. The next instant, logic snuffed it out. “Juda, I wish we could stay here. I would give anything for us to remain in a village like this one. More than anything, I wish we could live our lives out like normal people. Raise our child, our children, the way normal people do.” Leaning over the table, he stared into her pale face. “But we both know that as long as Goen is alive—”
“Keep sending him back!” she insisted in a hushed tone, even though there was no one nearby to overhear them. “Every time he shows up—”
“And what do I do if he shows up while we are at work? What if he shows up where you are and I am not around to send him?” By the disappointment on her face, he knew he’d made his point. Reaching out, he took her hand again and squeezed it. “You know I would give anything to fulfill your wishes, as they are also mine.”
“Something wrong with the meatloaf?” a voice asked above them. Eunice gave them a questioning eye, and Cayn realized they had yet to touch their food.
“It is fine. Thank you. We were preoccupied.”
Giving a nod, the waitress left their check on the table and went to check out the man waiting by the cash register.
“Cayn…”
He turned to find her staring out the window.
“Cayn, if I give birth to our child, that will give Goen someone else to aim for.”
He had to admit it was the truth. Goen was the type who, once he discovered she was pregnant, would not hesitate to kill the babe. Or take Juda hostage until she gave birth, and use her and the child as collateral. He closed his eyes. There were a number of horrific scenarios his mind could concoct where he, Juda, or all three of them could suffer under Goen’s hand.
He shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. The food was barely warm but still delicious. “Perhaps I should kill him.”
“Perhaps…you should,” she agreed, and took a bite of her meatloaf.
They ate in silence, not mentioning Goen, their future, or the baby again, but Cayn knew that things had changed. It was no longer him and Juda fighting for their lives, or for the sake of their love for one another. A third element had been added to their trials. He cursed himself. He should have been more aware of the possibility. He should have been prepared.
By the time they finished their meal, a seed of an idea had begun to germinate in his mind. What would happen next, and if it would come to fruition, all depended on what they found out when they went to see Sheriff Conroy.
Picking up the check, Cayn pulled a bill from the wad in his pocket and started to rise from his seat when Juda let out a soft cry and reached for him. She stared out the window as she waved her hand at him.
“Cayn! Cayn!”
He looked outside, trying to spot what was upsetting her, when his gaze fell on the figure of a giant of a man striding down the sidewalk, heading directly for the sheriff’s office.
“No. No, no, no!” Slamming the check and the bill onto the table, he snatched Juda’s hand and half-dragged her out of the booth.
“Where are we going?” she asked fearfully.
“Away.”
It was all he needed to say.
