Chương 48: This is it.

ATTENTION JAPANESE PEOPLE. EVACUATE YOUR CITIES. Because your military leaders have rejected the thirteen part surrender declaration, two momentous events have occurred in the last few days. The Soviet Union, because of this rejection on the part of the military, has notified your Ambassador Sato that it has declared war on your nation. Thus, all powerful countries of the world are now at war with you.

Also, because of your leaders' refusal to accept the surrender declaration that would enable Japan to honorably end this useless war, we have employed our atomic bomb. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2000 of our giant B-29s could have carried on a single mission. Radio Tokyo has told you that with the first use of this weapon of total destruction, Hiroshima was virtually destroyed.

Before we use this bomb again and again to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, petition the emperor now to end the war. Our president has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender. We urge that you accept these consequences and begin the work of building a new, better, and peace-loving Japan. Act at once or we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war. EVACUATE YOUR CITIES.

"Robin! Wake up!" A blade of light fell on Robin's eyes. He squinted, half-caught in a blue-eyed dream he didn't want to leave.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Robin blinked. The stars were still out.

"Hurry and get dressed. We' re going on a trip."

"A trip?" Before he knew it they were in the Falcon, headed onto the CanAm Highway. Dawn broke over Sandia Peak as they drove north. Robin watched the sand blaze from purple, to pink, to gold as the sun climbed over the eastern hills. They turned at Bernalillo and stopped at Anita's Diner for gas and breakfast. It was the first time Robin had been in a restaurant in a long time. The place was full of truckers, the waitress didn't bat an eye at his hat. They got huevos with red chile and a buttery tower of pancakes.

Robin was wary; the nausea was always worse in the morning.

"Eat, you'll need your strength," Una urged. Robin noticed she was drinking coffee instead of her usual tea. Robin did his best to pack away a few pancakes. He asked again where they were going, but Una wouldn't tell him. She made him wait in the car while she went into the gas station with her little cooler. He could hear ice rattle as she came back and put it in the trunk. He was dying to know what was inside and Una clearly enjoyed making him wait.

The land rose as they traveled northwest on 550 towards San Ysidro. They drove through the Indian country of Jemez Pueblo and the rocks turned orange-red as the houses petered out. Una pulled the car over at the Soda Dam and let the engine ping down so they could get out and stretch their legs by the stream. The air was crisp and cool. Dark-eyed Juncos sang in the brush around volcanic rocks that looked like gobs of whipped frosting.

"This is it," Una explained, as they climbed back into the Falcon.

"All we have to do today is drive around and relax. I've got some lunch in the cooler. When it gets too hot we can go back," Una said.

"Look!" Robin pointed as a roadrunner darted across State Road 4. He half-expected to see a coyote chasing after. Aspen and Ponderosa pines rose around them as the Falcon climbed the Jemez Mountains. They stopped at the San Diego Canyon and saw Cerro Grande in the distance. Robin's mind ran wild with daydreams of posses hunting outlaws in slot canyons, and Puebloan warriors driving out the Spaniards. They were just a few hours from home but everything was so different.

The road turned east and brought them to Bandelier National Monument.

"Do you feel up to hiking?" Una asked. Robin wasn't sure, but he said he did. They picked the Pueblo Loop. It was the shortest, easiest trail and much of it was paved. It was still hard going for both of them. One year ago, Robin had run a mile in just seven and a half minutes during the Presidential Fitness Test. Now, he struggled to keep up with his grandmother. Halfway through, Una slowed and pressed her hand against her hip. He told her they could stop but she waved him off.

They kept going and came to a place where there were hand-dug cavates where Robin could climb a log ladder and see where the Pueblo people had lived so long ago. They passed by the foundations of ancient ruins that would make awesome terrain for a battlefield. A lone cyclist passed and waved buenos días, but after that, they were alone. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Robin was happy he'd come.

Without his bicycle and his friends the circle of his life had collapsed into a tiny dot. There was the kitchen table and his bed, the game store, and the clinic. He'd almost forgotten there was a whole world out there, just waiting for him to get better and come find it. At one point, the birdsong died out and the wind was still. Una and Robin's eyes met, neither spoke. They only drank in the silence. Robin's neck prickled. Something was watching him. He turned north and a pair of yellow eyes flashed at him.

A lone coyote stood on a strand of rock beside a juniper tree. They stared at each other and a shiver ran through Robin's shoulders. Crack! A rock smacked against the outcrop and startled the coyote. Robin saw a flash of its black-tipped tail and it was gone. Una had thrown the stone.

"Why'd you do that?" Robin asked.

