Part 6: Hold Steady
Peace did not arrive all at once.
I had to build it.
I replaced rotten boards on the porch swing. Painted the fence white. Cleared weeds from Grandpa’s garden and planted rosemary, tomatoes, and marigolds. I fixed the barn roof with Mrs. Whitaker’s nephew holding the ladder while Scout supervised from the shade.
I installed a flagpole in the front yard, mixing the concrete myself until the base stood straight.
When I raised the American flag over that land for the first time, Scout sat beside me and watched it unfurl against the Virginia sky.
I thought of Grandpa’s compass.
I thought of Elias Reed.
I thought of the hungry girl outside the locked pantry, the young woman freezing in a West Point hallway, the officer standing alone in court with a bruised face while her father smiled.
None of them had been weak.
They had all been surviving.
Caleb called once.
I almost did not answer.
When I did, he sounded older.
“Dad says you ruined everything,” he said.
I leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at the pantry door. It stood open. Inside were coffee, cereal, crackers, peanut butter, dog treats, and chocolate cookies I had bought for no reason except that I could.
“Is that what you think?” I asked.
Caleb was quiet.
“He gave me the key,” he said finally.
“I know.”
“I used to eat in front of you on purpose.”
