He nodded and opened the door for me to get in. Once I was fully inside, he spoke up.
“Ma’am, where to?” he asked.
“The bus station. I need to go somewhere no one will recognize me.”
He nodded, then pulled out of my driveway. We drove for thirty minutes before we pulled up to a greyhound bus station. I waited a moment since I couldn’t open the door from back here.He parked, then walked to the back to open my door. Before I could walk away, he handed me a note with no words.
“Thank you.”
He turned and walked back towards his cruiser. I opened the note and the nameRose Haven, SCwritten on it. I walked over to the ticket counter and purchased tickets to get to any place close to South Carolina. Then I would buy a used car and drive the rest of the way.
I grabbed my cellphone from my bag and texted my manager as an extra precaution, in case he never made it to my house to find the letter.
Me: Henderson, First I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. This life was nothing I could have dreamed up. I’m glad we haven’t signed on to do anything new. I have to leave this all behind. I don’t love this thing enough to give my life for it. I will never be truly safe if I stay here. I hope you find another client who can truly take the opportunities you can provide and soar. Good luck, and don’t look for me. Let me live my life in peace. I’m okay. Have a good life.
Before he could reply, I reset the phone back to its factory settings. Then tossed it into the trash.
Here I come, Rose Haven.
WELCOME TO ROSE HAVEN
I feltlike I’d been on wheels for weeks. Going from a one coast to the other, I should’ve expected it. I’d be glad if I never seen another damn bus or car again. I kept reminding myself that my new life was waiting for me on the other end of this ride.
I took a bus to Straton Bay, NC. According to my map, Rose Haven was only an hour away. As soon as I got to Straton Bay, I found a used car lot. The car lot was a buy here pay here, so I could pay cash for my 2011 Hyundai Accent. It was a two door with over 80,000 miles on it, and a few stains adorning the carpets in the back. I’d talked the car dealer down from 8,000 to 5,000 since I had cash to pay for it outright.
I didn’t want to use too much of my money. I still needed to find a place to live and get a job. I needed to blend in if I wanted to live out the rest of my life happily. Safe. I’ve never treasureda single word or feeling more than I did now. I turned on the radio as I drove to Rose Haven, following the instructions the car dealer gave me.
You never realize how important your map app is until you’re on the highway, scanning every sign just to make sure you’re going the right way. This was almost as bad as when I was a kid and directions had to be printed to get anywhere. I don’t miss those days, but I needed to try to live a life without social media.
I would now go by Solana. No longer would the name Amore slip past my lips.
I’d managed to keep my real name from the public. Most only knew me as Amore—except for Henderson and Desirae. We’d gotten close.
I said a silent prayer, hoping God would protect me and give me the second chance I needed.
I bobbed my head as I sang along to a song by Tru and Harlin, called Strummed. I loved this song and I think it made it even better because they were now married. Shoot from how I heard it, he sang this song to her on a stage in a stadium full of people. I smiled at the thought, as much as I would love an out loud love. I couldn’t afford to have that anymore, or maybe I could, just not too loud.
I allowed the thought to drift away as a sign with hand painted roses and the saying, Welcome to Rose Haven came into view. I couldn’t believe I’d finally made it. I continued driving until I made it to what was very reminiscent of those small towns you saw in Hallmark movies. They had a town center that looked to be packed at the moment. A few food trucks were parked along the sides of the road. I could see kids playing, and adults standing around just enjoying themselves.
I continued past the festivities until I came upon a large lavender colored home. It kind of reminded me of the house on Charmed, but a little more warm and welcoming. I sloweddown to read the sign, The Blooming: Bed & Breakfast. This was exactly the place I needed to be. I said another silent prayer, hoping they would allow me to pay in cash. I didn’t want to use my card at least for now; it was too soon.
I pulled into the long, wraparound driveway and parked in front of the house. Leaving everything else behind, I grabbed the bag that held my cash.
This town seemed nice enough, but I wasn’t crazy enough to let that kind of money out of my sight. Not when I’d just gotten here. I couldn’t trust my gut that much yet.
I walked up the steps slowly, allowing the breeze from the night air to blow against my neck. I closed my eyes briefly and smiled; it had been years since I felt the wind against my neck. I was loving this haircut more and more.
“I get it completely. I come out here around this time to do the same thing,” a soft voice said.
My eyes snapped open, shocked.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” she said with a smile.
She kind of reminded me of Lovie Simone, but with a curly blonde streaked afro. She was small in stature, but you could tell she was fit, and had a very warm smile. Which eased my momentary discomfort. I smiled in return to let her know; it was fine.
“No, I’m sorry. I probably looked crazy out here. It’s just I’m not used to sights like this where I come from. Everything is manufactured there or built. This place just is.”
I glanced around to see a couple walking hand in hand across the street with a little girl. She was skipping ahead of them until the man called out to tell her to slow down. I couldn’t help but to smile because I thought things like that weren’t real.