Luke gave Sara a thumbs-up sign with his left hand, adding “if you go out the front door and take a right, you’ll see a pump by the side of the house.” As he described the directions, he moved his thumb and hand to point the two to where they needed to be. “Take as much as you want.”

Caleb thanked the man, then he and Sara left the house. Rainbow, on the other hand, decided to stay with Luke so he could make sure he and Alan weren’t planning anything bad. Once the door shut behind them, Luke walked over to the kitchen where Alan was stirring a pot of vegetable soup.

“Caleb and the old lady he was with showed up. They’re getting water for their horse.”

The farmer smiled. “Thank you, son. But you really shouldn’t be drinking before we serve our guests.”

Slightly annoyed, Luke countered that “first, I started before they got here. Second, how likely was it that a kid who came from your hometown across the ocean would happen to show up in our town [i]and[/i] that the kid would show up to the house invited by a guy who never met him, but somehow knew his father?”

Alan smirked, then gave his retort. “I keep telling you son, only take bets you know you’ll win.” Saying this, he held out his hand, where Luke placed a silver piece while rolling his eyes. “And I knew Caleb would show up.”

“But how?”

More seriously now, the scarred man put the metal in his pocket and responded. “We’re both orphans. Caleb and I, we never knew our parents. I know what it’s like to wonder about them; it’s something I’ve thought about constantly. I’m sure Caleb’s the same way. Red Twig was great, but orphans like us, we always wanted to have parents who loved us. When I was a kid, I would’ve done anything to learn about my parents...” Alan’s voice trailed off at the end as he seemed to lose focus, but then he snapped back to the present and finished talking. “Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it does. Everyone wants to be loved. I guess it’s kinda like how I felt before my parents went to jail. I don’t feel that way now, though.”

“I know, son.” Alan said with a smile. Luke returned the sentiment, the two hugged, and then they heard the door open. “Looks like they’re back. Could you set the table while I get the food ready?”