Cadence scratched her head and remembered the voice. She was having trouble hearing it now. Before even when it wasn’t speaking to her, she had an idea it was still there. But now, it seemed to have faded away. She hoped it would stay that way. It was beginning to bother her less and less that she couldn’t place it, that she didn’t know where she’d been before she’d been here. “What is her other son’s name?”
“That’s the thing; she doesn’t know. She doesn’t remember anything about him except that he sort of looked like Jimmy but not the same. And he was here, and now he’s not here.”
She’d also thought Jimmy looked like someone, but she couldn’t remember who. She thought really hard for a moment, staring across the baseball field at Jimmy’s face. Who was it? Who had a face sort of like that? Try as she might, she couldn’t remember. “I’d like to speak to her.” Cadence was up off of the bench before her grandparents could answer. They trailed after her.
“Honey, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Jordan said, catching up to her. “She really is a little... lost.”
“That’s all right. Maybe I can make her feel better.”
“But... she might confuse you,” Janette said, pulling lightly on her elbow. “She’s confused, and sometimes talking go confused people can be... confusing.”
“I won’t be confused,” Cadence promised, although she was already feeling confused. Over in the bushes near the swing set, she spotted a cat. Yellow and white striped, with a long tail and a gleam in its eye, the kitty rubbed its back on one of the leafy branches. It wasn’t the cat itself that caused her mind to boggle up again, though. It was the idea of a cat. Something about that word—cat—reminded her of someone. She stopped walking a few feet away from Arlene and the bench. “Someone is missing,” she said again, her finger tapping her chin. But it wasn’t just one someone. There were a few someones. “Who do I know that isn’t here?”
“We already told you,” Janette said, stepping in front of her. “Everyone is here.”
Cadence nodded. Yes, of course. Everyone was here. “Do I have a pet cat?”
“A cat?” Jordan echoed. “No, I don’t think so. But you could have one if you’d like.”
Resting her hands on her hips, Cadence nodded. “I think I’d like to have a cat. I like cats. I’m very fond of cats. In fact, I think I may have had a cat before. I seem to recall being very close to cats. A cat.” That wasn’t right; something was off. She continued toward Arlene.
The woman was sitting with her hands folded, the expression on her face not quite a frown but certainly not a smile. She was pretty but looked tired while everyone else was full of energy. “Pardon me, Arlene?”
Looking up, the mother met Cadence’s eyes. “Yes?”
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but it’s my understanding that your son is missing. Is that right?”
“Oh, yes,” she exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing Cadence’s hand, which she let her have. “He was here, but now he isn’t here anymore. And I miss him.”
“But you don’t know his name?”
Arlene shook her head, her eyes dropping. “No, I don’t remember anything about him. Only that when I look at Jimmy, my other son, I remember that there should be two and not just one. That he was here, but now, he’s not here.”
Cadence patted her hand and realized her grandparents were right. Arlene couldn’t help her—and Cadence couldn’t help Arlene. Clearly, she was confused. Cadence didn’t feel confused anymore. “I’m so sorry,” she said, continuing to pat the woman’s hand for a few more seconds. “I hope he is here soon.”
“Thank you.” Arlene managed to smile a slight bit more, and Cadence pulled her hand away, walking toward the trees out of Arlene’s earshot.
“You were right,” she said with a sigh. “She’s confused about her son. He couldn’t be here and not be here. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Exactly,” Janette agreed, neither of them considering the fact that she’d just mentioned Alexander Hamilton having been here and then not been here before he was here again a few minutes earlier.
Cadence folded her arms, sighing. Arlene was confused, but Cadence wasn’t confused anymore. She was here—everyone was here. And she wanted a cat. The voice in her head was gone. It probably wasn’t ever there to begin with.
A blonde woman walked by singing a song Cadence thought she recognized. It was a Christmas song, which should’ve seemed odd since it didn’t seem like Christmastime, but the beautiful woman sang it so well, Cadence didn’t bother to worry about that. “Mele Kalikimaka” the woman sang about a Hawaiian Christmas. Cadence smiled at her, and she smiled back, her head rocking back and forth in time to the music.
“That was lovely. She looks familiar. Do I know her?”
“I don’t think so,” Janette said. “Her name is Ellie. She’s been here a long time.”
“She loves Christmas—and Hawaii,” Jordan pointed out. “Lovely girl. Sweet as they come.”
Cadence could see that, though she wasn’t sure what Hawaii or Christmas were. “I think she looks like someone else.” Her forehead wrinkled because she had the idea that she didn’t particularly care for the someone else who looked like Ellie. Maybe she didn’t need to worry about that anymore. “I would like to go home now.” She was tired—it had been a long day.
“All right,” Janette agreed. “We should go home. It’s this way.” She turned and Cadence followed, wondering where home was and what it might be like. Would she live with her grandparents or somewhere else? Where had she lived before? It didn’t matter. Now she was here.
The redheaded woman she’d seen before was coming their direction again. Aislyn, Cadence remembered. She wasn’t looking at them, though. She was talking to the baby in the stroller, gushing and cooing, love pouring from her face. Cadence couldn’t help but smile, her hand pressed to her abdomen. “I would like to have a baby someday,” she said aloud as she watched the mother love on her child.
