WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:07.200 Chapter twenty three, Freedom Present. Freedom is hot. She shuffles down the 2 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:12.240 dirt road, kicking up sand and dust with her converse sneakers. She certainly 3 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:16.960 isn't wearing the correct clothing for the day. The Arizona sun beats down on 4 00:00:17.079 --> 00:00:21.320 her, baking her through her thin tank top. She rips off the tank, 5 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:26.280 exposing the gray sports brawl underneath. She wishes she had her bathing suit 6 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.519 on so she could walk around in that, but seeing as she doesn't, 7 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:34.280 Freedom thinks it best to keep her jean shorts on. She's only been walking 8 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:38.200 for about ten minutes since she's slammed out of the house, leaving Hannah alone 9 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:42.719 with the children. She is heading toward the Grand Canyon Caverns restaurant, where 10 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:46.600 she knows Harry will be. Every week day from two to five pm. 11 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:51.920 He works as a line cook there, flipping burghers and assembling BLTs for tourists 12 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:56.079 who have stopped for sustenance. Two and a half hours out from witnessing the 13 00:00:56.119 --> 00:01:00.320 greatest national park in the country, Harry is the fill in line cook. 14 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:04.400 Customers are scarce at the restaurant between those hours, so he usually has time 15 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:10.040 to talk. It is about five more miles to the restaurant, so Freedom 16 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:12.760 stops on the side of the road, legs spread, hip distance apart, 17 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:18.239 and jerks out her right arm thumb up. She twirls her tank top in 18 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:22.719 her left hand, lifeguard style, wrapping it around and off her wrist. 19 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:26.200 She hasn't hitchhiked in a while. She used to all the time before she 20 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.640 turned sixteen, but when she learned to drive, there was less of a 21 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:34.920 need to. But Harry has the truck today, so she'll take her chances. 22 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:38.159 Freedom has always liked hitchhiking, the thrill of it, the suspense. 23 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:42.920 It's a way of life around these parts. She stands for what seems like 24 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:47.840 hours, but it is probably only a few minutes. This road doesn't get 25 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:51.400 much traffic in general, but today it seems as if no one at all 26 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:56.359 is out. Finally, a car comes toward her, sparkling and shimmering the 27 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:00.439 heat around it, causing it to look as if it had waves radiate from 28 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:05.120 it. It is an old turquoise hatchback, spluttering along that she can hear 29 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.840 before she can see. Freedom squints, thrusting her chin out so she can 30 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:13.800 get a better look. As the car comes toward her, she sees that 31 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.240 it is an old man with a bushy white beard and sunglasses behind the wheel. 32 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:22.719 Freedom waggles her thumb as the old man slowly turns his head to glance 33 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:25.599 at her, then quickly turns back his eyes on the road in front of 34 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:31.000 him and pushes the accelerator. Dust sprays in her face, and Freedom coughs, 35 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:37.520 screw you too, Jerry Garcia. Freedom mumbles, old people never pick 36 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:42.360 up hitchhikers that much, she has learned, not that she cares. Younger 37 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:46.039 people are more fun to talk to anyway. The next vehicle to come along 38 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:52.400 is a semitruck. Freedom's experience with semi drivers have been half good, half 39 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.800 bad. There are the really nice ones who simply want some company because they're 40 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:00.599 bored. They offer food and smokes and good convert station. They are polite 41 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:06.120 and have good manners. Freedom once had a truck driver even open the passenger 42 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:09.039 side door for her. But then there are the perverted ones, the ones 43 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:13.400 who look her up and down, licking their lips, or the ones who 44 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.360 offer five dollars for a blowjob or twenty for sex in the back of the 45 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:21.479 cab. Freedom has gotten to the point where she can tell a nice one 46 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:25.680 from a pervert. She wonders which kind this guy will be. Right away, 47 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:30.240 she can tell it will be the latter. As the semi rumbles toward 48 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:34.560 her, Freedom drops her thumb and turns her face toward the front, trying 49 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:38.319 to ignore the truck and its driver. But she is too late. The 50 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:43.680 semi slows to a stop beside her, its breaks squeaking and squealing. Hey, 51 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:46.319 there, a little lady, need a ride. The trucker leans toward 52 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:51.599 the passenger side window, his gray mullets swaying in the hot breeze, a 53 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:55.759 cigarette dangling from his mouth. Freedom ignores him and keeps walking, hoping he 54 00:03:55.800 --> 00:04:00.439 will drive on. But he is persistent. Hey, he yells louder. 55 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:04.560 Now you a little boy or a little girl. I can't tell what those 56 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:10.360 itty bitty little titties you got there. The trucker laughs, wheezing at his 57 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:15.319 own joke. His protruding belly jiggling up and down and straining against the seat 58 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:17.920 belt. Don't matter to me none, though. If you want to ride, 59 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:23.920 we can talk payment later. Freedom turns back towards the truck and without 60 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:28.800 a word, sticks up both middle fingers. The truck driver is taken aback 61 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:32.639 pulling his head and sucking on his teeth. Damn shame, he says, 62 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:36.439 as he clucks his tongue and shakes his head. Thought you wanted to ride 63 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:42.240 in my chariot. Your loss. He punches the gas pedal and the truck 64 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:46.360 starts again, spewing more dust onto Freedom. Bitch, he yells out the 65 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:51.920 window as the truck rolls away. Loser. Freedom yells in the direction of 66 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:57.199 the truck, walking again. She walks for another five minutes and is just 67 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:00.079 about to give up and head back to the trailer park when she hears another 68 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:05.560 vehicle in the distance. She turns around, walking backward as she scans the 69 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:11.040 horizon behind her, once again jerking out her arm and holding up her thumb. 