Authors: Mia Perry
We sit at the window. For a few minutes, we do not
talk at all. We eat and drink. Occasionally, Jack smiles at
me. I smile back.
Now, we are full. “So,” says Jack, “What’s your
plan?”
Me? A plan? I wish I had one.
Seriously. I’ve gone through so many things in such a short time. I
just came back from death. I haven’t had the time to think about any plan
yet.
I shake my head.
“Where are you going?” Jack asks.
“Miami,” I say. Then I feel sorry right away.
This Jack is odd. He looks nice but he has big tattoos all over his
body. He has a big chunk of cash plus an Amex Centurion card. He is
a real puzzle.
Oh, I almost forget, his name may not be Jack
either. Is his name Vladimir Something? Is that a Russian
name?
So who is this Jack guy? He is filthy rich, for
sure. But where does he get all the money from? He doesn’t look or
talk like a good business man—like my father. So…, is he a big guy in a
gang? Does he smuggle drugs or something to make the kind of money he has?
My hair stands on end. Goosebumps explode on my
body. Then I feel so silly.
Come on, Emilie. This guy
saved your life. Does it matter if he is a bad guy? What do you
have to lose?
If he wants to kill, he must kill for a reason. I
definitely can’t give him a good reason to kill me.
He nods. “Miami, that’s a long drive.” He stands up
and paces back and forth. After a while, he sits down. “Okay, I can
give you a ride to New York.”
“Why should I trust you?” Oops. I feel so
sorry I actually said that.
To my surprise, Jack is not a tiny bit angry or
upset. “You’re right, kid,” he grins. He sounds so sincere.
He looks at me with his dark blue eyes. I feel like
there is a mysterious world behind these eyes, a world going far beyond my
reach and imagination. I look into the eyes, trying to explore the world
and discover the secret. But I see only truthfulness, nothing else.
“Jack,” I try to find the best way to express my concern.
“You saved my life and treated me well. I really appreciate it.”
Jack smiles happily and shakes his head.
“Meanwhile,” I lower my eyes. I dare not to continue
eye contact with him. “I’m not sure I really know who you are.” I
whisper.
“I’m a murder suspect on the run,” he says right
away. “Is that what you want to know?”
I’m shocked.
What? Is he kidding me or is that
real?
“Jack,” I try really hard to smile, “This is no time for jokes.”
“Whatever.” He looks frustrated. He stands up
and paces again. After a long while, he sits down. “Look, kid,” he
says, “I may be bad but I’m a million times better than you.”
What?
I’m totally shocked. I can’t
believe my ears. “Why do you think so?” My eyes are spitting fire.
“Because I’m telling you the truth and you are not,” says
Jack.
“No, I’m not lying,” I try really hard not to raise my
voice. I pause for a while and then murmur, “I just don’t feel safe.”
“Oh, yeah?” he smirks. “Am I going to kidnap you and
sell you for cash? How much do you think you are worth?”
This is definitely humiliating but he is telling the
truth. With the cash he has and the black card he is holding, it won’t be
worth his time at all.
“Am I going to kill you?” he asks. “I might have
left you in your piece of shit ‘car’ and watch you die slowly. That’s
more fun.” He exaggerates the word “car”. That really makes me feel
sick.
I become really angry this time. This guy is
definitely rude. “Okay, Jack. You win.” I succeed in holding back
my tears. “Why don’t you shut up and leave me alone. I’m calling my
mom.” I pull out my iPhone.
“Oh, yeah?” Jack widens his eyes. “Are you going to
talk to that piece of shit again? Don’t fool yourself, kid.” He
pulls out his iPhone and hands it to me, “Here, call your mom and make sure she
comes.”
How could he talk to me like this? This Jack is
total nuts! I throw his iPhone on the table and storm out, “I hate
you!”
It’s freezing outside. The wind is ripping off my
coat. It’s dark, too.
What am I going to do now?
A strong arm wraps around my body. I don’t have to
turn around. I know it’s him.
“I’m sorry Emilie,” he says. “I apologize, okay?”
