Chapter 12
GINGER TOOK THE girls to the library again for the Storytime hour and had arranged to meet up with several other wives and their children. On the way, she picked up Brandon and Maggie at Christy’s, and agreed to keep the kids at her place until Christy was done with work. Libby brought Gillian and Will. Luci brought Ali and Griff.
The eight SEAL kids sat together, some naturally holding hands or placing arms around each other’s shoulders. The three mothers looked on to make sure they behaved.
Luci had taken away Ali’s slingshot again just before the librarian was going to be hit with a wad of chewing gum as she sat to begin the reading. His mother quickly stashed it in her bag, out of sight.
“Honestly, I checked him before we left the house. He sleeps with this thing and we have rules about him taking it to school, or to public places. But he’s getting better and better at sneaking it or hiding it somewhere on his clothes,” said Luci.
“A SEAL in training?” Libby smiled.
“Heaven help us, because I overheard him talking to Danny about learning to throw knives. I’m not going to have a single piece of wood paneling intact, and I know he’ll practice on my throw pillows. I’m holding off on a decision until we can get some control here.”
“Maybe that’s how you make him understand. Tell him what the cost it would be for you,” added Ginger.
“He doesn’t really understand no. He thinks it’s no for now, or, no unless I can get away with it. I think it’s a cultural thing, from what he learned as a street urchin in Iraq. Those kids made up their own rules. At least he had a father, up until the end. So many of those kids perished because they had no one except themselves to keep them safe. Very sad.”
“I think that’s why he’s so attached to the sling shot Danny made for him. It did save his life, didn’t it?” asked Libby.
Ali’s last desperate run to the waiting arms of Danny, who was in the helicopter ready to take him away from the war and carnage, nearly ended in disaster when the boy fell. The fighter who was pursuing him, after killing his father, was not expecting that the boy would scramble on the ground, pick up a pebble, place it perfectly on the rubber tubing of the sling shot, and shoot it smack into the center of the pursuer’s forehead, knocking him backward. This skill Danny had taught him in the hours they practiced while waiting for their pickup, had actually saved his life. Ginger didn’t blame the boy for wanting it by his side constantly.
But Ali’s behavior at school was beginning to become a problem, she told them, since he fought on the playground not like a child, but like a young man in survival mode. He was so strong he could overpower even the older kids in school. His little brother, Griff, bore the goose eggs and bruises he received from the rough play with his adopted brother.
“I think you have a born warrior there. His father was military, and now he grows up in the shadow of Danny,” said Ginger. “I’m glad I have girls!”
Libby and Luci laughed.
The story was engrossing for the kids, who were naturally inquisitive and not afraid to speak up. But toward the end of the story, Ginger saw Ali had lost focus sitting with her two girls and was watching another group of preteen boys in white robes, sitting around a table, in an animated discussion. She recognized them from the last time they were at the library. She made a note to discuss this with Christy, Kyle’s wife. She also decided to remark about it to Luci and Libby.
“Ali is watching those boys.” She pointed through the open doorway to a table beyond, near the checkout counter, where the young boys were sitting, having their heated discussion.
“Yes, last time he said he knew who they were,” whispered Luci.
“We need to let the men know when they get back,” added Libby.
“I’ll be sure I tell Danny when I next talk to him.” She examined her hands and Ginger knew she was sorry for the same reasons Ginger was sorry. She missed her husband and was hoping he hadn’t found himself in harm’s way.
After the reading, the book was given to one lucky child to take home on loan. That child would be the first person to let the book leave in his possession. The librarian smiled sweetly and presented it to Jasmine, whose eyes got as big and round as saucers. She hugged the book to her chest and came running to her mother.
Their whole group perused the shelves that had been specially arranged for the reading today, and chose books they wanted to check out. At the checkout counter, there was no sign of the young boys, so Ginger stopped looking for them.
But after the four kids held hands with each other and formed a human chain on the way to Ginger’s car, she spotted the men again, lurking beneath a tree across the street from the library. It was scary when one of the youngsters broke away and headed directly toward them in a casual jog. When the boy was nearly upon them, Ginger noticed the sides of his face were deformed in a large reddish burn mark extending from his wrinkled eyelid down nearly to his jaw line. Though it was healed, it still looked painful.
Ginger advanced to her girls, picked up Maggie and shoved the other three behind her and whirled around to face the oncoming teenager. He was holding a large stubby stick in his left hand.
Ginger quickly finished loading the kids into the car and took off in the opposite direction. In her rearview mirror she saw the other boys catch up to him and stand together in a group, watching her leave. She didn’t see either of her other two friends. Her heart was pounding, certain that if she hadn’t acted quickly, the youth had intended on doing her harm.
She pulled over a few blocks away and dialed Luci.
“Did you see those boys?”
“Yes. Ali says he was a troublemaker from their old village in Iraq, the same boy he saw last week.”
“We need to report this. If they’re hanging around the library, we’ve got to warn the staff. I don’t want to go back there.”
“I’ll call the library,” said Luci. “Should one of us call the police?”
“I’m going to drop by the station. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long if they see me with four children.”
“I’m going to call Libby and check on her as well,” said Luci.
“I didn’t see her leave, so let me know, okay?”
“Will do. Let me know if we need to do anything further with the police.”
Ginger explained to the kids she was going to take them to the police station and Brandon was cheering his lungs out. Luci texted her and said Libby had gotten home safely and had not seen the crowd of boys.
She had the kids hold hands and walked them all into the police station lobby. Behind thick glass, a clerk was sitting as she approached. She smiled at the kids. Brandon tried to climb up on the counter, but Ginger pulled him back.
“Can I help you?”
“We were just at the library.”
“Your name?”
“Ginger Green.”
The clerk wrote Ginger’s name down on a tablet. “OK, what brings you in here?”
“We were at the library just now, doing a reading for the children. These are my two and I have two others I’m babysitting. There was a group of youths gathered at the library, sitting around a table. They wore white robes. We saw them last week for the reading as well.”
“Okay.”
“Well, when we got ready to leave, they started to—well, one of them started to advance toward me and the children. He held a tree branch or something in his hand. He was menacing.”
“When was this?”
“Just a few minutes ago, literally less than ten minutes ago. My other friend who was there with her kids has already called the library to warn them, but I think someone should go check out these boys.”
“You say how many boys?”
“I think five?”
“And what were they wearing?”
“They all wore white robes, no hats or anything on their heads. They were like teenagers. But they weren’t dressed western. I’m sure others have seen them.”
Ginger gave her cell phone number and declined to write a report or make a complaint.
“If your officer checks with the library staff, I’m sure they’ve seen them there and could help perhaps with further descriptions. I just wanted to get out of there with the kids.”
The information was relayed and as Ginger put everyone back in her car, she saw a patrol car leave the garage, giving her a wave as he left in the direction of the library downtown.
The kids were talking amongst themselves in the back seats. As she drove home, she wished she had Jake to talk to. He’d know what to do. Her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest. What had started out to be a nice afternoon with her friends at the library had suddenly become scary.
She’d always thought Jake had the more dangerous job. Today, she felt the weight and responsibility of protecting little ones in an ominous situation, and now understood what Ali’s father must have felt like as their city was crumbling all around them.
She was going to have to be more vigilant and observant. Her idyllic world had revealed some of its dark side, and she was more vulnerable without her protector. She needed him now more than ever.
Come home, sweetheart. Please be safe and come home soon.