“Departures” is a supernatural thriller and love story published as a serial novel with new episodes dropping every Tuesday morning. Anyone can read or listen for free. Paid subscribers gain early access to new episodes. Watch the trailer or visit the table of contents to browse all the published episodes.
Previously…
In the last episode, Wild was getting acclimated to living with Millie. He told her that his visions had stopped and to celebrate, she threw a little dinner party, inviting Raina and Eileen. Afterward, when Wild was walking Eileen out to her car, she confessed that before June died, she had asked if Eileen would take care of Wild because she knew Eileen loved him. The confession broke whatever was keeping Wild from embracing a new chance at love with Eileen.
The traffic going north on I-85 out of the city was bumper-to-bumper. He had insisted they leave early, knowing it would be bad on a holiday weekend, but it hadn’t made any difference. He looked over at his wife who was staring straight ahead, her face, without expression. She had attempted to apply some makeup, and he could see the line of foundation at her jawline and a glob of black mascara clinging to her eyelashes. She rarely ever wore makeup, but she must’ve felt the need to wear a mask today.
He couldn’t blame her. The last thing he wanted was a Fourth of July celebration at the lake house of his in-laws.
“Do you want to stop and get something to eat?” He asked. “We’re going to be stuck in this for a while.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I’m just saying, who knows what kind of food they’ll have when we show up.”
“I’m not hungry.”
They sat in silence for another ten minutes. He wanted to put the radio on to listen to the Braves game or really anything at all that would drown out the roar of deafening grief that had filled every available space in their lives since June told them about her diagnosis. But it felt wrong to turn on the radio, like that would be cheating somehow. He gripped the wheel so hard the blood drained from his hands and his joints ached. After another 4 miles of crawling along the interstate in silence, they reached the cause for the slowdown. The tourniquet that had all but stopped the flow of hopeful souls trying to escape the city and the grind of their daily lives was a knot of emergency vehicles blocking all but one narrow lane.
It was a bad wreck. Two of the vehicles were crushed beyond recognition, one of the crumpled doors lay in a litter of glass on the asphalt like a crushed soda can. There was a young girl who couldn’t have been more than sixteen sitting on the guard rail of the interstate. She was wrapped in a silver emergency blanket and a fireman was crouched in front of her. The girl’s pale face was blank, and she had a thousand-mile stare. Her hair was matted with blood. He didn’t want to look, but it was impossible not to, given how slow they had to move to navigate around the wreck. His wife gasped and her whole body shuddered. There was a massive amount of blood pooled on the asphalt where two EMTs were hoisting a stretcher draped in a sheet. He gripped the wheel and looked straight ahead. A dour looking state trooper motioned for them to move along and within seconds they were cruising at what felt like lightspeed on an open road through a corridor of trees and pastures with the first wrinkle of mountains visible on the horizon below an impossibly blue sky.
“I wish she had never met him.”
Her voice was little more than a whisper, but he heard her plainly and understood who she was talking about.
“What?” he asked.
“Wild. It’s his fault she’s not getting treatment. God knows his family has enough money to buy the best care for our June.”
“It was her decision. You know our daughter. She weighed her options, and this is what she wants.”
“Maybe you’re right, but one thing’s certain, he never should have let it get so bad. If he had been paying more attention, looking out for her, he would have made her go to the doctor.”
He couldn’t argue with her. He wanted someone to blame for this. He wanted someone to pay. But he was a rational man of science, and he knew there was no one to blame. Though he would never admit it to his wife, he didn’t even believe there was a god to blame. These things happened in the world. A dormant gene gets activated, exposure to a particular chemical during a vulnerable stage of development mutates cells. Life was chaos with the illusion of order we imposed on it. He could feel her looking at him. She wanted him to argue with her. She wanted the distraction. He had played this role for her many times but today he didn’t have the energy. After a couple of miles of silence to allow her words to dissipate like so much fog, he spoke.