I turn around and look up, right into his eyes. “I
hate you.”
“Hit me,” Jack says. He pulls my hand to hit his
head. I struggle to pull my hand back.
“Let’s get in,” he says. We walk back in, holding
hands.
“Want one more coffee?” He asks.
“I’m okay,” I smile.
“Look, kid,” Jack says. “I’m going to New
York. So I’m not doing you any favor. It may take three or four
hours to get there. You can then take the Greyhound to Miami.”
“Really?” I didn’t think that way.
He searches on the Greyhound web site with his iPhone and
shows me the list. “Look, they have quite a few trips throughout the
day. You don’t have to rush.”
I take a look. Wow, a one way trip is only one
hundred and nineteen dollars.
“Shall we go now?” Jack asks.
Shall we?
Do I have a second option? I
don’t. Jack could be a bad guy. He could be smuggling drugs, or
doing something totally against the law to make piles of cash. He could
be a dangerous murderer running away from the police. But, hey, he is
offering his help. He is a good guy to me—at least at this moment.
When you are drowning, you grab
anything
, right? That’s how much I
care, seriously. “Give me a sec,” I say.
He raises his eyebrows slightly but doesn’t say
anything. He looks at me, waiting.
“My makeup,” I try to smile.
He smiles like he won lotto. “Take your time, kid,”
he says.
I go into the restroom. The mirror is small.
The light is dim. But I can see my face is a total mess. I feel
sorry that I did not think about this before lining up to get my food.
I wash my face carefully to remove all the leftover
mascara and lipstick.
My eyeliner is a disaster. I use a cotton swab to
remove it bit by bit. But I can’t do anything with the black circles
around my eyes. I have to find a reason why the panda looks good.
I remove the dry skin from my lips. I apply the
foundation and give a natural pink look to my cheeks and lips.
Then, I focus on my eyes. If you can see me at the
moment, you will have to agree that crying is not an option for girls. I
apply the concealer to hide the dark circles. I use a brush to blend the
makeup but I end up using my fingers. And I swear I will never, ever cry
like tonight again.
I know I have spent a long time in the restroom. I
don’t want to keep Jack waiting for too long. I know guys don’t have too
much patience waiting like this, especially when waiting for a stranger
girl. But I do need more time. I try to apply my eye shadow and
eyeliner as fast as I can. I don’t have enough time to curl my lashes
perfectly. They stick out straight, giving me a half-asleep
look.
I put everything back to my cosmetic bag and rush
out. “Sorry, Jack,” I apologize.
Jack had almost dozed away. His mouth is
half-open. He opens his eyes and blinks them a few times to really wake
up. Then, his eyes grow large and round. “Holy sh—” his word fades out
just in time.
“What?”
“You’re freakin’ pretty!”
I’m not sure if he is serious or just joking. With
the panda eyes, I have zero confidence with that
pretty
comment—unless
his definition of pretty means something else. But, as a girl, I really
like what he said. “Thanks,” I smile.
We are back on the highway. It stops snowing.
But the road is still covered with fluffy snow everywhere. Jack brings
the car to the left lane.
“Jack, should we take the middle lane?” I know it’s
not my business but I really don’t want anything to happen.
“Don’t worry,” he turns to me and smiles. “I like
the left lane.”
I know what he means. That’s the
fast
lane. However, he is doing only thirty five to forty mph anyway.
What’s the point of taking the fast lane? Plus, there is not a soul on
the highway except for us.
Oh, well, it’s his car and he is driving. I figure I
shouldn’t say anything.
I feel my eyelids are heavy. Soon, I close my eyes
and fall asleep.
Suddenly, I wake up. I open my eyes and see Jack’s
big hand on my lap. It pushes down really hard and moves violently.
Oh my gosh! I really feel sorry for trusting this
guy only because he acted nicely to me. What is he going to do to
me? Should I yell and struggle? If I do, is he going to hurt me?
Murder suspect!
Now I know he was not joking
when he told me that. Did he assault girls and then kill them? Is
he going to do the same to me tonight? I looked outside. I see only
bushes and trees.
