All We Had to Keep Us Safe

Someone shook my shoulder gently, and I opened my eyes. It was Bob. His car was parked in the parking lot at McDonald’s. “I can’t drive anymore,” he explained sleepily.

I blinked heavily a few times before nodded. We got out of the car and switched places.

“I got you coffee,” he said.

“Thanks,” I replied gratefully, turning the keys in the car.

“No problem,” Bob mumbled, resting his head against the window.

The sun was up. I looked at the clock and saw that it was seven a.m. I looked at Bob. “I know you’ve been up all night, but can you tell me where we’re going?”

“West,” he replied vaguely. “Maybe Colorado or California… or anywhere. Make unexpected turns in case we’re being followed. We’ll have to ditch the car eventually. It’s got an Illinois license plate.”

I sighed. “Alright.”

After a few minutes of driving “west,” I figured he was asleep. But then he said comfortingly, “I know we have a lot to talk about. Don’t worry, and try not to let it all eat you alive while I’m sleeping. We’ll stop somewhere for the night, and we’ll talk when Chloe’s asleep.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “You should get some sleep now.” He didn’t argue.

So I just drove all day. I didn’t really pay attention to where I was going. I tried not to think while I drove, but it was impossible.

First of all, my husband was after us. I didn’t know how he’s found us or what he planned to do. Maybe he was just going to kill Bob. Maybe he wanted to kill all of us. It didn’t really matter. We just had to get away from him.

Second of all, my arm hurt whenever I moved it. The cut wasn’t very deep, but it was near my elbow, where the skin regularly stretched. I didn’t know if Bob or Chloe were hurt at all either.

Third of all, we had nothing. All I had was clothes, my daughter, and my best friend who had money and a car. Without Bob, Chloe and I would be living on the streets. Not only that, but we’d still have my murderous husband after us. We would be helpless and exposed. So, truthfully, Bob was all we had to keep us safe.

Fourthly, I still didn’t know if I was pregnant. Okay, I was pretty sure that I was, but the proof was still in the bathroom at Bob’s apartment in Chicago. I wondered if Mark had found it and knew before I did. That thought was a little unnerving.

When Chloe woke up, she said questioningly, “Mommy?”

“I’m right here,” I answered softly. “I’m driving because Bob is sleeping. Try to keep your voice down.”

She was quiet for a few seconds, and I felt relieved. I figured she was in shock, and she wasn’t going to talk. I would’ve preferred that. Then the questions started.

“Where are we going?” she asked first.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly.

“When will we get there?” she continued.

“I don’t know,” I repeated, feeling hopeless.

“I have to go to pee,” she stated.

I bit my lip. “Okay. We’ll stop soon. We’ll get you something to do, too, so you don’t get bored.” I expected the questions to stop then. I was wrong.

“Why did we leave Bob’s house?”

I considered lying, but I couldn’t do it. Despite the fact that she was only three, this was what she was going through. She was a strong little girl. She had to be. “Daddy was trying to get in to hurt us,” I told her.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” It seemed to be my standard answer. I decided to add, “I think he’s angry because we home and because we’re with Bob.”

“Why did we leave home?”

Her questions were endless, but I knew I had to answer them as best as I could. She deserved that much. “We left so he couldn’t hurt us,” I answered.

“But he’s still trying to hurt us,” she retorted, confused. I couldn’t blame her. Before I could think of what to say to that, she shot another question my way. “Why are we with Bob?”

I scowled. “Because Bob is nicer than Daddy. And Bob wants to protect us. And he is our friend. He’s helping us.”

“Is Bob gonna be like my Daddy?” she inquired innocently.

I took a deep breath, trying not to get irritated. “I don’t think so, Sweetie. I think he’s going to be more like your big brother.”

“Okay.” She was finally done. I got off the next exit and we stopped at a rest stop. I was going to wake Bob up, but I decided to let him sleep.

I took Chloe to the bathroom. Using money Bob had given me, I bought us bagels at the coffee shop, getting one for him too. Then I bought Chloe a few coloring books to keep her occupied.

I drove on. At around noon I pulled into a Subway to get lunch. When Bob felt the car stop, he woke up. “Good afternoon,” I said dryly. “We were just about to get lunch. I ate your breakfast.”

He frowned, asking, “Are you mad at me?”

I sighed. “No, I’m just tired, I guess,” I admitted. “Sorry to take it out on you.”

“S’okay,” he replied. “Let’s just find a Walmart after we eat, get what we need, and find a hotel to stay at for the night.”

I agreed. So after we ate, we drove around a little more. When we finally found a Walmart, we bought a few suitcases, a couple changes of clothes, and necessities like toothbrushes and such. After loading it all in the car, we found a hotel. It was only about four, so we unpacked and went out to eat dinner.

We all ate very quietly. There was not any conversation. Then, out of nowhere, Chloe blurted out, “Thanks, Bob.”

He looked at her and asked in surprise, “For what?”

“For being nice to us,” she replied bluntly.

He smiled. “No problem, Chloe.”

Conversation died down again, but Bob did smile at me triumphantly, liking how Chloe treated him. We finally finished eating and went back to the hotel.