“We need to at least pretend to be happy for June. She wants us to be there this weekend with the man she loves and his family.”
“They’re awful people.”
“Maybe, but Wild’s a good man and it’s clear he loves her.”
“Then why is he making us all go to this? June has so little time left. She doesn’t want to be around them.”
“She must have her reasons. When Wild called last month to invite us, I could tell he was trying to give us an out, practically begging for us to decline so maybe June would change her mind.”
“Why on earth would she want to spend what might be her last Fourth of July with these people?”
“I don’t know, maybe she wants a big distraction. Can you blame her? She never liked to be the center of attention.”
“Well, if the Thornes are good at anything, it’s being a big distraction.”
An hour later, guided by the detailed directions and hand drawn map that had come with their invitation in the mail, the McGowens reached a driveway off the narrow, winding road that traced the amoeba-like shape of the lake. There was a wooden sign posted on a large poplar tree that read: “Every Road Has Its Thornes,” in carved block letters. The gate was open, and Will piloted their old Jeep Wagoneer down the narrow drive. When they rounded the last curve through the woods, the property opened up before them, revealing a sprawling craftsman-inspired house that looked like a rustic cottage on steroids with its mission-style lanterns, wood shingles and tapered columns. Beyond the house, the late afternoon sun shimmered gold and white on the surface of the lake.
In the circular drive, there were five vehicles parked. Will recognized June’s little Honda and was both proud and embarrassed to see it among the cars that cost more than his annual salary before he retired.
“I expected there to be more guests,” Margaret said as he parked and killed the engine.
She pulled down the visor and fussed with her makeup. He reached over and touched her thigh. He left it there until she stopped, put her lipstick into her purse and looked at him. Her brow was creased and her lips, a tight line.
“You look beautiful. Try to relax, honey. Pretend we’re used to all this. We’re here to be with our girl.”
Before they could ring the bell, the large wooden door swung open wide and there was June. When Will hugged her, he felt such a rush of emotion that tears sprung to his eyes. She felt so frail. He could feel the definition of her shoulder bones. While she hugged her mother, he made the excuse of getting their bags from the car so she wouldn’t have to see him cry.
“Here, let me help you with those.”
When Will looked up from under the raised tailgate, Wild was making his way across the driveway toward him. He looked as gaunt as June and Will felt a pang of guilt for the less-than-generous thoughts he had been having about the young man. When Wild reached him, he held out his hand. It wasn’t a performative masculine gesture but the timid offering of a child. Will took his hand and patted him on the shoulder.
“Thank you for coming,” Wild said. He took the heavy suitcase from Will and grabbed the smaller one out of the back. “I know this is not y’all’s thing but I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too. We almost didn’t make it. There was a horrible accident.”
Will started to close the tailgate but turned to Wild before he could walk the bags back to the house.
“How’s she doing? She won’t tell us the truth.”
“She has some good days and bad ones. Today she’s having a good one and she’s so excited you’re here.”
“Margaret’s going to keep pushing her about the treatment. I can’t get through to her about that.”
“I wish she wouldn’t,” Wild said. “But I get it. I’ve tried but June’s stubborn. She’s looked at all the facts and this is what she wants.”
When they made it back into the house, the aptly named great room with its floor-to-ceiling bank of windows framing the lake was surprisingly quiet. On the expansive deck, Wild Senior was posted up in front an industrial sized grill flipping what appeared to be steaks while he sipped a beer. Far below, on a floating dock there was a small group sunbathing and swimming in the lake. June was leading her mother up the stairs to show her where they would be sleeping and Wild followed behind with the bags. Will wanted to go too but felt an obligation to greet the patriarch and thank him for his hospitality. His stomach tightened and he felt the way he used to feel having to meet with the dean at the university. When he opened the sliding doors, Wild Senior looked up from the grill.
“Well hello, young man! Glad you could join us.”
