While feeding Keith, Roscoe asked, âDid you keep the house safe today? I wasnât here, so you had to look out for Nicole.
â
Hearing him speak to the dog, Nicole laughed and said, âItâs only a few months old, and you give it lectures every day like this.
â
Roscoe stood up, brushed off his hands, and explained, âWhen I was young, an elder told me all-black dogs without white hair are extremely perceptive.
Tell them something a few times, and theyâll remember it.
â
Nicole was astonished that Roscoe, being so young and educated, still held onto these beliefs.
What Nicole didnât realize was that Roscoe only embraced these superstitions after her illness began.
In desperate times, people often turned to higher powers, hoping for divine compassion.
Nicoleâs situation was critical, and every day Roscoe prayed that the heavens would show her a little more kindness, not asking for much, just some improvement.
For him, her health and Austinâs well-being were all that mattered.
Nicole then asked, âHow is Mr.
Nixonâs grandmother?â
âShe caught a cold because of the weather.
Iâve given her some herbal remedies.
She should recover soon,â he replied.
âThatâs good to hear,â Nicole responded.
They had been living in this remote mountain village for nearly half a year.
On the night of their escape, they decided on their car not to flee the country.
They knew that crossing the border, no matter how carefully disguised, would inevitably leave traces.
Often, the places that seemed the most dangerous were actually the safest.
They decided to remain within the country, changing cars at a junkyard during their journey, and continued driving west for a full week, day and night.
On their journey, they swapped vehicles at junkyards in every town they crossed.
By the time they arrived at their current Location, they were driving the fifth car of their journey.
When their car eventually broke down, an elderly man at the entrance to the village offered them a place to rest.
The old man attempted to repair their car with tools he fetched, but since he had only ever worked on bicycles, he was unable to fix it.
Roscoe concluded it wasnât worth repairing, thinking it was almost ready for the junkyard and might not even be fixable at a regular garage.
He handed the old man several hundred-dollar bills as a token of gratitude for his kindness.
But the old man declined and instead invited them to stay the night.
That evening, the old man built a bonfire.
The village was tiny, and mostly inhabited by elderly people.
His family and one other couple were the remaining couples.
He explained that the village would disappear from the map because it lacked younger residents.
Once everyone from their generation was gone, the village would be entirely empty.
That evening, all the villagers emerged, thrilled to see younger visitors after such a long time.
They greeted Nicole and Roscoe warmly, not asking why they had come but eager to hear tales from beyond their village.
Nicole felt an unexpected warmth that night, with the elders affectionately calling her âSweetie,â which reminded her of her late parents.
Assuming Nicole and Roscoe were a couple, the villagers offered them a room to themselves.
Nicole took the bed, while Roscoe settled on a mat on the floor.
As they listened to the cicadas and crickets, Nicole suddenly proposed, âRoscoe, letâs stay here.
â