70 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:15.560 The car that slows down and stops beside her is a new looking gray 71 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:19.920 Pete Cruiser. Freedom peers into the open passenger side window to get a better 72 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:26.439 look at the driver. The girl, staring expectantly back at her mouth open 73 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:30.720 in an o, is very pretty. She has long, straight brown hair 74 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:34.680 held back in a ponytail. It swings violently back and forth as she moves. 75 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:39.759 Her brown eyes sparkle, and she has perfect straight white teeth. She 76 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:45.319 wears an Arizona State T shirt and blue jeans. A huge white sportsman's watch 77 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:49.519 is fastened around her slender left wrist. She is skinny and tan and looks 78 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:54.920 as if she just stepped out of the pages of an Arizona State College catalog. 79 00:05:55.759 --> 00:06:00.240 She flashes a blinding smile in Freedom's direction and removes her right hand from 80 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:04.360 the steering wheel to hold up in a small wave as a greeting, Hi 81 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.120 need a ride, she asks, almost too happily. She waves the right 82 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:14.399 hand, beckoning toward the inside of the car, which is spotless except for 83 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:18.360 a large bottle of Avion water that sits in the driver's side cupholder and an 84 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:21.959 empty one that rolls around on the floor in front of the passenger seat. 85 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:29.079 Where are you going, she continues, without eliciting a response from Freedom. 86 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:32.199 She catches sight of the empty water bottle on the floor and gives a start 87 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:38.240 before lunging down with her torso and swiping it from the black mat. Oh 88 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:42.199 my god, I'm so sorry about the mess, she says, shaking her 89 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:46.639 head in disbelief. Freedom can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not. I 90 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:50.040 meant to throw this out at the gas station back there, and I totally 91 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:56.079 forgot, she laughs, placing the empty bottle in the second cupholder. She 92 00:06:56.199 --> 00:07:00.240 shrugs her shoulders and looks expectantly at Freedom. Again, she is not being 93 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:05.680 sarcastic. Freedom looks at her, surveying the empty road that stretches out for 94 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:11.680 miles before her. You sure, she asks the girl, looking down at 95 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.240 her sports brawn flip flops that are covered with sand and dust. Don't want 96 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:19.120 to get your car all messed up. It's really clean, Freedom says, 97 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:26.000 with a mixture of admiration and hesitancy. She suddenly feels self conscious and hurriedly 98 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:30.480 puts her tank top back on, still peering inside the car. Oh my 99 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:33.279 gosh, it's fine, the girl replies, No big deal. It's a 100 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:39.319 rental actually, so it doesn't matter. Freedom shrugs and holds her hand out 101 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:43.480 toward the door handle. Okay, cool, nice car, she says, 102 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:47.800 appreciatively, swinging her legs inside the car and closing the door. She is 103 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:53.800 a little skeptical. Girls don't usually pick up hitchhikers, but this one seems 104 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:59.120 nice and she's so pretty. Freedom twirls her own ponytail, smoothing it down. 105 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:03.639 And wrings her hands nervously in her lap. I'm only going a few 106 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:07.600 miles up the road to a restaurant, so i won't be in here long. 107 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:11.600 The girl bombs her head up and down, nodding, her ponytail swishing 108 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:16.759 wildly, grazing the tops of her shoulder blades. She rams the gearshift into 109 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:22.360 drive and places her hand back on the steering wheel. Freedom speaks again. 110 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:28.680 So you got a name, oh, the girl exclaims again, chuckling to 111 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:33.519 herself. Of course, I'm so sorry. It's Sarah, she gleefully says, 112 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:39.320 adjusting the rear view mirror and glancing in Freedom's direction. What's yours? 113 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:46.159 She is now fiddling with the radio dial Freedom, Freedom responds, crossing her 114 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:52.120 legs and placing her hands fingers intertwined over her knees. Shut up, Sarah 115 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:56.320 says, turning back to look at Freedom with an astonished look, as her 116 00:08:56.360 --> 00:09:03.399 right pomp smacks the steering wheel. No, are you serious, she punctuates 117 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:09.080 every word. That's your name? She looks at Freedom expectantly, mouth open 118 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:15.799 in an O shape. Again, Yeah, that's my name, although everyone 119 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:22.240 here calls me Vanilla because I'm so pale compared to the Native Americans. Wow, 120 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:26.440 Sarah shakes her head back and forth, slapping her palm on the steering 121 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:31.240 wheel again. What a cool name, way better than Sarah. Sarah is 122 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:35.440 so boring. And you have a cool nickname too, I've never even had 123 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:41.320 a nickname. Sarah makes a pouty face, sad for her misfortune, but 124 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:48.080 suddenly perks up again. Where are you going? What? Freedom is confused? 