The Water Factor: A Rightfully Mine Novel by Marilynne Eichinger

Author:Marilynne Eichinger [Eichinger, Marilynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Audible Publishing Services
Published: 2024-05-20T00:00:00+00:00

July 2037

Esme & Willow

The following day, Bunny sat by the window in Starbucks, stirring a latte. After getting a mochaccino, Aaron sat across from her. “I found a man who will get passports to you by tomorrow for twenty grand. I’ll need photos of you and your daughter before five.”

“I’m a step ahead.” Bunny pulled an envelope from her purse. Inside were two regulation-size photos. “Can we choose our names?”

“Not sure. Who do you want to be?”

“I always fashioned myself as Esme.”

“Unusual. How come?”

“Saw it in a book. It means esteemed or loved.”

“Years back, I met an Esme at a stopover in England. She had a way about her, for sure.” Aaron remembered big brown eyes and long lashes. He had asked for her number, but she wasn’t interested.

“I suppose it is rather self-aggrandizing,” Bunny said.

“It fits you. A woman with a brain in her head, courage in her soul, and love in her heart. You merit esteem, Esme—I like it.”

“Mercedes will be Willow, so she will bend and never break.”

“A good one, too. I’ll drop the photos off on my way to the office.” He took a burner phone from his briefcase and programmed his number before giving it to her.

“Be sure to purchase your tickets with cash,” he said as they prepared to leave.

“I’m off to the bank next. I’ll pay you back for the passports tomorrow. There’s fifty thou in savings, and I’ll pull another eighteen from checking. It should get us by until I find a job.”

“No rush; rent’s free for now. We’ll talk about it after you find a job. Best to keep what you have to live on.”

Bunny made hotel reservations in Bend and had her driver wait at the bus station while purchasing tickets for her and Mercedes. The following morning, she left a note on the kitchen counter saying they were going skiing at Mt. Bachelor and would call in a few days. She hoped to be settled in Nassau well before Matt realized they were gone.

They waved goodbye to the driver and went inside after being dropped off. A half-hour later, they were waiting by the curb when Aaron arrived. When he got out to help with the luggage, Mercedes rushed from behind her mother to hug him.

“I’m going on an airplane, Uncle Aaron.”

“Yes, you are, sweetheart; I see you have your luggage.” She had hold of a child-sized pink-wheeled suitcase.

“I have my doll, a coloring book, and my blankie. We’re going on a long trip, and I can’t wiggle around.” He smiled.

“Good planning, Mercedes.” She climbed in back to be buckled in by her mother while he got in the driver’s seat to wait until Bunny joined him up front.

“I’ll never forget what you’ve done for us,” she said when they were on their way. “I hope you’ll visit soon.”

“That will have to wait. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come.”

He pulled to the departure curb twenty minutes later. “Take the passports. I’ll park and meet you at the ticket counter.

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