“Son.” Albert shook his hand. “Glad to see you made it out here all right.”

“Yeah. Bob had everything under control.” Dante took a step back.

Albert nodded thoughtfully. There was a lull in the conversation, as Emma stood beside Laurie, both of them watching father and son. Neither of the two subjects moved nor spoke. They just stood there, staring at the floor or the ceiling, both struggling to speak. Albert coughed.

“Well, we should be on our way. We don’t live too far from here.” Albert gestured to the door.

“Where exactly is here?” Laurie fell into step beside Dante.

“Nebraska.” Emma answered the question over her shoulder. “Farm country. I hope you like gardening!”

“I’ve never gardened before.” Some of Laurie’s anxiety returned.

“Well, I’ll teach you, honey.” Emma smiled and put her hand on Laurie’s forearm.

“Oh, okay.” Laurie’s brow furrowed. Taking gardening lessons wasn’t something she associated with protective custody.

They all moved toward the exit to the parking lot. Emma told Laurie and Dante all about their cozy little farm with chickens, a garden, and acres of sweet corn. They had just started a tiny little orchard on the neighbor’s farm they bought last spring. They piled into an old dark green Chevy, and Albert pulled out onto the tiny two-lane road that led out to the highway. The highway was only a larger two-lane road, which cut through the farms that comprised the landscape far out into the horizon.

It was late, but Laurie could see one thing in the dusk of the setting sun: corn. It was everywhere. She was in a sea of corn. There were no visible homes or churches or dark shadows of them leaning over the road. There were dirt roads leading away from the highway, which disappeared into the corn. Occasionally, there was a cattle paddock and a large barn. Then there were machines. Bulldozers, ploughs, tractors, seeders and all manner of machinery Laurie couldn’t even name. They were parked by the side of the road, laying there like the scattered toys of an errant child. Laurie couldn’t believe her eyes when a tractor pulled out in front of them on the road they turned down from the highway.

“God damn it.” Albert slammed on the horn.

“Albert.” Emma gave a sharp reprimand and then tsked at him.

“It’s Dale. I know he did it on purpose. He knows we’ll be stuck back here for miles.” Albert beeped again.

“They let those out on the roads?” Laurie’s mouth fell open.

“Honey, this is Nebraska. Farming is the biggest business here. That would be like banning boats or planes in Hawaii.” Emma peered over her shoulder from the passenger’s seat.

Laurie turned to Dante, baffled.

Dante smiled and shrugged.

They drove behind the tractor for a few miles, Albert fuming the whole way, until they hit a passing zone. With nothing coming as far as the eye could see, Albert gunned the engine and sped around the tractor, blaring his horn.

“Oh, Albert stop that.” Emma slapped her thigh.

“I know he did it on purpose.” Albert pointed his finger at nothing in particular.

“He’s just ribbing you. All that man has ever done is tried to be friends with you.” Emma lifted her hands in frustration.

“I don’t want to be friends with him—he’s suspicious.” Albert’s voice dipped to a whisper.

Emma let out an exasperated sigh. She turned her head to Dante in the back seat.

“I’m so glad you came. Otherwise, I might have killed your father.” Emma rolled her eyes.

Albert snorted derisively.

“Glad I could help, Mom.” Dante grinned.

They pulled onto a dirt road, which wound back through rows and rows of tall corn. After a few minutes, the corn opened up into a wide lawn with a lone farmhouse. A wooden porch spanned the front of the house. A two-seat, wooden swing was hanging on the front porch, and a large barn and several tall trees framed the house, with a pick-up truck parked out front.

“Well, here we are! Home sweet home!” Emma gestured to the house.

When they got out of the truck, Dante and Albert grabbed the bags, while Emma ushered Laurie up the porch and into the house.

“Albert and I always wanted a house like this. When we were raising Dante, we couldn’t really do it because of Albert’s job, but when the opportunity came along, we took it.”

“It’s lovely, Mrs. Stark. It seems very peaceful.” Laurie let her eyes wander over the porch.

“Oh, you can call me Emma, Laurie. Call me Emma.” She opened the front door. “Now, are you two hungry?”

“Yes!” Dante yelled over Laurie’s head.

Emma led them into the hall of the large, drafty farmhouse. In front of them to the left was a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. At the end of the hall, Laurie could tell there was a large kitchen from the moonlight streaming in the windows there. Emma flicked on the light, illuminating a light grey-blue hallway. Family photos covered the walls, so hardly an inch was bare.

Laurie looked at some of the photos of Albert and Emma when they got married. The next picture showed them holding a baby, and as she walked down the hall, the baby morphed into a child resembling Dante.

“Aw, Mom,” Dante groaned, putting the bags down in the hallway. “Did you really have to put all of these up here?”

“Yes, I did.” Emma flicked on the kitchen light. “Consider it your punishment for not coming to visit.”

Dante glared in the direction of the kitchen. He caught Laurie by the elbow and started rushing her past the last few feet of the hallway.

“Hey, I’m looking at those.” Laurie laughed, dragging her feet.

“Not anymore.” He succeeded in pulling her into the kitchen. “Time to eat.”

“Dante, don’t be rude to our guest.” His mother stuck her head in the freezer.

“What about me? Aren’t I a guest?” He took a seat at the kitchen table.

She shot him a disapproving look, as she pulled out the ice cream. Then she turned on the oven. She started scooping the ice cream onto plates she pulled from the pine cupboards. As she worked, the aroma of a freshly baked cake filled the kitchen.

“Can I help?” Laurie stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“No, no, no. You’ve been traveling all day. I’m sure you’re exhausted.” Emma waved in the direction of the kitchen table.

Laurie felt drained. The anxiety that had twisted through her all day seemed to settle in her limbs, making them heavy. She sat down beside Dante, and Albert sat opposite her. She smiled at him, while he studied her. Did he know, could he see, that she and Dante were together? She glanced away to watch Dante’s face light up as Emma pulled a cake from the oven.

“You baked a German chocolate cake?” His grin stretched from ear to ear.

“Yes, I did. As soon as your father said you were coming home, I knew I had to make it.” Emma beamed at him.

Dante got up from the table.

“Thanks, Mom.” He hugged Emma’s shoulders.

Emma kissed Dante on the cheek.

Laurie put her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand. She smiled at the sight they made.

Dante released Emma’s shoulders to grab the plates and add the warm cake to the ice cream. Then he brought over two plates to Laurie and Albert.

Much to Laurie’s relief, Albert finally looked away from her.

“My mom makes the best German chocolate cake in the world.” Dante set her plate in front of her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had that before.” Laurie furrowed her brow, trying to recall.

“You haven’t had German chocolate cake? How could you have not had German chocolate cake?” Dante sat next to her, his own plate in hand.

“I’ve never heard of it.” Laurie shrugged.

Dante’s moan of pleasure almost drowned out her reply.

“Mom, this is the best. It really is. God, I’ve dreamed about this cake.” Dante dug into his large piece.

Laurie stared at him in bemusement, as he downed bite after bite of the cake and ice cream.