Page 93 of The Sign for Home

That’s when Molly crumbled. Lavinia scooched her chair around the table and stroked Molly’s back.

“My dear, it’s no use berating yourself,” she whispered. “It’s been less than two hours. I’m sure he’ll show up.”

Molly pulled herself away from the professor’s touch as if Lavinia’s hand were on fire.

“No, he won’t!” Molly cried out. “You don’t understand. I checked everywhere: the college, the Abilities Institute, the Kingdom Hall, the Dunkin’ Donuts, and everywhere in between. Arlo only had travel training to go to those specific places. If he goes anywhere else, he takes me, his uncle, or someone else with him. He doesn’t know how to go anywhere else on his own.”

“Stop saying what Arlo can and can’t do!” I barked, ready to let her have it again. “You clearly don’t know him very well. If you had—”

“Godverdomme!” Hanne shouted, silencing us. “We don’t have time for you two to go at each other. We all need to work together. So think. It’s obvious Arlo’s gone off to find Shri. The question is how.”

“Hanne’s right,” Lavinia said, more calmly. “Is it possible that Arlo just found some other friend who would drive him down to the city?”

“What about Big Head Lawrence?” Hanne asked.

“It’s impossible,” Molly insisted. “Jonathan cut off Arlo’s internet, thinking it had become a threat to his spiritual fitness. Without the internet Arlo has no access to the outside world. He can’t even order an Able-Ride on his own. Jonathan truly believed that Arlo’s deaf-blindness was a gift from God meant to keep his nephew pure. I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but there is evil out there and the world can be so confusing. Jonathan thought he was giving Arlo a clearer and easier path to salvation.”

I started to say something, but Hanne shot me a silencing look.

“My point is,” Molly continued, “Arlo has no one else in the world except the four of us right now. And there’s absolutely no way he could get to Shri on his own.”

“Wait,” I said suddenly, standing up and grabbing my backpack. “I think I know where we can find him. If it’s not too late.”

43TRAVEL TRAINING FOR AN ESCAPE

“Please help to buy one train ticket Queens, New York.”

You stand in front of the train station holding up the note you wrote in Magic Marker. It’s the same way you got from Brother Birch’s house to the station. Costas, your orientation and mobility instructor, once told you that the only things you need to get around are your guide dog Snap, your white cane, your travel cards, a notebook and Magic Marker, and proper training.

Unfortunately, you don’t have the proper training for traveling to or in New York City.

But you have everything else.

And if Larry can get to Poughkeepsie on the train, then you can get to Queens, New York, on the train.

Several people pass by without helping. Finally, a nice man who smells like soap takes you and Snap to the place where you buy tickets. You only have $27.70 in your wallet and the Amtrak train to New York City costs $24.30, even with a discount. That would only leave you $3.40 for the rest of the trip. Luckily, the Metro-North train leaving at 1:50 p.m. is only $12.25 because you are disabled.

“One-way or round-trip?” the man who sells tickets writes in your notebook.

“One-way.”

You will need some money to take a cab and to buy lunch if you gethungry. You will figure out what to do about that later. Like Costas said, it’s one step at a time. To make sure you are going to the right place, you ask the ticket man if this train will stop in Queens. You are glad you asked because he sets you straight and tells you that when you arrive at Grand Central you will then need to take an MTA subway to Queens.

After you have your ticket you write on the travel card:Please take me to train to New York City so I can take SUBWAY to Queens to find my sweetheart.You thought this sounded romantic and might make more people want to be nice and help you.

It works. Only five minutes later, a woman who smells like perfume offers you her nice chubby arm like she has walked with blind people before. Snap is nervous because she can feel the trains rumbling underneath the floor. Perfume Woman walks you through the very large room to the edge of what appear to be steps leading down to the train. The woman walks ahead, and you and Snap follow. Thirty steps later you are on the platform and you thank the woman. It’s very hot outside and sweat soaks through your shirt. It’s twenty-nine minutes until your train. You walk in a very small circle to pass the time. You use both your cane and Snap for extra protection against holes and obstacles. To get rid of nervous energy, you let your foot play with the bumpy rubber safety strips at the edge of the platform so you remember where it becomes dangerous. It takes you almost ten minutes to realize that there are two sides to the platform, and because you have walked in circles you are now uncertain which side of the platform the New York City train will be on. You hold up another note. Finally, another nice man, who is your size and has a little body odor probably because it is so hot, asks to see your ticket and writes to you that you are on the wrong track.You need to be on track two for the 1:50 train to Grand Central, he writes.It is 1:35. Body Odor Man leaves before you can ask for help. Heart pounding. Breathing heavy. There is only fifteen minutes before the train comes. Snap is getting very anxious too. You write a note. Soon a nice man who is shorter than you with fat wrists and a cigar smell walks you to track two and sets you onthe correct side to take the train. You stand there for five minutes without moving. It’s 1:45. Finally, just to be safe, you hold up your sign again about taking the 1:50 train to New York City. Someone taps you on the shoulder and writes in your notebook that there was an announcement and the 1:50 train is switching to track four. There are only three minutes left. Your heart wants to break out of your chest. You groan in frustration. A nice man (maybe Cigar Man?) helps you and Snap rush to the correct track. You hold your breath. The windy rumble of the train approaches, which makes Snap anxious. When the train stops, a man who you think is a conductor takes your arm to help you onto the train. But as you follow Snap into the car, your foot falls into a large and dangerous gap between the platform and the train. You scrape your shin and the hot sting means it’s going to bleed. Snap is upset and licks your face. Another man helps the conductor pull your foot out. But you are finally on the train and find an empty seat. You are breathing very heavily, sweat is stinging your eyes, and the blood has started to run down your leg. When the conductor taps your shoulder, you give him your ticket and write a note:Please tap me when get to Grand Central.

The train starts to vibrate and begins to roll backward. You let your head lean against the glass of the window and Snap lies at your feet. You did it! You and Snap are on the train going to New York City. You are smiling very large and feeling triumphant like the time you climbed the rope in gym class to the top and slapped the ceiling. The cool air from the air conditioner feels icy against your sweaty, hot skin. The wound on your leg lets you know it’s there, but the pain isn’t so bad. You take out Snap’s bowl and fill it with most of your water bottle, which she gulps down. You are thirsty too and drink the last few drops from the bottle, but it’s not enough. You make spit in your mouth to keep it wet, and plan to look for a water fountain when you arrive at Grand Central Station. You will rest for the two-hour train ride since you did not sleep last night thinking of your plan. The vibration of the train feels like continuous thunder. Soon you will be with Shri again. Soon you will be happy forever.

44CHASING ARLO

While the others scoured the train platforms for Arlo, I checked with the ticket booth to ask if anyone had sold a ticket to a DeafBlind man with a yellow guide dog.

“Sure, I remember him,” the clerk told me. “About thirty minutes ago. Young mute with the dog. Showed me a handwritten note saying he wanted a one-way ticket to Grand Central. Sold him a ticket for the one fifty. Wrote down directions how to get to Queens from there. I grew up in Elmhurst. Hope he’ll be okay. You know, we could have arranged assistance if he planned ahead.”

I texted the women and two minutes later, everyone was reunited in the main hall, gasping for breath.

“Yep,” I said. “He’s on his way to Queens. What are we gonna do?”

---