puked twice before the police arrived at the shelter. After talking with her for over an hour, the detective questioning her told Alessa and Ebby they were contacting her parents. Less than an hour later, Regina’s parents, Cliff and Beth, arrived at the shelter. Alessa and Ebby watched the tearful reunion, both feeling content about having been able to make a difference. Despite the tiny glimmer of hope they’d struggled to keep alive, Regina’s parents had feared she was dead. As they hugged and kissed the daughter they hadn’t seen in three years, the love and warmth they all had for each other was obvious. Alessa knew how lucky Regina was to be so loved and wanted by her family.
Cliff and Beth hugged and kissed Alessa, too, after they heard about her role in getting their daughter back to them.
“We will never forget you,” Regina’s mother told Alessa gratefully.
Alessa was embarrassed over the fuss they were making but understood this was an emotional moment for them. It wasn’t often that a child, missing for three years, was returned to her parents. They would all have a lot of healing ahead of them. The city assigned a social worker to help them get through all the hard discussions that would enable the family to recover. Cliff and Beth were briefed on what had happened to her so there would at least be an understanding that she would be emotionally traumatized for a long time.
Meanwhile, Remo had been waiting in the staff break room. Alessa joined him after Regina had left with her parents.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said as she came in. “How did it go?”
Enjoying the victory, Alessa smiled. “It went very well. Her parents were a little intimidated when they heard she had been trafficked for the last three years, but Regina is strong and fairly rational. I’m sure they will all be fine.”
Remo gave her a bear hug. “Good. Now let’s go home. You need time to process all of this, too. Ebby told me that Regina mentioned Dauphin Street. That got you upset, right?”
Alessa hugged him tighter. “Yes, it did. Everything about that hellhole scares me. I had a panic attack thinking about it.”
With his arm securely around her, Remo guided her out of the shelter. On the drive back home, they talked about Alessa’s fears. Remo attempted to assure her there was nothing to worry about, but they both knew it would take time to put the past away again.
It’s such a shady part of town,” he said. “It’s hardly a surprise that they kept those kids captive with no one noticing them. What about the other kids?” he inquired.
Alessa heaved out a sigh. “The police had undercover cops already working on it. They had been watching a couple of drug dealers over the past three months and had a good idea of where the house might be located. The police had seen an unusual number of men of different ages and from different walks of life entering one particular home regularly. They had assumed these visits were drug-related but now suspected they might have something to do with these kids being held captive.”
Remo shook his head. “I hope every one of them is put in jail.”
***
The next couple of days at the Outside Inn were quiet. The phone rang on the third evening after Regina had returned to her parents. It was Ebby.
“They busted the house on Dauphin Street,” she said. “They arrested fourteen men that the police believe were buyers and sellers of these kids. Alessa, they rescued twelve kids from the house. All those kids are free now. It’s an incredible ending. It’s what makes my job so rewarding. With your help, Regina saved twelve other kids today.”
Alessa was happy to hear about the rescue. She ran into the living room, bounced into Remo’s lap, and relayed the news. He was genuinely happy for all the kids and their parents. It was a great ending to a horrific ordeal, and he was proud that Alessa had been a part of bringing it all down.
In the weeks that followed, Alessa was glad to return to her normal routine. She was back in school and loving every minute of her education. Things at the Outside Inn were working well. They made it through a winter that had brought a lot of snow and kept them extra busy on the weekends, providing food and drink to the many homeless people throughout the city. It was a peaceful time for them all. Spring was a welcome change from the slow winter months that had passed. Lucy was all fired up about their approaching vacation, while Alessa was excited that she would finish her college degree soon. She was already thinking of where she would work, once she got her bachelor’s degree.
Regina visited with them two Saturdays a month. They would spend the day at Clark Park, a short distance from the Outside Inn, where they interacted with the homeless. Cliff and Beth knew how close Regina was to Alessa and believed the outings would be good therapy for her. The girl had started to heal and often talked to Alessa about how happy she was to be back with her family.
One Saturday afternoon while handing out soft pretzels to the homeless, Regina turned to Alessa. “Not once did my family make me feel ashamed or responsible for all the things that had happened to me. My mom and dad keep saying that they’re grateful I’m home. I didn’t realize how much I had missed them until now.”
Alessa was proud of the progress the girl had made. Remo and Ebby were proud of the woman Alessa herself had become.