125 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:52.120 Where am I taking you? Sarah tries again, motioning to the road 126 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:58.039 out the windshield with her hand. Oh right, Freedom uncrosses her legs and 127 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:03.320 sits up straight. Just a few miles up to the Grand Canyon Caverns restaurant. 128 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:09.639 Oh cool, Sarah says again. Is it good? Yeah, it's 129 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:15.080 really delicious food. Freedom responds and what she hopes is her most authoritative and 130 00:10:15.159 --> 00:10:20.600 sophisticated voice. My dad works there or owns it, she finishes, before 131 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:26.639 she even realizes the lie has escaped her lips. Wow, Sarah says again, 132 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.080 slapping her palm against the wheel for a third time. That is so 133 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:35.440 great. I bet you get a ton of free food. I do, 134 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:41.159 Freedom nods, her tone serious. Well, that is pretty neat. I 135 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:46.879 just got out here to sightsee. I went to Arizona State and graduated last 136 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:50.159 year, she says, as she grazes the front of her T shirt to 137 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:54.240 display it. But I've realized, and this is so dumb okay that after 138 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:58.600 four years of college here, I never saw the Grand Canyon. Isn't that 139 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:05.399 weird? Can you believe it? Sarah stops talking, and Freedom realizes that 140 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:09.480 she is waiting for a response. No, I can't, Freedom says, 141 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:16.000 shaking her head too. So Sarah glances up in the rear view mirror, 142 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:20.120 staring at the vast expanse of nothing behind her. So, my boyfriend suggested 143 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:26.240 that we go hiking here as kind of like a graduation gift to ourselves. 144 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:30.080 She watches Freedom glance around the car, and, as if knowing what she 145 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:33.919 is going to ask, continues, My backpacking stuff is in the trunk. 146 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:37.960 I didn't want anyone to steal anything by having it here in the car. 147 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:43.679 I read in a guide somewhere that sometimes people steal backpacking equipment. That stuff 148 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:48.600 is not cheap, you know, I know. Freedom responds at a lack 149 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:54.000 for anything more to say. So, where is your boyfriend? Sarah laughs 150 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:58.879 again, her ponytail jerking and her eyes flashing. Her teeth make too perfect 151 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:05.440 Rose, and her laugh sounds like tinkling bells. You must think I'm making 152 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:09.240 him up, But he is real, I can assure you. He's at 153 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:13.039 the Grand Canyon with his parents right now. I just flew in earlier this 154 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:16.720 morning, and I'm going to meet them there. Then his parents are flying 155 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:20.840 back to Portland and we're going to hike it without them. We invited them 156 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:22.799 to come along, but I think they were too scared to do it. 157 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:30.240 Sarah laughs again, so she continues waggling her eyebrows and adjusting the watch on 158 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:35.559 her wrist. Do you have a boyfriend? Freedom considers her answer for a 159 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.679 minute, and then decides to lie again. I do, yes. His 160 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:43.519 name is Dan. He's a federal marshal. I don't get to see him 161 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:50.440 much because of his job. Though it's tough, stop, Sarah exclaims, 162 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:54.399 flinging her head back against the headrest. No way, that is so cool. 163 00:12:56.279 --> 00:13:00.159 My boyfriend is going to be an accountant. That is so not is 164 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:03.879 exciting. She sighs, her shoulders moving up and down with the process. 165 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:09.759 Yeah, well, it's very dangerous work. Freedom continues, propping her elbow 166 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:13.600 up against the window of the car. I'll need to call and make sure 167 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:20.879 his last hold up went okay for sure, Sarah agrees, nodding her head 168 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:26.559 and breaking for a stop sign. She turns toward Freedom, her right hand 169 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:30.519 resting on the gearshift, the white watch on the other wrist glinting in the 170 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:33.639 sun. I'm so glad I met you. I really am. Your life 171 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:39.639 seems pretty effing cool. Freedom smiles, appreciative of the fact that the most 172 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:45.879 beautiful girl she has ever seen thinks her life is fascinating. She clears her 173 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:50.480 throat, suddenly becoming uncomfortable with the silence. Well, my dad's restaurant is 174 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:56.159 right up there. See that building on the right. Freedom points toward the 175 00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:00.200 white stucco building with the brown roof that is a quarter of a mile out 176 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:05.080 of them. Oh, yeah, I see it, Sarah says, taking 177 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:09.360 her foot off the brake and slowly easing the car toward the building. They 178 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:13.919 drive in silence the rest of the way. Sarah posed the pt Cruiser into 179 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:18.320 the small parking lot and cuts the engine. She turns to Freedom and says, 180 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:22.240 here, you are too bad. We couldn't have talked more. This 181 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:26.000 was really fun. Freedom, again, embarrassed and at a loss for words, 182 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:31.639 just says yeah and reaches for the door handle As she climbs out of 183 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:35.679 the car. She slams the door and peers into the passenger side window once 184 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:39.919 again. Thanks for the ride, she says, no problem. Sarah sings 185 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:45.080 songs, placing her hands back on the wheel. Buy Freedom, Tell your 186 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:48.879 boyfriend, I say Hi. With a wave of her hand, she pulls 187 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:52.159 out of the parking lot and back onto the road. Freedom stares after her 188 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:56.080 for a long time, placing her hand against her brow to shield the sun 189 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:01.519 from her eyes. After a while, she sighs and heads into the restaurant. 