Safe Travel
They had traveled by bus to the border where her father in law had bribed an official into letting them pass. From then, they’d taken the train north to the small port town that had been recommended to them by someone with ties to their hometown. With luck, they’d find a boat to take them to Greece or Italy, maybe even France. From there, they’d make their way to the American Consulate, hope for the best.
She was pregnant and gave birth a month too early to a girl, in the hotel room she shared with her in-laws — six people to a small bedroom opening up onto an alleyway crowded with the tents of families less lucky than they were.
A week later, they boarded a fishing boat so crowded there was nowhere to sit. She held the baby against her breasts and used her elbows to prevent others from crushing the child.
She had fastened one of those blue glass amulets in the shape of an eye to the baby’s left wrist. For safe travel.
“Safe Travel”, is the 51st installment of Project 105: 105 flash fiction stories in 105 weeks, each illustrated with textile art. To learn more about Project 105 and sign up for Project 105 weekly alert, visit www.pmneist.com/project-105