Gosh! My parents will never find me. I watched
a horrible documentary a while ago. The murderer dumped a girl’s body
right beside the highway. After six months, he was caught. But the
police had a hard time finding the remains of the body because almost everything
was gone. Wild animals had taken away almost all the body parts.
My mother and father don’t care much about me. But
still, they may cry when they realize I will never come back. At least my
mother may because she cried when Finn, our Rottweiler, died.
Many other thoughts pop up in my mind, too. I never
realized I could think so fast.
“Emilie,” Jack says, pulling his hand back to the
wheel. “Be my girlfriend, okay?”
What?
This man is nuts! I look at him,
not knowing what to say.
He thumbs back. I looked into the rear mirror.
Oops! A cop car is flashing right behind us.
Jack brings the car to the shoulder and then stop.
“Jack, what happened?” I whispered. “Were you
speeding?”
“Heck, no,” Jack shake his head. “I’m only doing
forty.”
I know he is telling the truth. The road is so
slippery now.
The cop car stops behind us. But no one comes out.
“What’s going on?” I ask. I watched those cop 911
documentary shows. I know that sometimes they cover each other with a
rifle.
Am I at the gun point?
I don’t want to think any
further.
Finally, the door opens. A cop gets out and walks
over. He is easily six feet tall, or maybe taller.
Jack rolls down the window, “Hi, officer.” He gives
the cop a big smile.
“Driver’s license, please,” the cop orders.
Jack pulls his driver’s license from the wallet and hands
it to the cop.
The cop takes a quick look at the driver’s license and
then asks, “She is?”
“My girlfriend,” Jack says immediately, putting his hand
back on my lap.
The cop looks at me. I smile and nod.
The cop raises his eyebrow.
Is he skeptical?
I hold Jack’s arm and
shoulder immediately. “My boyfriend.”
The cop gives back the driver’s license. “The left
lane is only for passing and fast traffic, understand?”
“Yes, sir!” Jack gives the officer another big
smile, showing all his teeth, like a dog scaring an intruder away.
“Forty miles an hour is definitely not fast traffic.”
“No, it’s not,” Jack shakes his head and widens his eyes.
“Next time, I will have to give you a ticket,” the officer
looks so serious. Then he smiles, “Have a nice trip.”
Phew…
We look at each other, shaking our
heads. Jack waits until the cop drives away.
He moves the vehicle to the middle lane. “You know
what?” he says. “I’d rather get a speeding ticket. It’s absolutely insane
to get a ticket for driving too slow.”
“Jack, I thought you were going to assault me.” I
murmured.
“Me? Assaulting you on the highway?” Jack’s
eyeballs pop like ping pong balls. “Kid, you have the most fantastic
imagination.”
For the first time, I really feel safe and comfortable to
stay with this stranger. I don’t know if he is Jack or Mr. Vladimir
Something or whatever weirdo. Maybe he has his own dark world. But
I know he is not going to hurt me.
He is definitely not the Hollywood kind of boys, who girls
fall in love at the first glance. However, the longer you stay with
him, the more you will like him. Oh, well, I agree, being together for
about three hours is not long by any definition. But I have to admit I'm
beginning to like him already.
I don’t want him to know what’s in my mind. I steal
a look every time I have a chance—when I believe he is not paying attention to
me. He seems pretty relaxed, mumbling some songs and wiggling his
body. But I can’t hear a thing.
He is strong. Every time he turns or moves, the
muscles on his neck, shoulders, arms, and body grow so big, they may break his
T-shirt at any moment.
How would it feel getting held by those
muscles? Oops… Emilie.
Did he ask me to be his girlfriend? He did but that
was not for real. What if that
was
real? What if he likes
me, too? I steal a quick look from the corner of my eyes. He is
still mumbling his songs.
Hello…?
I know this is crazy. I was cheated by my
boyfriend. But it’s not even one day yet. Thinking about a new
relationship this fast is insane, indeed. But I can’t help it.
This weird thought reminds me of one thing: my cellphone.