"They're bad luck," Una said. Her voice was strained, maybe the coffee put her on edge.

"Don't let a ranger catch you." Robin shrugged. So superstitious! He wished he could have looked at the coyote a little longer. The sun climbed as they plodded through the loop, and by the time they made it back to the Falcon they were hot and famished. The ice had melted, but the drinks were still cold. Una got them each a Coca-Cola and a pimento cheese sandwich. There was a bag of Zip potato chips to share. The package proclaimed: "ZIP IS A PIP OF A CHIP!" They sat at a picnic table and ate.

It was a simple meal, but Robin had never tasted anything so good. He drank his Coke in slow sips, never wanting it to end.

"Thank you, Una!" Robin beamed.

"Don't tell the doctor we did this. You're meant to be resting."

"I feel better getting some exercise, actually."

"It's beautiful up here. Good for the soul. I wish I could take you to Zacatecas. It's a silver mining town, up in the hills, like this. The buildings are made of pink limestone. The sunset would take your breath. They're building a teleférico, too, like the one we have at Sandia Peak. When it's done, you can ride up to Cerro de La Bufa and see the whole city. I've been wanting to go back for years and years."

"Maybe when I'm better, we can go."

"Maybe." Una said. It was strange the way she hesitated. Robin wondered if Una didn't think he'd make it.

"It's expensive," she explained, seeing the look on his face. Robin nodded, everything was. They drifted for a bit and he daydreamed, watching wisps of cloud sweep across the deep blue sky. He made up his mind. When he was better, he would get a paper route or a part-time job. He would save his money, and surprise Una with a trip to her hometown, to thank her for taking care of him.

"What are you so happy about, huh?" Una wondered.

"It's just a good day. This was a great idea," Robin said. He was thrilled to have a secret. The Falcon turned over on the first try, almost as if it was eager to keep exploring.

"Do you want to see Los Alamos? We're close." Robin did. The city was open now, though there were still places under armed guard. Una was in a rare mood, far more talkative than normal. She talked about the war and all the Martillos and Sánchezes who had served and died. Una had lost two cousins in Pearl Harbor. Her younger brothers Ramón and Cirilo died at Peleliu, where the Marines bled so much for so little gain. They drove past the Bradbury Museum. Una turned around and pulled into the parking lot.

"There's a worse one, if you want to hear it." She cut the Falcon's engine. Robin said he did.

"I had a half-brother, John. Your mother didn't know. My father begged me to keep it a secret. It doesn't matter now. John was a Torpedoman on the USS Robalo. The submarine disappeared in the Philippines on its third patrol. We were told it hit a mine and went down with all hands. After the war, I learned four men survived and John was one. The captain was another. They swam ashore to Palawan and were captured by the Japanese Military Police.

They were accused of being guerrillas and kept separate from the other prisoners of war. After we bombed the island, the Japanese got angry. They took the four survivors and pushed them into a ditch. Then they poured gasoline on them and set them on fire." Robin didn't know what to say. Una had an inscrutable look on her face.

"Let's go inside. Crack the window," she reminded him. It turned out the Bradbury Museum wasn't named after the writer, but a scientist. There was a lot of info about the Manhattan Project and an exhibit where a nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated with tennis balls. Another exhibit showed the WACs who had served at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge.

"That's us," Una said, still proud. They continued on and saw scale models of the Fat Man and Little Boy atomic bombs. They were smaller than Robin thought they would be. There was a display case nearby with one of the leaflets dropped after Hiroshima. Robin read it, it was haunting. Thus, all powerful countries of the world are now at war with you. He thought about it as they left the museum and walked back to the car. Una was too quiet.

"What was it like when you heard about the bomb?" Robin asked. Una thought about it for a while before she answered.

"I was very happy." Robin stared at her.

"You have to understand, as bad as Peleliu was, Okinawa was hell on earth. We lost twelve thousand men. Thousands went mad after the battle. They couldn't take it. We killed a hundred thousand Japanese soldiers and god knows how many civilians. They were crazy, they wouldn't surrender. The whole invasion of the mainland would have gone the same way. The plan was called Operation Downfall. They were going to send two million men and they thought they might lose a quarter of those, maybe even half.

Hector and I would have flown more missions. If not for that bomb, there is a good chance you would not exist." They were quiet for a time after that. Una looked like she'd said more than she meant to.

"I can't even imagine." Robin shook his head.

"Good. That's why we went. So our children wouldn't be able to imagine what we went through." There was something hard in her face, an anger that would never change. As she turned the key, Una glanced at the Jesus figurine, then back at the Museum.

"They shouldn't have attacked us," she said.