"Oh, no, don't worry. You're safe here for now." she reassured me with a kind smile. "I'm a customer at the library and I know you're a good woman, Mina. I figured a woman like you must have a reason why she doesn't want to be found."
I stared at the woman, who appeared to be in her sixties. My eyes went to the window where I saw the policemen entering my house.
"I don't want to go back," I said fearfully. "I can't go back."
The woman walked to a chair and sat down, studying me closely as if trying to figure something out. She frowned slightly. "How old are you, Mina?"
"Twenty-four," I lied, giving her the age on my fake I.D.
She rolled her eyes in obvious disbelief. "Please, just tell me the truth," she said kindly.
I hesitated before finally confessing the truth. "I'm twenty."
"How long have you been married?"
"Almost three years," I confessed.
"Jesus Christ," she said, horrified. "What kind of parents would marry off their daughter at such a young age? We're in the twenty-first century, for crying out loud!"
I shifted uneasily and shrugged. "My parents, they aren't the most ideal," I said, not wanting to delve into the specifics of my childhood. I could only imagine how angry my mother now that I had run away from my husband again.
"I had to leave, or he would have killed me," I blurted out to the woman.
"I understand," she said sympathetically. "I always suspected that there was something not right about that man. My husband was a monster, too. He used to beat me a lot when he was alive. May his soul rot in hell."
I nodded, understanding her anger. I too had wished for Dale's death many times. "I'm so sorry."
"It's alright, dear. His death was the best thing that ever happened to me."
I turned back to the window and saw that the police had already left and were now driving away. "They're leaving, ma'am," I informed her.
She walked over to the window to see for herself. "It's time to go, then. You need to be gone before they come back, as they will surely return." she said with conviction.
"Thank you for helping me," I said gratefully. "You're so kind."
She dismissed my gratitude with a wave of her hand. "I just hope your husband never finds you again. Do you have a destination in mind?"
I shifted nervously and avoided her gaze. I had no answer.
"Oh, dear," she whispered.
"I'll survive," I whispered back, even though I wasn't sure how.
She shook her head. "That's not good enough." She turned and went into another room, returning with a piece of paper with hand-written words on it. "Here, this is a small house in Double Oak in Dallas, Texas. You'll be safe there," she said.
I stared at her in disbelief, taking the piece of paper from her. "Thank you so much," I said through tears of gratitude. "This is a huge help."
"It's just a small house that belongs to my daughter, but she's been happily married for five years but for some reasons, she isn't ready to sell it yet. She wouldn't mind if you stay temporarily, at least, until you get back at your feet."
Tears filled my eyes. Her kindness left me speechless. "I don't know what to say..."
"You don't have to say anything, child. I'm just worried about how you'll get there from here, as it's quite far away and the police will be searching for you everywhere."
She was right. I had no idea how I would make it to Texas, but I would try. I had a destination now, and that was all I could ask for. "I'll try. Thank you so much for what you did for me. I'll never forget this."
"May the lord be with you, Jasamina."
I thanked her again. For me and my baby, I'll try. No matter what it takes, I'll do my best to reach our destination.
I gazed at the piece of paper in my hand and quickly memorized the address written there, just in case I lost the paper along the way
"I have to go now," I whispered.
She nodded, but walked to the table, took out a few dollars, and gave them to me.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly accept this," I started to decline.
"Take it," she urged. "It's for the baby. I give it to you from the bottom of my heart. I pray that your husband never finds you again."
I was outrightly crying now. "Thank you so much, ma'am."
It's been two days since we've been on the run again. My feet are sore from walking. We were dropped off by the bus an hour ago and I've been walking ever since.