190 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:05.000 The minute she steps inside, the cool air greets her. As the 191 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:09.480 rush of air conditioning blasts her face, she sees the hostess, Eileen, 192 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:15.039 who has been working there forever. She greets Freedom with a nod, and 193 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:18.120 then motions to the back, toward the kitchen. Your dad's back there, 194 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:22.639 she says, turning back to the book in her hand. Freedom heads toward 195 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:28.639 the swinging metal door that separates the restaurant from the kitchen. She notices there 196 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:33.440 is one family of four in the restaurant, besides that it is empty. 197 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:37.200 When she enters the kitchen, she sees Harry sitting on the stainless steel countertop, 198 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:43.639 his hair in a hairnet and his white lined coat stained reading a Field 199 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:46.559 and Stream magazine. His feet are propped up on the counter in front of 200 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:54.799 him. Is that up to sanitary code? Freedom says sarcastically, addressing Harry, 201 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:58.480 while spiping a slice of tomato from the bin in front of her. 202 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:03.279 She bites into the tomato, seeds and juice spilling down her tank top. 203 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:07.519 Harry puts down the magazine with a thud and hops off the counter. Not 204 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:15.360 positive, but I'm pretty sure your outfit isn't funny, Freedom responds, finishing 205 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.960 the tomato slice and wiping her hands on her tank top. What's going on? 206 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:25.120 Not much, Harry says, crossing his arms and staring at Freedom to 207 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:29.360 what do I owe this pleasure of your visit? Fight with Hannah again? 208 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:36.679 No, Freedom responds defensively. Why because the only time you come here is 209 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:40.120 when you and Hannah go at it? Is it about the kids again? 210 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:45.159 Can you just watch them? Please? Without smoking marijuana at the same time? 211 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:49.879 Is that so hard for your information? Freedom begins. It was not 212 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:55.039 about the kids. Hannah just I don't know. She doesn't get what it's 213 00:16:55.120 --> 00:17:00.200 like. What's like Harry shifts his gaze from Freedom to the printer that is 214 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:04.839 noisily printing out an order. He reaches for the piece of paper, tears 215 00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:10.000 it away from the machine, and, after glancing at it, expertly cracks 216 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:14.720 three eggs at once on the griddle. The yellow liquid hisses as it hits 217 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.759 the black grill top, bubbling and crackling. Just being stuck here in this 218 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:25.680 town, not being able to be free. I hear you, a kid, 219 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:30.440 Harry responds, pushing the eggs around with a spatula. He reaches for 220 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:33.559 two pieces of rye toast and pops them in the toaster near his left arm. 221 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:40.119 But at least you're safe, right. Harry stops cooking and turns to 222 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:44.599 Freedom, a look of concern on his face. I mean, there's some 223 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:48.200 bad stuff out there, you know, some bad people. Only nice people 224 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:53.640 around these parts. But that's the good news, yeah, right, boring 225 00:17:53.839 --> 00:18:00.839 people. Freedom starts to complain. Nothing exciting ever happens, except with glasses. 226 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:06.240 She looks to Harry, expecting him to ask who Glasses is, but 227 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:10.799 Harry has turned his attention to the printing machine once again that is spewing out 228 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:15.640 three tickets. Harry ignores her and waves his hand in Freedom's direction. Hey 229 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:19.400 kid, Yeah, I'm sorry, but I gotta get these orders fired up. 230 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:23.079 He reaches for a set of keys that are dangling from a hook on 231 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:27.240 the kitchen wall. He tosses them to Freedom. Why don't you take the 232 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:30.759 truck home? Eileen can give me a ride home in an hour after my 233 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:37.359 shift. Thanks, yeah, whatever, Freedom snarls, suddenly, itching to 234 00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:41.240 leave, see you later. She turns toward the door, pushing it open 235 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:45.880 in front of her. Love you, honey, Harry says, as he 236 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:51.039 grabs various food items. Freedom ignores him and storms out of the restaurant, 237 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:53.799 past Eileen and to the white truck that is parked at the far end of 238 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:59.200 the parking lot. Before she starts the car, she lights a cigarette and 239 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:02.559 cranks up the volume of a country song as loud as it can go. 240 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:07.160 As she drives, she rolls down the window and lets the hot breeze blow 241 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:11.000 through her hair. She is starting to calm down, and by the end 242 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:14.799 of the five mile trip, she's mellowed enough to start to sing along. 243 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:18.319 As she drives up to the entrance to the trailer park, she notices a 244 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:22.839 white van with the front windows tinted. Parked along the side of the road, 245 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.759 the van is tilted to the left, with two of its wheels on 246 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.680 the road and the other two wedged in the ditch that runs along the side. 247 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:37.480 Freedom knows almost every car around the Peach Springs vicinity, and she realizes 248 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:41.160 that she has never seen this vehicle before. She slows down, looking out 249 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:45.480 the window to her left. She stops the truck about twenty feet from the 250 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:49.920 van. Wondering if the driver needs help. She turns the key in the 251 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:55.559 ignition and opens her card door. Freedom hops out and walks up toward the 252 00:19:55.640 --> 00:20:00.480 van, whistling a Johnny Cash song as she goes. Before where she can 253 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:03.799 react, the front doors of the vans swing wide open and two men jump 254 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:07.599 out. For the flash of a second, Freedom can comprehend what she is 255 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:12.160 seeing. The men are all wearing black and have masts over their faces. 