Chapter 11 – Goodbyes

The house was dark and quiet as Lee lay trying to get some sleep. This was the secret room that Kami and Earl used to hide people who needed safety from the NRG. They had built it underneath a spare bedroom and the only way in or out of it was with a ladder that went to a trap door under the spare bedroom's bed. It was hidden well. Lee couldn't help but compare it to what it must have felt like to be part of the Underground Railroad during slavery times or being hidden from the Nazis during World War II. It was necessary to use it in case someone came visiting in the night. Lee was able to lock the door from downstairs so that it would make it nearly impossible for someone to accidentally stumble onto the room.

Lee's mind wandered back to the afternoon and evening with his friends. Ehsan, as always, had come up with a great plan for tomorrow. He made sure to include Lee. As they were discussing things, Earl suddenly got up and went to the same closet where he had retrieved the gun that Lee was carrying. He moved things around for a moment and then triumphantly announced, "Here it is!" Earl walked back out to the living room with a silver and blue uniform.

"Oh wow! Is that what I think it is?" Ehsan asked.

"Yes, it was Seth's. We grew very fond of the boy while we hid him here with his family," Earl answered.

"In fact, I got a letter from him the other day. He has settled in Australia with his wife and little boy. He is now providing security for one of the big country singers there. He said that his family is well, and wished we would come join them," Kami said with a smile. "Of course, he ended it with how he knew we wouldn't leave, but that their offer was always there for us. He again expressed how grateful they were that we were able to help them all to safety."

The confusion crossing Lee's face had Ehsan jumping in to explain. "Seth was forced at a young age to join the military. His heart wasn't in it though. His wife was pregnant with their first child. After many beatings trying to get him to obey orders, he was forced to take a job at a local security company. They thought if he learned how to do security, then they could make him a guard in the government elite's protection forces. Seth hated guns though, and soon he began failing at this job too. Since he had been around too much classified information, the government decided to kill him. He found out and fled during the night with his family," Ehsan finished somberly.

Kami added, "That's right. He came here because his wife was sick from her pregnancy, and she needed a doctor very badly. When he showed up in that uniform, I was worried that he had been sent because they were on to us. It didn't take long for him to break down and tell me what he had been going through. Of course, my heart broke for him. We helped them escape after his wife was stronger. She had gotten so worn down with the little bit of food they could find to eat that she couldn't sustain herself and her baby. I was so happy they were able to send word that they have found happiness in their new home."

"That is great news. He is an example of why the NRG is all lies these days. When the NRG was first formed, Seth was the type of man that the group was hoping to save from the tyrannical government. I tried several times to get the group involved since he was extremely poor, but the NRG had no desire to get involved in his plight since there was no financial benefit to them. I finally had to stop because it was raising suspicions," Ehsan explained and then continued, "So Lee, I think Seth's uniform should fit you. I was thinking that we could tell Ebu and the others that we hired this security company to help keep the documents safe. Since it will be a last minute announcement, he won't have time to check out the story. Meanwhile, you will be close by to help and can carry a gun without being questioned."

As Lee had realized that Ehsan's plan did include him, he found himself almost glowing. He got up and took the uniform into the bathroom and tried it on. When he came out to show them, they all agreed that it was like it had been made for him because it fit perfectly. After modeling it, he went back and took it off and hung it back in the closet so that it wouldn't be noticeable if they suddenly had unexpected company.

For the next two hours, Ehsan laid out his plans to everyone. Lee was so impressed with how well Ehsan had thought of everything as always. He couldn't help but smile when he remembered how Earl had compared the two of them together. He was definitely not Ehsan's equal. Lee knew that he tended to do things without planning, and he also had a horrible habit of doing things recklessly. Ehsan never seemed to do anything recklessly. Still, it was an honor to be compared to him.

After Ehsan made sure that they all knew their parts, Earl offered to drive him and Francesca back to the jeep. Since it was dark outside, it seemed safe. "I'll meet you out at the car," Earl said because he knew that this was going to be hard for Ehsan.

Ehsan shook Lee's hand and said, "Thank you for all your help in this. We couldn't do it without you."

"Well, someone has to make sure you stay safe," Lee said with a grin.

Ehsan smiled back for a second and then said, "Hopefully the next time I can safely talk to you will be while we are boarding a plane."

Ehsan then turned his attention to Kami. He had tears in his eyes as he held out his arms and Kami dove into them. "Oh my friend, I wish you would come with us. I will worry about you every day and pray that you stay safe."

"We will be fine Ehsan. It has been such a pleasure helping you out. My wish right now is that your plan works. Then, we will all be much safer anyway."

Ehsan pulled her out of his embrace and smiled down at Kami as he said, "Don't my plans always work? I will miss you. I could never have done so much here without you and Earl. I can't believe it has been 5 years since I first came here. You and Earl have been so good to me. I am so thankful that I found you that day and you will always be family to me. Maybe one day you will come visit me in Italy. I will show you all the best places to eat and take you to all those places that the tourists don't know they are missing."

"I would love that. In the meantime, you stay safe my friend. My Earl will get you safely to the airport tomorrow night if you can just get to him. I look forward to him returning and telling me that he saw your plane take off with all three of you on board. Then, when you get home and things settle down, you make sure you find a nice woman to marry and take care of you. You deserve so much happiness like Earl and I have."

"I doubt that I will ever find the kind of happiness that you and Earl have, but it definitely gives me something to strive for." Ehsan pulled Kami into another huge bear hug. He whispered in her ear "I love you Kami."

Kami hugged him tighter as her own tears began falling and said "Oh Ehsan, I love you like you were my own son. Please write to us when you can. I will have a hole in my heart with your departure, but I am so blessed that you found us too and will be so relieved when I know you are safely back in Italy. "

Ehsan broke the embrace and kissed Kami on the cheek and then hurried out the door before her tears caused his to begin flowing.

Francesca knew they had to hurry so she quickly gave Kami a hug too. "As you can see, he only thinks he is tough" Kami said as she hugged Francesca back. "Take care of him. He needs a strong woman like you in his life."

"Me? I'm just his helper. I don't even know if they will offer me a job when we get back home. I might never see him again once we leave here," Francesca responded while revealing what she dreaded most.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that he will make sure they do," Kami said with a knowing smile. "Now hurry up before they leave without you."

Francesca nodded at Lee as she hurried out the door to catch up with the men.

As Lee laid on the bed while reliving those moments, he couldn't help but feel emotional seeing a tough guy like Ehsan nearly fall apart with Kami. He hadn't known her for five years like Ehsan had,but just in the short time he had been with both her and Earl; he had felt a closeness that seemed to be missing in his life.

All these thoughts were swirling in his head as he tried to sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy day as sleep continued to evade him. Tomorrow would also be the day he would have to say his own goodbyes to Kami and Earl. As much as he couldn't wait to get back home, he knew that he wasn't looking forward to that moment either.

TBC