On the way
The next day, at April's request. Jackson and April start making arrangements together. Working in harmony, it doesn't take long to finish them.
They leave the kids with Richard and Catherine most of the day, getting ready to use the Avery private jet to fly to Matthew's hometown, leaving with them the next day.
On the way, they take turns to look after the kids, Jackson looking after them the most, and April spends most of the flight resting.
When they finally settle, and they have a moment to themselves, Jackson sees her looking outside her window and watches her watching the passing scenery.
Silent tears run down her face as the beautiful scenery passes by unnoticed, Jackson realizes.
Although he can't see the tears, he knows they are there.
She doesn't use her hand to wipe them. Instead, she lets' them dry on their own.
She does this so no one can know she is crying, particularly the kids, but he knows and says nothing.
Jackson looks away, not able to face the tears he is not allowed to see and are not his to do away with. An ache spreads in his heart, starting as a phantom echo of her pain.
Eventually, his loss catches up with him too. Nothing compared to hers, but a loss, to him nonetheless.
She looks back at him, and a tear escapes. Unable to help himself, his tears come too.
Sometime later, when the kids are awake and April's sleeping. He hears them discuss scriptures they learned, where someone went to heaven. Interested and looking for a distraction, he listens.
Jah and Nock are mentioned, whom he later finds out are Elijah and Enoch, but they dismiss them because they haven't come back from heaven yet.
Harriet points out John one of the aposols/apostles who saw heaven and came back much sooner.
Happy, they have something to pray towards, they agree to pray for God to show them heaven, so they can see their family once again. No longer praying, to only see Matthew.
Jackson is stunned by how much of the Bible his kids know. He realizes just how much it must have been part of their daily lives if they already know so much.
He looks over at April, wishing she was awake so he can ask her about it, wondering how he will ask her other questions as well, like if the kids understand Matthew isn't coming back? Should they explain it more? Wait until they get it on their own? Can they visit Matthew in heaven? Should they leave them with that hope? What if they think that Matthew going to heaven and not coming back is somehow their fault? He knows he wondered if he did something to make his father leave. What if they don't understand it if they don't see Matthew in Heaven?
He also worries about putting more worry on her as they just got her back after going AWOL for hours.
Later, en route to a private resort, in a limo. April is awake and reading a book. Unable to sleep, Jackson broaches the subject.
"I have been thinking about the behavior of the babies, and I..." Jackson hesitates and changes his mind, not ready to worry her, maybe after the funeral.
"There is a saying that babies know the secrets of the universe, and I think we should pick their brains a little before they grow up and forget them." He says, aware of how ridiculous that sounds, and furrows his brow.
"Are you talking about baby genius?"
"That's where I know it from? How did you know what I was talking about anyway?" He asks his mind not really on the question, distracted by the thought of Ruby blaming herself for Matthew leaving, looking outside her window, waiting-
"It's an easy guess. I also know you have been puzzling over something they," April points to the kids, "said about the bible, probably related to visiting heaven because you've had my phone for the past hour, using my bible app to search for scriptures, and keep looking at the kids." Feeling no need to explain any further, April keeps on reading.
"You were pretending to sleep, weren't you?" Jackson asks, putting down the incriminating evidence still in his hand.
"You would be surprised by the things I notice." Jackson looks at her skeptically.
"You are an open book and make for a good past time, with all those telling facial expressions your face can make in a millisecond. By the way, I know it was Harriet who farted the other day. Your face gives you away when it's you."
April says, turning to the next page, watching her hand movement closely. Jackson asks himself how she can read, talk and watch him at the same time. He decides she cannot possibly be reading too.
"And you probably came up with the whole universe stuff because you don't know how to ask directly the things you really want to know." she finishes, still looking at her book awaiting his answer.
Jacksons furrowed eyebrows smoothen out, forgetting who was not ready for the questions he wanted to ask, him or her? He looks away and tries to practice making a poker face, not wanting to ask what other things she saw on his 'open book face' were, realizing why she was watching his face when Harriet farted.
He wonders if he had missed her watching him other times too because he was busy trying not to look at her. Not sure what else his traitorous face has told her, and afraid she can see the things he has not spoken out loud written all over his face, he tries to find its reflection in the closed window so he can give it a thorough investigation. 'What else have you given away without my permission?' He asks it.
