Romantic love story

Chapter six: The Place Where Love Comes From

The road looked familiar, as did the trees, the houses, that stretch of water growing bigger and bigger outside the rear window of the jeep. They recalled images she wished to forget. She had walked this road, on her way to nowhere, only to shudder against the wet cold and almost die. The memory of it caught in her throat, tasting like bile.

Why was she here? Why was Terry bringing her back to this place? Fear squeezed the air from her lungs. Wet stung her eyes. He was taking her back to the campground, to leave her where he had found her.

"Madison?" She looked into the mirror and saw Terry flick her a glance before returning his eyes to the road. "What's the matter? Please don't answer with a shrug. I can't hear a shrug. I heard a whimper back there, and I want to know if you're all right."

"I'm here."

"I know you're here." A smile sounded in Terry's voice. "That's not what I asked."

"Please"-- Madison forced down a dry swallow-- "where are we going?"

"We're going home. I told you that as we all left the MegaMart."

"But this isn't the way to the apartment."

"I meant, we're going to John and Izzy's home, the one they let me share with them. It'll only be for dinner, then I'll take you back to the apartment."

"Oh."

"That sounded shaky." The glance in the rear view mirror narrowed on her. He looked back at the road, let out a sigh. "As soon as we get home, you're putting on that painkilling ointment. You look like you've been put through the spin cycle on a washing machine."

Unspeakable relief flooded Madison. She wasn't going back to the wild.

The shimmer of the water no longer felt like an unforgiving glare pushing her from its view, though it still made her squint. She turned from the window, let her head rest against the glass. It bumped lightly when the tires began to crunch with the sound of gravel.

The jeep slowed to a stop in front of a wide white house. The front door opened, and the man Terry had introduced as John, stepped out with three cute little girls no taller than his waist. They tagged behind him like happy yellow ducklings following their parent to water. Madison knew, for she had once seen a nature show about waterfowl and their young.

"We're home," Terry said, unsnapping his seat belt.

Izzy opened the passenger door, a smile on her lips as John came to meet her.

"First day back to preschool, and everything went smooth," John said, planting a kiss on his wife's cheek. "No temper tantrums, no tears, just giggles and lots of finger painting." John lifted a girl, and she presented her mom with a paper covered in kiddie bright colors. It vaguely resembled a flower.

"Oh, my. It's beautiful, Lizzie. We'll put this up on the fridge."

The child beamed brightly at her mother's encouragement. Then the other two girls presented their gifts, equally unrecognizable masterpieces that had their mommy declaring the fridge was fast filling up with talented artists.

"I see we're having company." John said it to Izzy, though his look traveled to Madison.

Izzy put a hand on John's arm, leaned forward and whispered several somethings into his ear. It didn't take much to guess that Izzy was giving John the highlights of their outing.

A girl climbed into the jeep with a sheet of paper clasped in her right hand. Kneeling in the passenger seat her mother vacated, she peered into the back of the vehicle.