Adira grabbed her phone from her pocket to check out for the room temperature. It was not too cold, she checked. She decided that if she bundled Raven up in the car seat, she could push her stroller over to the bus stop. If she could pack up some food from the kitchen, she would have enough money to buy a one-way ticket to 'Wellington Castle', San Juan Islands, North West Washington. It was about a five to six-hour journey. She hoped that it would not be expensive.
Adira then grabbed her bag, shoving in the few things she had unpacked, when there was a knock at the door. She started screaming with fear. Her brother Neil was peeking inside from the door. He said, "I am here to break you out of jail, Adira." His gaze bounced around the room. He swaggered a bit, so she asked him, "Are you drunk?"
He grinned and replied that "No. I had an intuition that I should not drink tonight till I checked on you first."
She informed him, "Aunt wants to take my baby away from me."
Neil's eyes widened in disbelief and anger. He said, "Fuck her." His gaze then went to her bag. He said, "Good. Let's go."
"I don't have a car. But I do have a plan for finding a way out of here," Adira said.
"Awesome." With that, he grabbed her bag and the stroller. "Get Raven, and let's go. You can tell me about it on the way to Wellington Castle," he said. He then asked her, "What is there in Wellington Castle?"
Adira knew that if she waited there a lot, it would be closer to morning. She then moved to Raven and placed her in the carrier. She replied, "I have friends there. It is a safe place."
Both of them, along with Raven, crept along the back staircase. Every squeaky step, every grunt Raven made, and every growl of Adira's stomach pushed her closer to the verge of losing it.
"Stop," Neil whispered loudly.
The light in the kitchen blazed open, and Adira held her breath for a few seconds. Her pulse was pounding hard. She had a fear of being caught at the last moment.
Neil then informed her it was just Ms. Daisy, the head housekeeper.
It did not assure Adira. Ms. Daisy and her Aunt were very close to each other. For Ms. Daisy had practically raised her. But it had never made sense to Adira that a kind and loving woman like Ms. Daisy could have raised someone so unemotional as her Aunt.
Ms. Daisy then announced, "You'll come out now."
Adira was afraid even to take a single step. She refused, but Neil pulled her by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen. Ms. Daisy was busy packing a picnic basket. She smiled at them, where the wrinkles on her face made her look even kinder. But she had her loyalty to their Aunt. While handing the basket to Neil, she said, "I want this to be returned, once you all get back."
Neil replied, "Only if you promise not to tell Aunt about us. It is not every day that I get to take my sister..."
He was interrupted by their Aunt when she appeared from behind, "Don't bother to lie for them, Ms. Daisy." Saying that she entered the kitchen. She informed Ms. Daisy, "Adira is leaving. After Neil drops her off, he will be back with your basket."
Adira asked her Aunt, "You are not going to stop me, are you?"
Her Aunt replied, "Regardless of what you think of me, I am not a monster who would separate a mother from her child, especially when the mother is unwilling."
"Are you paying someone to do it for you?" Adira asked defiantly, not refusing to back down.
"Hardly", her Aunt replied. "It was only an offer. If you cannot see the benefit of the offer or even bother to be adult enough to have a conversation with your Uncle and me, then you should go."
Adira replied, "That's what I am doing."
Her Aunt said, "But if you go, don't come back." Her gaze then went to Raven, sleeping soundly in her carrier. She said, "You will not be welcome. Neither of you."
Adira asked, "Do you want me to bow down to your ultimatum?"
Her Aunt said, "I expect you to make adult decisions. These are the potential consequences. It is up to you to choose what the best is."
Adira asked her, "If Neil helps me to leave. Drives me to where I want to go. Will he be allowed to come back?"
Her Aunt replied, "Your Uncle and I have always encouraged the two of you to be together and close."
Adira said, "That does not answer my question. Will he or won't he be punished for helping me out?"
"No," her Aunt replied. She clutched at the material of her robe, right at the throat, as if protecting herself from having it ripped out. She then said, "Go, Adira, go. Don't make this harder."
Adira replied, "I never wanted to make this hard. I only wanted..." She then thought it didn't matter what she wanted. It wouldn't matter to her Aunt at all. She then just said "Goodbye."
Adira and Neil, along with Raven, walked outside. Neil packed his SUV, and then they left.
San Juan Island was about a five-hour drive, but it took seven hours for them to get there.
Raven screamed throughout the trip. The only way she would keep quiet was while being nursed.
Adira wondered if poop-filled diapers, breast milk stains, and a cranky baby would not keep her brother from ever engaging in unprotected sex; nothing else would. Heck, if she had known how hard it was to raise a child, she would never have got pregnant.
Neil then asked her, "Where is Raven's dad?" The car was blessedly quiet then, for Raven was finally sleeping. They were just an hour away from 'Wellington Castle.'
Adira replied to Neil that Raven's father was in South Africa. "Lucifer doesn't want her," she informed him.
"Was he around when she was born?" he asked.
Adira replied, "No. We divorced after I got pregnant with Raven."
Adira was so exhausted then. Her bones, her mind, her soul, everything was very exhausted. She didn't know what she would do if Ralph's family kicked them out, or if they decided not to help Adira out.
She at that point, however, had no choice. This is what she had chosen, and she had to face the consequences.
Just then, Neil interrupted her thoughts. He said, "I don't have a lot of money, but I will give you the last dollar I have in my account."
Leaning forward, Adira grabbed her brother's shoulder and squeezed it. She replied "Keep your money. I have a little to tide myself over until I get a job."
"What about daycare for Raven?" he asked.
Adira slumped in her seat. She hated and loved that her little brother thought about expenses like that. What nineteen-year-old would? She then rested her head on the seat and dozed off, leaving his question unanswered.