XI - WHERE WILL I LIVE?

We all got back in the car, and it was my turn to drive.  Gregory was dozing in the front seat and Freja was looking out the window.  She said that it was more interesting to see the land after the ocean crossing, she had seen more than enough water for a while.  Twenty miles north of the restaurant, I turned northwest and headed inland.  

“Why are we turning here?” she asked.

“This is where we head into the mountains.” I answered.

“What are mountains?” she asked.  

“Remember the very tall dunes in the desert?” I asked.

“Yes, some of them are very tall.” she said.

“Well, a mountain is taller than that.  Mountains are made of rock and stand a thousand times taller than the tallest dune.” I said.  There was a long silence, from the back seat.  “Well, I think you’ll believe me when you see the first one.”

Freja appeared next to me, standing behind the middle of the two front seats.

“I believe you.” she said, “I was just trying to think of what a dune made of rock looks like.”

“Oh, I see.  Well, in about 30 minutes you should be able to see your very first mountain.  We’re going to follow the river into the mountains; the University is right in the middle of a very beautiful valley.  Our house is on the university grounds and just a few miles away from the river.” I said.

She sat down, again, and was very quiet.  She was so quiet that, after a few minutes, I thought she had gone back to sleep so I looked over my shoulder.  She was sitting up but staring at her hands in her lap.

“Are you alright, Freja?” I asked her.

She stood back up and I tilted the rear view mirror down so I could see her.  She looked very worried.

“Where am I going to stay?  Can I stay in the house?  Do you want me to stay with you?  Do I have to stay someplace else?” she asked and was on the verge of tears.

“Of course, you’ll stay in the house, Freja.  Why do you think you won’t?” I asked.

“I was a slave before and I’m afraid you’ll be embarrassed when your family finds out you bought me.  I‘m afraid you‘ll be ashamed to have me live with you.  I’ve been so happy and so afraid since you told me we were going home.  I don’t know where I’m going to live.  I don’t want to live someplace else, I want to live with you.  Please let me live with you.” she said and tears started to roll down her face.

It broke my heart.  How could she think that I was ever going to be ashamed of her?  How could she think I didn’t want her to stay in the house?  I pulled the car off the road as soon as I could and got out.  I moved the seat forward and Freja climbed down.  As soon as she was out of the car, she turned and looked at me with terrified desperation in her eyes.  I sat down on the ground and wrapped my arms around her.  She was so frightened, she was trembling.  She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck and held me very tight.  We held each other for a very long time, there on the side of the road.

“Freja, I’m not ashamed of you.  Of course you’re going to live in the house, you’ll have your own room and you can live with me for as long as you want.” I said.

“I didn’t know.” she said, through her tears, “I was so afraid you’d be ashamed of me and wouldn‘t want me to stay with you.”

“Please stay with me, I want you to live in the house.  The house is just as much your home as it is mine.  Please understand, Freja, you have nothing to be afraid of.” I said to her, as I reluctantly released my hug.  

She held onto my neck for a few seconds longer and then stepped back, wiping the tears from her face.

“Yes, yes I do.” she said.

“I’m very glad you understand, Freja.” I said as I hugged her again and then, very reluctantly, stood up.

Once she was back in the car, I climbed in and pulled the door shut.  There was a tapping on my leg and I looked down to see Gregory’s finger jabbing me in the thigh.  I looked over at him and he was still leaning against the door ‘asleep’.  With one eye half open, he smiled and gave me a thumbs up sign.  

A few minutes after starting out again, it was very quiet in the back seat.  I looked over my shoulder, and this time Freja was asleep.  Gregory was snoring, so he was asleep also.  Well, there are times when having the car to myself was nice, too.