The Guard To My Sanctuary

Chapter 7

"Hello," my father's deep yet kind voice boomed into the phone's speaker. I immediately remembered him coaching the little league team that I was only a part of but for two games since I found it more interesting to do cartwheels in the grass and chase after dragonflies.

"Daddy," I said into the phone a little emotional at hearing the sound of my father speaking.

"Who the hell is this. I swear to god if you sick people are playing a joke on my phone I will find you and arrest you for harassment," he said using his domineering tone like he used to do when he was tired and we weren't listening. I had a feeling that voice had become more common to him than it used to be.

"No daddy it's me Elm," I said desperately into the voice.

"Yeah right I've played this game before, what you are doing is sick and cruel my family has been hurting for ten years and now you want to call my phone thinking this is a joke do you have no humanity," he asked into the phone sounding tired.

"Daddy it's me I can prove it," I said. Marco slowly put his hands over my shoulder I looked up at him and saw his features highlighted by the amber glow of the twilight sky.

"I'm hanging up," he said.

"NO, remember what mommy used to sing. He chaacha chaand, yahaan aate hain, vahaan aa. Nadee baink dvaara aao. Sone kee katoree mein doodh aur chaaval le aao. To main jaldee se mere bachche ko khila sakate hain. He neeche aate hain aur reling par baithate hain," I sang into the phone."And uncle Kunaal has to wear his coral-colored Dastar or he believed that the East Bengal club wouldn't win. Pine starts pacing when he gets nervous and hums the macarena in a deep tone. Alder hates Uncle's veggie burger unless it's with the spicy brown mustard along with Mayo mixed with olive oil. You kept a picture of mommy in your wallet with all of her bangles on her hand just before she found out she was pregnant with Pine. She named us all after trees because she said trees are the purest forms of life," I said into the phone.

"Oh my god, " my dad said and I heard his phone drop. He must have been scrambling to get it because I heard it get knocked around a few times. Marco squeezed me a few times and I felt comfortable in his arms even though I should not have been.  He was just so warm and welcoming and he seemed genuine in his efforts to help me out. Maybe I was just too starved from someone actually giving a damn so I was just soaking the energy in. My father picked up the phone and I heard the sound of him sniffling.

"Oh my god Elm," he exclaimed," where are you, where have you been. We have missed you so much and have been searching for years since you have been gone. Everyone blamed one another for losing you I can't believe I'm hearing your voice you still sound like you used to," he said into the phone obviously crying on the other end.

"Daddy I've missed you so much, I'm on my way back right now to San Jose if you still live there. It's not your fault someone was stalking me that day and took the smallest opening and nabbed me. I was in Trenton but now we're somewhere outside of Chicago I will be there in two days," I said smiling harder than I had ever smiled in my life.

"Trenton you've been in New Jersey this whole time what happened to you," he asked getting serious. I took in a deep nervous breath knowing what I was about to say would be hard for him. I told him the general information of what had happened to me over the years all the way to my escape and how Marco saved me and found my Dad's number. He sounded heartbroken when I told him about the trafficking but I managed to get him to focus on me coming back home in two days.

"We all will be there! Me, your brothers, and your uncle," he said into the phone.

"I can't wait to see you guys," I said with tears of joy falling down my face.