Fate's Redemption by Brandace Morrow Page A

his
arm around my shoulder for the first picture. On the second, we
squeeze the kids together between us while they act like they're
suffocating, and the third is all of us laughing.
    I grab the camera, and the kids ask for a
snack before we get on the road. I pop the trunk and pass out the
fruit salads I packed that morning. I feel my dad's hand on my
shoulder and turn to look at him.
    "Proud of you, kiddo." My eyes mist and I
give a small smile back before grabbing two apples and shutting the
lid.
    "Thanks, Daddy," I tell him quietly. I'm
still my daddy's little girl, and that he's proud of me will always
be something important to me.
    "Let's hit the road, Jack!" I call out.
    "Ha-ha," he says drolly. His name is Jack,
and I used to say that all the time as a kid. It still cracks me
up.
    When I get in the van, I make sure the dog is
in the back and push the button for the doors before grabbing my
iPhone to put on the special mix I came up with. I fix the camera
back on the rearview mirror and press record before playing the
music.
    Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" starts
playing and I hear three groans from the back as I belt out the
song, complete with hand motions. I finally pause it after much
groaning.
    "Oh come on, guys! I made a whole playlist of
Canadian artists for Canada!"
    "Mom, this stuff blows!" I hear Trigg yell
from the back.
    I yell back, "Liar!" then switch to a Shania
Twain song.
    This time it's Jet. "Gross, Mom!"
    Pausing it again, I sigh dramatically and
turn around. "Fine, guys, there's another one in a backpack under
one of your seats. I don't remember where I put it."
    I watch the rearview mirror behind my camera
as three dark brown heads bend down and pull out different bags
from their seats. Zippers open simultaneously and then three gasps
are heard. I put my fingers over my mouth to stop the laugh that
wants to burst free.
    Trigg looks up first and I shrug. "I need B
roll." This trip is huge. We're moving away from everything they
remember, and going to the unknown. Trigg is like me, and is
fascinated by my camera. He has it more than I do usually, so I got
him one so that he can record his thoughts on this journey. He
doesn’t want to move, and has been very vocal about it. I'm hoping
he can find some excitement through the lens. He smiles and tears
it out of the box.
    Harper catches my attention as she looks up
wide-eyed with her mouth open. I squee like a little girl and clap
my hands, making her come out of her shock and do the same. She
holds up her new Macbook Air and shouts to Trigg sitting behind
her. "Look, Trigg! Look!"
    He looks up and yells back, "Sweet, Harp!"
They're eighteen inches away from each other, but it doesn't
matter.
    Harper is an introvert, like her dad. She
holds things in. She can't seem to express what she's feeling
sometimes. And she loves helping me edit my videos. I'm hoping she
can type out whatever she's feeling, and the autocorrect on her
computer will help her improve her spelling. I'm crossing my
fingers she will edit her brother's videos, too.
    "Breaker, breaker, come in. Breaker, breaker,
one, nine," Jet says, holding his camo walkie-talkie up to his
face.
    There's static and then, "This is the Goat,
over."
    Jet's eyes light up and he presses his button
down again. "Grandpa!"
    "This is the Goat, who is this?"
    Jet squints his eyes in thought, bites his
tongue then responds. "This is the White Witch. What's your
position, over."
    I yell, "Hey!"
    Jet rolls his eyes at me. "Mom, he's in the
GTO and it's called a goat. Why can't our white van be a
witch?"
    “Why can't it be a dove?" I shoot back.
    His eyes go bright and he comes back with,
"I've got it, it can be Moby's dick!"
    "Moby Dick. It's Moby Dick!" Gah, read the
kid the classics, and that's what I get.
    "Fine, we can be the White Witch," I concede,
but he's already shaking his head.
    "I like the dick one better."
    "Stop saying that!" I exclaim and the other
kids laugh.
    "White Witch, I'm looking at your