256 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:17.880 Without a sound, both come barreling toward her, running at full speed. 257 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:22.119 Freedom opens her mouth to scream, but before she can, a strong tricept 258 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:26.960 closes around her mouth. Her chin is jerked upward with so much force that 259 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:32.480 her feet come off the ground and she feels her neck crack. She struggles 260 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:36.759 fighting against the man, but it is hopeless. He takes a switchblade and 261 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:41.480 with one fluid motion, opens it and holds it against her collar bone. 262 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:47.079 Shut up, he whispers, his Spanish accents strong, come with me, 263 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:52.400 don't fight. Freedom feels herself being dragged toward the back doors of the van, 264 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:56.079 the toes of her converse scraping against the dirt road. She wiggles and 265 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:00.440 screams, but the screams are muffled by the man's arm. The other man 266 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:06.319 holds open the back doors, and Freedom feels herself being forced into the darkened 267 00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:11.079 van. The only thing she can see is black, and the reverberation from 268 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:15.119 the doors being slammed causes her to shake violently. The van peels away from 269 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:19.200 the ditch, its back ends swinging back and forth along the road. It 270 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:26.400 is then that Freedom screams out loud. One hour later, Eileen turns onto 271 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.880 the trailer park road, Harry in the passenger seat. As she rounds the 272 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:34.119 corner, Harry sees his own white truck parked by the side of the road, 273 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:38.720 half in the ditch, the driver's side door wide open, the keys 274 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:44.000 still in the ignition. A surge of panic rises up in his throat. 275 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:48.880 He feels like he is choking. He scrambles out of the car without so 276 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:52.000 much as a word to Eileen, and runs toward the truck. In total 277 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:56.160 disbelief. He goes to the driver's side door, and, yanking it wider, 278 00:21:56.279 --> 00:22:00.559 stares inside. On the bench of the bed, he sees Freedom's purse. 279 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:06.440 Harry frantically searches around for any sign of life. When none is to 280 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:10.160 be found, he yanks his cell phone out of his pocket, his hand 281 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:15.440 shaking so violently he drops the phone, scooping it up and swearing, He 282 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.160 punches a number into the phone. As he brings it to his ear. 283 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:23.880 He begins to pace beside the car. The familiar voice answered with a hey, 284 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:29.839 big brother, what's up. It's Freedom, Harry yells into the phone. 285 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:33.279 She's in trouble. I found her car by the side of the road. 286 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:37.000 Something happened to her. I can't find her. What do I do? 287 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:41.839 The other end of the line goes silent for what seems like forever. 288 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:48.039 Finally the voice speaks again, this time uttering only one word in the quiet 289 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:57.839 tone of disbelief. Fuck, Ryan whispers. Chapter twenty four. Ryan passed. 290 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:04.920 Ryan's brother Harold had been born three years before Ryan. Growing up, 291 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:10.720 he felt those three years between them may as well have been thirty. Ryan 292 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:15.400 felt total indifference toward Harry for the first few decades of his existence. He 293 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:21.000 also believed Harry felt the same towards him. He gave him no reason to 294 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:26.519 suspect otherwise. After those decades, Ryan began to realize that what he felt 295 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:32.720 towards his brother was contempt. He was aware that the contempt stemmed from Ryan's 296 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:37.599 own relationship with his father. Ryan had always had the better relationship with the 297 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:41.839 patriarch, and this was because he was a great skier and a good all 298 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:45.559 around athlete. Ryan's father, David, had tried to teach Harry to ski 299 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:51.839 at a very young age. Ryan had just been a baby. Harry never 300 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:56.000 liked it and didn't take to it. Ryan felt that that had started the 301 00:23:56.079 --> 00:24:00.720 divide between Harry and his father, and then Harry and Ryan himself. David 302 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:04.839 tried again with Ryan, taking him to the slopes, teaching him the ways 303 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:08.599 of the ski town in which they lived. You were no one if you 304 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:14.400 didn't ski in Deer Valley, Utah. According to David, Ryan agreed with 305 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:21.640 his father and so began their great relationship Harry and David's suffered. Harry was 306 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:26.119 the quiet one, the nerdy one, the book smart scholar, and Ryan 307 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:30.000 was the jock. Ryan was tall, handsome, and had an air of 308 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.960 confidence about him, while Harry had blonde, reddish hair, bad posture, 309 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:38.759 and wore glasses. Harry was interested in school and did well in it. 310 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:47.599 Ryan's teachings consisted of white powder and moguls. Their father connected more with Ryan. 311 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.200 His younger son wanted to ski with him, and he was on the 312 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:56.000 path to the Olympics. Harry only wanted to spend time with his studies and 313 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:59.440 his books, all but shunning the slopes. Near the end of his high 314 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:04.119 school, Harry began to withdraw from the family, concentrating more and more on 315 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:11.039 getting into a good college and becoming an architect or an engineer. Harry worried 316 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:15.359 about these things while Ryan swooshed down the slopes. Sometimes the brothers would only 317 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:19.920 see each other a few times a week, if their schedules allowed. Ryan 318 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:23.400 felt like he had no sort of connection with his older brother, nor did 319 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:27.240 he care to have one. They were like two ships passing in the night. 