He was wearing an apron with the American flag on it. In flip flops and a cowboy hat, he looked like he might have just narrowly escaped from Margaritaville. He set his beer down beside the grill and walked over with an outstretched hand. His handshake was predictably crushing but Will had been prepared for that.
“Did y’all have any trouble finding the place?”
“Not at all, your directions were great. You’ve got a gorgeous place here.”
“We like it. Kids have been coming here since they were little. Can I get you a beer?”
“Sure, that’d be great.”
Wild Senior turned away from him and motioned to a man Will hadn’t even seen seated at the other side of the deck. “Steve, why don’t you take over here for me. These are just about done. Make sure that one in the back is done as shoe leather. My bride won’t eat it if there’s even a memory of blood.”
The man moved to assume his post at the grill with the efficiency of an employee and Will wondered if maybe he was. The big man shuffled over to a large, galvanized tub filled with ice, pulled out a Budweiser, popped the cap off using a bottle opener in the shape of a big-mouth bass mounted on the wall, and handed it to Will. He invited him to sit in one of a row of handmade rocking chairs at the far end of the deck. They settled in with their beers and Will felt the need to make some kind of conversation. He was about to ask about the water level of the lake when Wild Senior turned to face him.
“I wanted to say how goddamned sorry I am about June. Sorry, I’m not one to beat around the bush. I can’t imagine how you must feel. How powerless it must be.”
“Thank you. We’re still trying… trying to adjust.”
“I don’t think it’s something you can ever adjust to, is it? She’s your baby, and your only one. A parent should never have to outlive a child.”
Will desperately wanted to talk about something else. In the few months since June told them she was dying, everywhere he went he was forced to endure these kinds of conversations where he was suddenly expected to be a different man, one who could easily talk about his feelings on private matters. How could anyone understand what he felt? Most people didn’t really care as much as they let on. For them, it was just a performance of compassion and a chance to morbidly pick at the bones of someone else’s life so they could glean a savory tidbit to share with someone at their next social event.
“Wild seems to be taking it very hard,” he said. “It looks like he’s lost a lot of weight since we saw them just a week ago.”
“That boy.” Wild Senior sighed and took a long sip of beer. “He’s too goddamned fragile. I’m sorry for that. It’s his mama’s fault. Your June needs him to be strong. She needs to be taken care of.” He leaned over and whispered. “Between you and me, I’m ashamed of him. Your daughter, she deserves better.”
Will had no idea how to respond. Whatever ambivalent feelings he had for his son-in-law quickly coalesced into something solid. His face flushed. He took a long drink from his beer and stared out at the water. He was thinking of the way Wild looked at June and the way he always let her answer first anytime they were asked a question as a couple. Wild had offered for them to come stay in the guest bedroom anytime they missed June and gave them a key.
“No, you’re wrong there. June’s an excellent judge of character and she chose your son. He’s a fine young man.”
The captain of industry stopped rocking in his chair and gave a smile that turned down at the corners. It was clear he wasn’t used to being contradicted, especially on a subject where he had dominion.
“If he’s such a fine young man, why in the hell’s he not moving heaven and earth to keep your daughter alive?”
Just then, Wild and June walked out onto the deck. His arm was around her and she leaned into him. Her bare arms were pale and too thin but her fiery hair caught the sun coming off the lake and she looked ethereal. Wild pointed out at the lake and said something. She laughed, closing her eyes the way she used to as a child, and then Wild bent down and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. When she opened her eyes, she saw that her father was staring at her. She smiled and mouthed the words, I love you. Will turned back to Wild’s father who was still surveying his grand vista.
“He is,” Will said. “He is keeping my daughter alive.”
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In the reality show competition for Houze, a revolutionary eco-home, six contestants face a winner-takes-all challenge. Beneath the surface of sustainability, altruism battles greed, turning a hopeful vision into a life and death struggle. Fans of “Nine Perfect Strangers” by Liane Moriarty will love this story.
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