The Long Road Home
“What had been a landscape of stark beauty suddenly became alien and hostile.”
Ft. Bliss, Texas | 1957 | By JOEL VANCE
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Running for Our LivesThe tsunami is going to hit in five minutes and all she can think, all she can ever think anymore, is that it is about time for Robert to propose. She’d finally realized that it felt much easier to obsess about details like “strapless or with sleeves?” than the alternative. The Punishment Suits the CaseDeep in his snooze, thousands of feet in the air, he felt a sharp nudge. Soon the pilot was on the PA. The message, though garbled, was stark. Something had gone wrong with the windshield – did he say a crack? – necessitating an emergency landing in Frankfurt. Cessna DownSpeeding down the streets of Tan Son Nhut Air Base toward the flight line, they anxiously listened for additional details. The radio suddenly crackled: “Medic One, this is Saigon Tower. We have an aircraft crash on the grassy area just west of the active runway.” Crime in ParadiseThere was nothing calm or heroic about her actions from that point forward. She let out a horrified scream as if she had already been shot. She sobbed, lost control of her breath, contracted into a ball on the bench as her husband threw obscenities in English at his assailant. The Other Side of the TracksStarting his criminal career at age 8 may not mark him as frightfully precocious, but this wrinkle does put him in a class all his own: He was also a fugitive from justice. He stumbled down dark and dangerous roads, nearly losing his life as a fleeing desperado. Terror in a Summer SkyHis daydream was interrupted by a little burble in the air. He reached for the control yoke and leveled the wings. Looking down, he saw a thin layer of clouds spreading beneath him. Then he noticed a flicker in the sunlight, leaned forward, and looked up. Turning GreenHer face grew hot and her armpits sweaty. She limped away and looked intently for her bags. The dog and the customs officer hovered nearby, in her field of vision everywhere she turned. Her mouth was dry and her face scarlet by the time their bags circled around. And If You Have Two CoatsHow would she ever get enough money for another car? How would she get to work? How would she visit friends or family or get to the doctor? What if she never got another car again? People would tire of providing rides for her sooner or later. Fifteen SecondsHe got out of school at 3 p.m. He never knew why, but for whatever reason his mom decided to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge that day. They always called that way the “scenic route.” Moments after reaching home, he felt the kitchen floor start to shake.  |
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