320 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:33.319 Harry's dream was to attend mit in Massachusetts, while he was in high 321 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:37.119 school. Ryan could never figure out why anyone would want to go all the 322 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:44.079 way across the country to some nerdy college when everything anyone could ever want was 323 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:48.880 right there in the West. But Harry's excessive studying paid off, and before 324 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:53.960 Ryan knew it, his brother was gone attending classes in the East. He 325 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.279 couldn't say he missed his older sibling. The house felt the same without him, 326 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:03.039 and Ryan was on his way to leaving town for the Olympics himself, 327 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:07.319 but he did wonder how he was faring so far away. He pictured Harry 328 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:12.079 with his nose stuck in a book like it so often had been, probably 329 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:18.440 playing dungeons and dragons with the other bespectacled geeks who attended that prestigious institution. 330 00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:26.200 Ryan hoped he was happy at least. Then his dad dropped dead of a 331 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:30.839 heart attack, and Ryan's life spun out of control. He remembered his brother 332 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:34.880 returning for the funeral, but instead of Harry comforting him and assuring him that 333 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:41.039 Ryan wasn't the reason his dad was six feet underground the thing everyone else was 334 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:47.319 doing, his brother blamed him fully and completely blamed him. Ryan could see 335 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:51.799 it in his eyes. They barely spoke two words during the forty eight hours 336 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:55.920 Harry was home. He flew in from Massachusetts on a red eye, and 337 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:59.920 the morning after the funeral he was gone again, back to the East Coast. 338 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:03.119 But during the time he was home, Ryan felt the tension. He 339 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:07.920 felt the blame radiating off of his brother like heat from a furnace, and 340 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:15.319 he felt shame and sorrow and confusion in spades. Who was he, Ryan 341 00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:19.640 thought to himself, to blame him for David's death when Harry wasn't even around, 342 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:25.400 when he had run off thousands of miles away. Who was he to 343 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:29.559 act so sad and depressed about their father's death when he had never seemed to 344 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:33.599 like the man in the first place. Ryan had been the one who was 345 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:36.880 close to him. Ryan had been the one who spent time with him. 346 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:42.279 Ryan had been his favorite because they shared similar interests, not Harry. Harry 347 00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:48.200 was the loser, the recluse, the geek. How dare he blame Ryan 348 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:52.519 for something that was beyond his control? Ryan felt the contempt rise up again 349 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:57.599 for his brother, and also anger. Ryan was glad when he was gone 350 00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:02.160 again and left The next few months go by in a haze of drugs and 351 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:07.119 drinking and nothingness. Never inquiring about his own brother, He figured Harry had 352 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:11.359 gone back to that fancy school of his, graduated with honors, and was 353 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:17.480 well on his way to designing the next Boeing jet or coordinating the next rocket 354 00:28:17.599 --> 00:28:22.640 Space shuttle launch. Almost a year after his father's death, Ryan came home 355 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:26.240 to find his mother on the phone on one of the rare occasions he and 356 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:32.599 she were in the house simultaneously. He didn't pay much attention, figuring it 357 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:37.599 was one of her mother's snooty friends inviting Patricia to one of her many socialite 358 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.839 events, or to a boozy lunch at the club. It was neither of 359 00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:45.920 these people or things. It had been his brother. That was your brother, 360 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:51.720 Patricia had exclaimed, turning toward Ryan with a look of excitement on her 361 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:56.960 face. Like I care, was Ryan's response. He stood in front of 362 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:03.039 the refrigerator, surveying his options for a snap. Patricia, ignoring Ryan's snide 363 00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:07.839 comment, continued as if he had said nothing. He said, he has 364 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:11.200 been in the Arizona Desert the past few days and loves it and thinks he 365 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:17.640 might stay. Patricia slapped her hand on the counter and began puttering around the 366 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:22.039 kitchen, swiping a towel over the stove top in a half hearted attempt to 367 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:26.240 clean it, humming a tune as she did. Ryan turned around slowly, 368 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:32.279 his right hand still gripping the refrigerator door handle. Thinking he had not heard 369 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:37.720 his mother correctly. What are you talking about, he asked, in the 370 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:42.839 accusatory tone of a teenager. Patricia still didn't seem to take notice of Ryan's 371 00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:48.039 rudeness. Either that or she didn't care. Ryan thought it was most likely 372 00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:53.640 the latter, as Patricia didn't care about much besides art galleries and children's charity 373 00:29:53.680 --> 00:30:00.160 