“You’ve never taken me out in the car before,” Cassie said, trying and failing to pull banter into her voice. Her heart hammered fast and furious.
It was six weeks after the CNews interview, and now, the hammer was going to fall.
On you, she thought
“You know, I was told you can’t teach lawyers anything,” Jon said, looking over at her in the dark and smiling. “Maybe you’ll prove me wrong,” He moved the Cherokee into the right lane onto 60-East.
“Are you going to fire me?” she blurted out. Couldn’t help it. Had to know.
“No, Cassie,” he said still looking at her. “I’m not gonna fire you. I want you to stay here at CiliCold.”
For as long as I can, she thought.
“When did you decide to release the documents?” How did you know?” she asked, stomach in a new knot.
“I didn’t. Kevin brought the idea up to me. Emma, was all in.”
She nodded. “Emma’s a pistol,”
“You bet. When her dander’s up, she’ll let fly.”
“Glad she’s on our team.”
“Anyway, Kevin thought that even if you won the case, SSS would stick it to us, one way or the other.”
“They wanted to confine us,” she said, looking straight ahead. “To confine you.”
“That’s what Em saw. So she and Kevin argued for the reverse.”
Cassie nodded. “Total release.”
“The real trick was getting the word out before the judge signed the order.”
“Of course,” Cassie said, nodding with a smile. “That way they can’t charge you for violating the judge’s order if you released the data before he signed it.”
“Yep.” He shook his head. “But what I didn’t see was that by getting it around the world, the world would be so generous in return. Thousands of dollars a week from organizations. From individuals. We just got $50,000 from the Polish Ministry of Health, for heaven’s sake.”
She watched him smack his head. “My goodness. We have more money than we’ve ever had. Soon we’ll have to look for new digs.”
“Too bad. I kind of liked working in jail.”
They both laughed.
“Enough talk now. Now, let’s relax,” he said, cracking the back windows. “I want you to enjoy this ride. We don’t have to talk through it. Let your guard down and let it inside you.”
She was quiet, no longer wondering about this curious man, but watching the undulating brown hills begin a rapid illumination in the predawn light. Cactuses were everywhere as the car climbed the hills into dark mountains that were coming alive with light. She cranked her window, them quickly closed it.
“Still cold out there?”
“Uh huh.”
A few minutes later they were in Superior.
She saw him flick the blinker on, drifting to the right and into a gas station.
But the tank is full, she noticed.
“Be right back,” he said, stopping the car and opening his door. “I’ll keep the motor going.”
She heard him close the door as she looked around. There were twelve pumps, five on them being used. Lots of burly white, black and hispanic men stood around, joshing and shoving each other, spilling steaming coffee from overfilled paper cups.
She jumped as the car door opened.
“Here,” he said, holding a cup in his left hand, right hand, extending its cup to her. “Best hot chocolate in the state.”
Smiling, she reached out, but he pulled it back from her. “Be careful, now. I had to double-cup them because they’re so hot.”
“Don’t look at me, girl. Look outside.”
She turned just as the land awakened.
Through the gaps in the mountains, not one hundred yards away, the sun’s yellow presence streamed through. Shadows appeared and moved. It seemed like the mountains were growing to catch the sun as it climbed off the horizon.
“Come on Cassie,” he said opening the door. “Let’s be part of it.”
She opened the door before he finished the sentence, then closed it, leaning against it the sun shone upon her.
“This is for you Cassie. Think of the sun as waiting for you to finally arrive on this spot to splash the young day’s sunlight on you.”
What is he talking about? I mean, really. She looked at him. “What are−”
“The light now on you was born ten million years ago.”
“What?”
He pointed to the sky. “Light, born in the sun tries to travel fast as it tried to leave the sun. But the sun’s gravity continues to pull it back. That, plus the trillions of atomic collisions a second knocking the light particle all around. It took ten million years to shake loose of it all. Then when it finally broke free, it sped 93 million miles in nine minutes just to land on you, and you alone, Cassie. The sun’s light was made for you.”
She closed her eyes, leaning her head back, letting the light on her face, in her nostrils and hair, mouth and eyes. Consuming her.
“Forgive yourself, Cassie. Of everything. Of anything. The time that guilt has crippled you is now over. Life begins again for you, like there is new light to land on you tomorrow. Every day.”
“Yes, for as long as I−”
He put his finger on her lips.”
“Hush now. Let it be your special place. You deserve one.”
She loved it. Absorbed it.
“So,” he said, a few minutes later. turning to face her. “How long have you been using?”