By early May, Lucy and Remo were talking constantly about their trip to Wrightsville Beach. They both wanted to rent a Jet Ski and go on the ghost walk of Wilmington, North Carolina. Other than that, the plan was to spend time on the beach and enjoy dinners out. Alessa sat back and let the two of them enjoy planning everything. She was content doing nothing and didn’t want to invade their turf and stake a claim on their shared exhilaration. By mid-June, however, she had joined in the excitement of going on vacation. They were leaving in two weeks and were all pumped up by a sense of anticipation, but the intensity of Lucy’s enthusiasm was hard to match.
The morning of the trip arrived. The child was up at the crack of dawn, getting a shower and packing her carry-on bag for the flight. Even though Remo had explained it was a short flight to Wrightsville Beach, Lucy insisted she needed to take along at least three books and some snacks for the plane ride.
As they boarded the plane that morning, they were all brimming with excitement. And as Remo had said, the flight was over quickly. In Wilmington, they rented a car from the airport and covered the distance to Wrightsville Beach in a quick fifteen minutes. They entered their rented condo, and Lucy immediately ran out onto the balcony off the living room.
The balcony offered a panoramic view of the ocean. Directly below them was a swimming pool for the condo guests. Remo, Alessa, and Lucy gazed at the people strolling on the beach and lazing in the sun. There were kids on boogie boards and families playing volleyball and football.
Lucy was delighted, as she turned to the two of them. “Can we go to the beach now?” she asked, barely able to contain herself.
Remo smiled at her indulgently. “How about if we unpack first? Then we can put our suits on and head down to the beach?”
Lucy darted in like a rocket to find her bedroom and unpack her suitcase. An hour later, they were sitting on the beach. It was an incredible first day, and Alessa felt as though she were leading someone else’s charmed life. She had never been surrounded by so much beauty and happiness. The ocean was vast, the sound of the waves soothing, and she was with the two people she loved most in the world. That night, they went to the Oceanic for dinner and ate out on the pier, where a band was playing live music. Lucy ate the cupcake of the day, a chocolate affair, topped with chocolate icing, and proclaimed it to be “the best cupcake anyone had ever made.” Afterward, they strolled barefoot on the beach. It had been a great day, and Alessa realized blissfully that she had a whole week of great days ahead of her.
The next morning, the three of them rented bikes and rode them along the small island. They shopped at the local grocery store within walking distance of their condominium and ate pizza at Vito’s. Alessa had a feeling she’d never had before—a feeling of complete freedom. As they participated in fun activities that week, Remo reminisced about his childhood. In contrast, Alessa realized how much fun she had missed out on as a kid but was so pleased that Lucy was getting to experience her childhood the way Remo had.
They loved the jet skis and the ghost tour, especially since it was topped off with ice cream at Kilwins, where they made their waffle cones in the front window. People stood in line waiting for their turn to place an order.
“I think we picked the right place. Look at all the people waiting to get ice cream,” Lucy told Remo.
Remo reveled in watching the two of them in such a relaxed and happy frame of mind. They were great together. Each understood and loved the others deeply, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. They spent July 4th watching fireworks on the beach in front of their condo.
The fireworks lit up the sky and were reflected in the water below. Remo had never felt so much love for another as he did during that week. Having the two of them in my life is the greatest gift anyone could ever have given me, he thought.
On their last night there, they dined at an Italian restaurant with a warm ambiance and great food.
The next morning, a little wistful that their vacation was over, they vowed to each other to return the next summer. They arrived home on Saturday, and Alessa called Ebby as soon as she got in to tell her about the vacation. Remo and Lucy remained on vacation time. They both took naps that afternoon, and when they got up, insisted they were still on vacation. So they all went out to dinner.
They relived the past week over the meal and stopped for ice cream on their way home. It had been a magical week for them all.
Lucy told them over ice cream, “Do you realize this will be the first year since I was born that I can write about my summer when I go back to school? You know, teachers always make you do that and I always had to make stuff up. Now I can write about it the way it really was like the other kids do.”
Alessa hugged the child tightly. “You’re a great person, Luce. I love you very much, more than anybody in the world.”
Lucy threw her a mischievous grin. “Even more than Remo?”
Alessa became very serious. “Yes, even more than Remo.”
Remo pretended to be offended but quickly said, “Who in their right mind wouldn’t love you the most, Lucy? You’re the best person we know.”
Brimming with contentment, Lucy reached up, hugged them both, and yelled out, “Group hug!”
They all put their arms around each other and laughed.
Back home, with Lucy in her bed, Alessa and Remo went into the living room to have a glass of wine.
“Remo, thank you so much for this past week,” Alessa told him. “It was the best week of my life. I’ve never felt so good. It was the most amazing first vacation ever.”
Remo moved closer and kissed her deeply. “And you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I love you. I love you both.”
