Elliot is confused. He doesn’t know why he has to pee outside or why he can’t just sit down and eat his granola bar. Luckily, he’s learned not to complain.
I grab my purse, stuff the blanket into the grocery bag and get going.
We have to get out of Cypress—the farther out, the better. I walk as fast as I can—or rather as fast as Elliot can. It doesn’t take me long to realize we have to do better than this.
I see a white-haired lady coming toward us. “Excuse me,” I say.
She looks up and smiles.
“I lost my wallet, and my little brother’s late for his doctor’s appointment. I hate to ask—but would you mind lending us bus fare?”
Her smile fades a bit. I doubt she really believes me—but Elliot is pretty irresistible. She hands me five dollars.
I thank her. I wait until she’s out of sight before I try the same trick on someone else. We’ll use some of the money for bus fare, some for food.
It doesn’t take long to collect twenty-three bucks. We could get more, but I don’t want to be greedy. I’m also worried by how much Elliot has started to enjoy this. He coughs every time I mention his doctor’s appointment.
The term scam artist jabs at my brain, but I ignore it. We’re only doing this because we have to.
I’m holding Elliot’s hand, waiting to cross the street, when a cop car drives by.
Are they looking for us? We can’t wait around to find out. I drag Elliot across the street and make him keep running until we get to a field. I hear the sound of another car approaching. I pull Elliot down behind some bushes.
“Isn’t this fun?” I say.
He’s confused. “Sort of…,” he says. He’s trying so hard to be good.
Two cop cars speed by the other way.
“Want to wrestle?” I say and push Elliot down. He struggles, but I hold him there until I’m sure the cops are gone.
He comes up with such shock in his eyes. “You cheated!” he says. “You didn’t wait until I was ready.”
“You’re right. That isn’t fair,” I say. Nothing’s fair. I keep that part to myself.
Those cops are looking for us. I’m sure of it. It won’t be safe to take another bus. I’ve got to figure something else out now.
I look around. There’s a billboard on the edge of the field. It says, This way to Camp Bonaventure: Where children’s dreams come true! A smaller sign below reads, Closed for the season.
I hear Dad’s voice. See? Something always comes up!
A big black arrow points down the next road. How far could the camp be? We could hide out there for a while. We might not even have to hide very long. They only looked for Dad for five days. Why would they look longer for us?
“Hey, Elliot,” I say. “How’d you like to go to a place where children’s dreams come true?”