Page 35 of Goodbye Paradise
“No kidding,” I grumbled. “Nobody would set me loose on their car.”
Caleb gave me a little squeeze. “That isn’t what I meant. You don’t have any I.D. Nobody can hire you legally without it.”
I raised my head off the bed. “Really?”
He nodded. “Sometimes people get hired off the books, usually because they’re illegal immigrants. But it’s harder.”
I flopped back again. “Well that stinks.”
“A little,” he said. “But there might be a way we can get you an ID. Maggie might know how. Come on, let’s shower again.” He gave my hand a little tug. “Then we can eat breakfast.”
To save money, we skipped the hotel restaurant. Caleb ran down the road to a place called McDonald’s, because he said it would be the cheapest.
I tidied up our hotel room, and moped. Because I hadn’t known that my lack of ID would be an issue. I never got a birth certificate, because my mother was not my father’s first wife. The Compound couldn’t tell the state about all the babies born there, probably because our Divine Pastor was trying to conceal all the polygamy. So only the children of the first wives got birth certificates. Like Caleb, who also had a driver’s license.
Caleb came back with a tasty, salty egg sandwich for me. And a Coke, because I’d liked the one at the other restaurant. “Thank you,” I said.
He touched my shoulder. “I’d give you anything. You know that, right?”
Maybe he would. But I didn’t like being the person who always took. And if I couldn’t get a job, that’s exactly who I was going to be.
At exactly ten o’clock, our hotel room phone rang. Caleb gave me a nervous smile and answered it. “Hi,” he said. “Room 112. I’ll open the door.”
He hung up, grinning. “Let’s go! Just let me…” He grabbed his backpack off the floor, and I tossed my coat over my arm.
Caleb turned around slowly, eyeing the room, probably to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind. Without comment, he went over to the other bed, the one we’d never used. And he yanked the covers down, leaving them in a tangle, just like they were on our bed. “Okay,” he said, without meeting my eyes. “Let’s find Maggie.”
I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. And there she was! An older version of Miriam waddled toward us, a big smile on her face, and a giant belly protruding from between the halves of her wool coat.
“Hi!” she yelled, starting to run. When she reached us, she threw her arms around Caleb.
Behind her, a tall, grinning man with wavy brown hair jogged to catch up to us.
Maggie released Caleb, then lunged at me. I caught the hug, awkwardly. Because you don’t hold another man’s wife. It just wasn’t done.
“Wow,” I said, flustered. I took a big step back. “You’re… wow. In a family way.”
The man behind Maggie burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I shouldn’t…” My face was heating, and I didn’t know what to say.
“Daniel,” Maggie warned. “Don’t laugh.”
He held two hands up. “I didn’t mean to. But I never heard anyone put it that way, except inLittle House on the Prairie.” Daniel looked to be about twenty-five, if I had to guess. The same age as Maggie.
Maggie put both hands on her belly and smiled at me. “You can just say ‘pregnant.’ Everyone else does. Josh, Caleb, this is my husband, Daniel.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Caleb said, extending a hand.
Daniel shook it, biting back a smile. “You definitely don’t need to call me ‘sir.’ I’m just Daniel.” He shook my hand, too. “Do you need anything before we go?”
“No s…” I stopped myself.
Daniel laughed again. “Our truck is over there.”
They hada red pickup truck with a passenger cab. Daniel popped open the little door that led to the back seat, and I climbed inside, followed by Caleb. Daniel helped his wife into the passenger’s seat, then went around to climb into the driver’s.
“Give me another week and I won’t even be able to get into this truck,” Maggie complained. “It’s getting ridiculous.”
