My first thought was that it had to do with Aidan. But I dismissed it. Surely Mayflower would not have arranged anything without talking it over with me first. No, she wouldn’t have. I’ve got to get this obsession with Aidan out of my mind, I thought. There are other things in the world besides him.

“Like I said, darlin’—it’s a big ole surprise.”

* * *

A half hour later Lily and I were sitting in Mayflower’s car, riding down Swiss Avenue in the direction of Dallas. Surely she wasn’t just taking us to Neiman-Marcus, I thought; we could have ridden the trolley there. It had never occurred to me to ask Mayflower where she lived. I’d always assumed it was close by. Now, I thought perhaps it was outside the city, a ranch maybe, and she was taking us to visit. I was reluctant to inquire, because she had made it clear she wasn’t going to spoil the “surprise.”

It was a beautiful July morning. The sun was bright, but the temperature hadn’t yet climbed to its usual sweltering level. I leaned back my head and closed my eyes, enjoying the sun on my face. I’d noticed lately when I looked in the mirror that my complexion was no longer as pale as it once was. I no longer looked like the ghost Ma used to call me. I smiled. This was one benefit of Texas I hadn’t expected.

Lily chattered away, hardly taking a breath. She made dozens of guesses about where we were going, as if it was a game. Mayflower said “No” as every new question came up. Eventually, Lily realized she was not going to find out, so she turned her attention to the passing scenery.

We left Dallas behind us and rode out into the countryside. Manuel, Mayflower’s driver, kept the car at a slow and steady pace. I sensed we were going south. Growing up in Donegal, I’d become quite good at guessing directions by the position of the sun. It was another skill of mine that convinced Ma I was a witch.

The landscape was different from what I had seen that first day I came to Dallas. Now, green grasses covered the land, there were more trees than I remembered and fields were filled with crops almost ready for harvesting. A field in the distance caught my eye. Small, white, fluffy clouds hovered in the air just above the ground.

“Please stop the car, Manuel,” I said.

I got out and walked to the edge of the road, shading my eyes with my hand. I’d never seen the likes of it. Was it a mirage, I wondered, like the visions I’d read about that appeared in the desert?