“How did you know Eli?”
The question catches me off guard. I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting this. I glance at Ashley, as if asking for help, but she just stares back at me. She nods, slightly, and I know what I have to do next.
“Eli,” I say, and my voice cracks again. “Eli … was my father.”
The light in Evelyn’s eyes returns. She says to Ashley, “And you?”
“No,” Ashley says. “I’m just a friend.”
Evelyn turns back to me. “So if Eli was your father, that makes you”-her eyes drift up to the ceiling as she works it out in her head-“my nephew.”
The smile growing on her face is so contagious I find myself smiling, too. Then her smile fades, and she stares off past me.
“I miss him,” she says softly. “He was such a good big brother. He always looked out for me. He always looked out for everyone.”
I think of the man I’ve hated for the past ten years. The man whose funeral I nearly skipped out of spite. The man who I threw up against the hood of a car out of frustration. The man who, when all is said and done, saved my life.
Nodding distantly, I say, “He was a good man.”
“We played games when I was little. He taught me how to play checkers and chess. I’m okay at chess, but I’ve always loved checkers. We played the last time he visited me. I always”-her voice breaks-“I always wanted to play one more game with him. But now … now that will never happen.”
Tears finally fill her eyes. She wipes at them, begins sniffling. Sister Sara retrieves a box of tissues and hands it to Evelyn.
“Thank you,” Evelyn says, and takes one of the tissues and dabs at her eyes and then blows her nose.
I look around the room, wanting to leave, wanting to escape, hating myself for bringing this terrible news to this woman, news that has caused her to cry, when something catches my eye a few tables over. A red and black checkered board. Stacks of red and black plastic pieces.
“I’ll play checkers with you.”
At first I’m not even sure it’s me who has spoken until Evelyn smiles and then shakes her head.
“You don’t want to play me,” she says.
“Sure I do.”
“I’m very good. I’ll probably beat you.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Before she can say anything else, I rise out of my chair and retrieve the board and pieces and bring them back to the table.
“What color do you want to be?” I ask.
“Red.”
I set up my pieces, Evelyn sets up hers, and then we just sit there, watching each other.
“Are you sure you want to play me?” Evelyn asks, and there’s something mischievous in her voice. “Eli taught me some tricks.”
I smile. “Eli taught me some tricks as well.”
“To make it fair,” Evelyn says, “I’ll let you go first.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Trust me”-she grins-“you’ll need the help.”
I look at Ashley and see that she’s smiling. I realize I’m smiling, too. After everything we’ve been through, after all the lies, all the deaths, it’s nice to take a moment to breathe, to smile, if only for a few minutes. Soon Ashley and I will leave this place. We’ll leave the minivans with the nuns and find new transportation. We have enough money to keep us going for the next few years. And then what? What will we do then? Keep running from these people, or stand up and fight? I know what I want to do, but I have no idea what’s on Ashley’s mind. That’s something we’ll have to discuss later.
But right now neither of us is thinking about that. All of our worry is momentarily gone. We’re here now, in this place, with a woman who turns out to be my aunt, and a checkerboard laid out in front of us.
“Ready?” Evelyn asks.
“Ready,” I say.
And, leaning forward, I make the first move.