balls. Ryan dropped the attitude and confusedly asked, do you mean he's not 374 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:06.839 still at MIT? Patricia laughed and snapped the towel at him. No, 375 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:11.839 Ryan, your brother dropped out of MIT months ago. He's been backpacking through 376 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:18.240 the Southwest for weeks. You're kidding. Ryan's hand fell off the handle and 377 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:22.000 dangled at his side. Was his mother on drugs? As she found his 378 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:27.680 dash of pills and taken one or nine to clarify? He tried again, 379 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:34.160 this time, his tone one of utter disbelief. Harry, my brother, 380 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:41.440 your son, the total dork? Quit Mit? And is now backpacking through 381 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:48.839 the southwestern United States. Ryan emphasized the keywords that were the most shocking to 382 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:55.240 him. Yes, silly. His mother still didn't act like this was much 383 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:59.759 of a surprise at all. Ryan shook his head back and forth in the 384 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:06.279 wilderment. But what about becoming a rocket scientist or whatever it was that he 385 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:11.079 always wanted to do? What about that? Ryan felt like his world had 386 00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:15.920 been turned upside down with one statement. He had never really liked his brother, 387 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:19.519 had never cared or understood much of anything he had ever done. But 388 00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:25.559 to find out that Harry was now someone completely different than he had thought or 389 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:32.440 known was suddenly very disturbing to Ryan. Patricia shrugged her shoulders, moving up 390 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:36.880 and down in a nonchalant fashion. She opened the cabinet under the sink, 391 00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:41.000 through the towel inside, and brushed past Ryan toward the staircase. Well, 392 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:48.440 Ryan, sometimes people change, and without another word, his mother had ascended 393 00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:52.920 the stairs. For the next few weeks, Ryan hounded his mother for information 394 00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:57.920 about this totally new and different older brother of his. He was fascinated by 395 00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:02.240 what Harry could pie possibly be up to. His mother found it odd that 396 00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:07.079 Ryan would suddenly take such an interest in the brother he used to abhor and 397 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:13.559 as her response to his incessant questions would tell Ryan to just give him a 398 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:19.240 call. Ryan refused. He was too reticent, too frightened to talk to 399 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:22.480 the brother he thought he had known. Once he realized his mother didn't know 400 00:32:22.599 --> 00:32:28.079 many more details or simply refused to tell him, he gave up trying to 401 00:32:28.119 --> 00:32:31.200 glean information from her. He went on with his life, from time to 402 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:36.160 time, wondering how Harry was doing, but thinking not much of him. 403 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:42.319 Besides that, a few months after becoming a Federal Marshal, Ryan was out 404 00:32:42.359 --> 00:32:45.599 drinking with the boys and one of the patrons in the bar was loudly bragging 405 00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:51.799 about the fact that she had been accepted to MIT for graduate school. This 406 00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:55.599 got Ryan thinking about Harry, and, with a feeling of sadness, realized 407 00:32:55.640 --> 00:33:00.400 he had not spoken to his brother in almost a decade. That night, 408 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:05.240 after stumbling home from the bar on one of the rare nights he was not 409 00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:09.960 accompanied by a female, Ryan rifled through an old file folder where the scrap 410 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:15.000 of paper was that Harry's number had lived for the past ten years. Untouched, 411 00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:21.599 Ryan snatched it up and without thinking, fortified by beer and whiskey shots, 412 00:33:21.880 --> 00:33:25.880 dialed the number and waited as the line rang. He noted the late 413 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:30.319 hour, even for West Coast standards, and was about to hang up when 414 00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:37.000 Harry himself answered the phone. A few weeks later, Ryan found himself driving 415 00:33:37.039 --> 00:33:42.480 to Peach Springs, Arizona, in order to reconnect with the brother he had 416 00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:46.519 not seen for ten years. Ryan had had some vacation time, and Harry 417 00:33:46.559 --> 00:33:52.200 had insisted that Ryan c the Southwest, meet his wife and experienced firsthand the 418 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:59.279 life Harry had carved out for himself. Ryan had no idea what to expect. 419 00:34:00.039 --> 00:34:02.240 When he pulled up to the trailer park. Ryan checked the mat for 420 00:34:02.279 --> 00:34:07.159 the thousand time, squinting at the trailers before him, wondering if he had 421 00:34:07.199 --> 00:34:12.760 gotten the address completely wrong. He could not believe his brother lived in the 422 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:17.280 southwestern United States, in a ship hoole town in Arizona, in a trailer 423 00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:22.719 park, no less, with a wife. Harry, his brother, who 424 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:28.159 had had dreams of money and PhDs and mansions and white picket fences, was 425 00:34:28.239 --> 00:34:31.719 now a handy man on an Indian reservation in the middle of the desert. 426 00:34:32.760 --> 00:34:37.119 Ryan was about to turn the car around in order to point it in the 427 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:40.800 direction of where his brother must have actually lived. When he saw Harry come 428 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:45.920 out of the trailer at the far right end of the park, followed closely 429 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:51.960 by a short, plump woman with flowing blond, almost white hair. Harry 430 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:55.199 had the same reddish blonde hair himself and blue green eyes, but he had 431 00:34:55.199 --> 00:35:00.840 put on weight. The bigger stature suited him, as he no longer looked 432 00:35:00.880 --> 00:35:05.719 like a geeky high school teenager. He wore a mud stained white tshirt, 433 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:08.519 cargo shorts, and a ball cap balanced on the top of his head. 434 00:35:09.239 --> 00:35:13.840 He put his hand up in a greeting, motioned to the woman behind him 435 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:17.719 to follow, and jogged toward Ryan's car, the desert dust flying up behind 436 00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:23.039 him. Hannah had enveloped Ryan in a hug even before he had shut his 437 00:35:23.159 --> 00:35:29.000 car door. Ryan was almost knocked back by the force of her greeting as 438 00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:32.320 she pulled back after what felt like years and held Ryan at arm's length. 439 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:37.400 Hannah had tears in her eyes. I'm so glad you're finally here, she 440 00:35:37.480 --> 00:35:42.800 said, shaking Ryan and wiping the tears from her eyes. I have heard 441 00:35:42.840 --> 00:35:45.239 so much about you. Please come in and I'll get you something to eat. 442 00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:50.559 And a beer. She finished. Pulling Ryan along toward the trailer, 443 00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:54.639 Harry intercepted his brother, wrapping him in a bear hug and clapped him on 444 00:35:54.679 --> 00:36:00.280 the back. Ryan couldn't remember a time when he had ever hugged his brother. 445 00:36:00.440 --> 00:36:05.280 Glad you can make it, Harry echoed, Hannah, shuffling along beside 446 00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:08.320 Ryan as the three of them made their way to the trailer. Come on, 447 00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:13.719 I'll show you around. For the next three days, Harry took Ryan 448 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:17.519 all over the county, playing tour guide and explaining every little piece of history 449 00:36:17.599 --> 00:36:22.880 about the Huallapie people and their land. It was their land, Harry explained, 450 00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:27.559 they were just nice enough to let them live on it. It helped 451 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:30.840 that Hannah was half Indian and had grown up on the outskirts of the reservation. 452 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:36.800 One night, over too many beers at the dive bar, when it 453 00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:39.559 was just the two of them, Ryan mustered up the courage to ask his 454 00:36:39.639 --> 00:36:45.400 brother why in the hell this was his life now. Harry laughed, and, 455 00:36:45.480 --> 00:36:49.800 tipping back in his chair and crossing his legs, told Ryan he had 456 00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:53.679 been wondering when he was going to ask him that. Harry explained to Ryan 457 00:36:54.119 --> 00:36:59.480 that it had begun when their dad had died that Harry was filled with remorse 458 00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:02.920 at not spending enough time with the man, being too rigid about his studies 459 00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:07.800 and his future plans, and just all around depressed. He realized he needed 460 00:37:07.840 --> 00:37:12.760 to decompress, to grieve and to mourn, and that he wasn't going to 461 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:16.679 be able to do that completely and successfully if he didn't do something outside his 462 00:37:16.800 --> 00:37:22.440 comfort zone and make a change, if only for a few weeks, if 463 00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:25.920 not, he would likely never feel fulfilled. A couple of guys from his 464 00:37:25.960 --> 00:37:31.039 dorm were going backpacking in the Southwest over springbreak, and Harry, seizing the 465 00:37:31.079 --> 00:37:38.199 opportunity, decided to join them. He told Ryan that almost immediately Harry fell 466 00:37:38.239 --> 00:37:43.159 in love with the land, the people, the nature, and the excitement 467 00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:45.880 of backpacking. When the week was up, most of the guys went back 468 00:37:45.960 --> 00:37:52.320 to MIT, but Harry and another decided to continue on into northern Arizona. 469 00:37:52.400 --> 00:37:57.360 It was when they got to Peach Springs that Harry decided he would never return 470 00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:01.360 to MIT. He had met Hannah, and within a few days knew that 471 00:38:01.400 --> 00:38:06.079 this was the woman he was going to marry. He had some money from 472 00:38:06.079 --> 00:38:09.199 their father's trust, and he didn't need much. He explained, especially out 473 00:38:09.239 --> 00:38:15.840 in these parts, no one needed much money. Everyone just existed peacefully and 474 00:38:15.960 --> 00:38:22.840 happily for the most part, and Harry seemed happy. Sublimely so, Ryan 475 00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:27.639 thought as he surveyed his brother across the table. His eyes sparkled, His 476 00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:31.360 demeanor was casual and relaxed. He was nothing like the geeky, anxious, 477 00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:36.400 high strung brother he had known most of his life. He was nothing like 478 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:40.079 the boy who had had lofty goals and aspirations. He was now a person 479 00:38:40.119 --> 00:38:45.239 who worked as a handy man on an Indian reservation, who lived not the 480 00:38:45.320 --> 00:38:47.840 land as much as he could, who had neighbors and friends, and a 481 00:38:47.880 --> 00:38:52.360 wife whom he loved very much. He had different priorities and dreams. Now 482 00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:58.559 he was a man. Ryan was impressed by the man before him. He 483 00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:02.760 liked him better than the person he thought that he had always known. He 484 00:39:02.840 --> 00:39:07.599 and his older brother talked deep into the night. They shut the bar down 485 00:39:08.360 --> 00:39:13.599 before Ryan left early the next morning to head back to d C. Harry 486 00:39:13.639 --> 00:39:16.679 confided in him that he and Hannah wanted nothing more than to have children, 487 00:39:17.079 --> 00:39:23.159 but that unfortunately, Hannah was unable to. Harry also told Ryan that Hannah 488 00:39:23.199 --> 00:39:27.920 was eight years older than he, so they needed to decide on what to 489 00:39:27.960 --> 00:39:31.840 do soon, and she wasn't getting any younger. They had discussed the option 490 00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:37.400 of adoption, but were considering others as well. It was a long and 491 00:39:37.519 --> 00:39:42.920 frustrating process, Harry explained. Ryan saw the look in Harry's eyes, he 492 00:39:42.920 --> 00:39:46.039 heard the longing in his voice when he spoke. He knew his brother and 493 00:39:46.119 --> 00:39:52.400 his wife would make exceptional parents. All Hannah had done was tend to Ryan 494 00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:55.400 and feed him the whole time he had been in Peach Springs. She was 495 00:39:55.519 --> 00:40:00.880 nurturing and kind, and Ryan felt remorse at the fact that Hannah could not 496 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.639 bear her own children and that his brother would not be able to give her 497 00:40:04.639 --> 00:40:08.199 what she most wanted. Ryan felt an urge to help, although he was 498 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:14.599 at a loss for how A year or so later, when Ryan was assigned 499 00:40:14.599 --> 00:40:17.599 to his biggest case, he held the report in a folder in his left 500 00:40:17.639 --> 00:40:22.159 hand in his office in the district. As he flipped to the back page, 501 00:40:22.360 --> 00:40:27.000 where the girl's picture was attached with a paper clip, he saw her 502 00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:30.559 brown eyes and wide smiles staring back at him. The little girl needed a 503 00:40:30.599 --> 00:40:34.960 mother who would tend to her and feed her, who would love her and 504 00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:38.639 make sure she was okay. She needed a father who would support her and 505 00:40:38.800 --> 00:40:44.280 love her, who would keep her safe. Above all, she needed a 506 00:40:44.320 --> 00:40:47.880 place to go that was as far away as possible from her current one. 507 00:40:49.719 --> 00:40:52.920 Nicole needed a home. He knew exactly who to call.