Leaving Spencer- Part 2

What does freedom mean to you? I had initially thought about answering this question as myself. But I decided to try my hand at a story that has been told a hundred times before. This was another one that ended up being over two thousand words. So, I split it up again, so check out last week for the first half. TW: ABUSE AND SEXUAL ASSULT.

Maggie took a deep breath and tried to dry her eyes. She didn’t know why she was trusting this woman so much. Maybe it was her tone and her knowing eyes. Maggie could feel a semblance of safety here.

“What’s your plan? Are you still running? Is he still coming after you?” the waitress asked.

“I don’t have a plan anymore. I used my debit card to buy a bus ticket and pulled cash. Then I went to the train station and bought a ticket with cash in the opposite direction. That was as far as my plan went. If I need to run more I will but I need to rest for a few days at least. He could figure out I took the train instead if the bus, but I don’t know how long that bought me.”

“Well honey, you can stay here as long as you would like. What’s your name?”

“Maggie. But please don’t treat me like a charity case. I have cash and ID. I may be young but I’m smart too. I graduated from high school. So, I can work legally too.” Maggie said in a hurry. She was worried about being treated like a kid.

“Of course, your smart Maggie. To leave an abuser you need to be. My name is Miss Ann Jones. I run this diner and my mama Mrs. Ruth runs the town inn. My best friend, Ryan Stone, oversees our small bookstore and could always use a little extra help. If you’re willing to work to get on your feet. We will also be here when you stumble”

Miss Ann smiled kindly and got back on her feet. “Now before you do anything, you need a nice big breakfast. So how do you like your eggs?”

After finishing and paying for her breakfast, miss Ann sent Maggie to Mrs. ruth for a room. When she got there, she was shocked to see a sheriff deputy.

“Hello, are you Maggie?” Mrs. ruth warmly greeted. “This is deputy John Matthews. We were hoping you would be willing to talk to him.”

Maggie went pale. How did Spencer find her so fast. This man would take her back; she just knew it. Maggie started to go back towards the door. She had no plan, just run as hard and as fast as she could.

“Now before you run as I know you want to just hear me out,” deputy John said. “I know what you’re feeling and I’m on your side, not his. My mom had to run from my dad when I was six. The sheriff in this town helped get us protection long before my dad could find us. When he caught up to us the documentation of what he did and the restraining order in place got him locked up fast. I want to do that for you too.”

“It won’t work. Spencer’s family is rich. His dad is powerful. They will pay someone off and make it all go away.” Maggie’s voice was shaking. She was about to break down. But she had come so far. “I don’t want to go back.”

“I won’t let that happen to you. You will be safe here if you let us help you. If you truly believed that you wouldn’t be safe you wouldn’t have left.”

Maggie looked up into John’s eyes and knew that he believed he was telling the truth. Maggie couldn’t run forever. With her parents dead she needed someone to look after her. Why not these people. They all seemed to understand. So why not trust them at least for now. Maggie nodded her head and realized a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Then she started talking for the second time today.

Two months after their engagement, Maggie was lying in bed trying to figure out what had set Spencer off that night. The beating lasted twenty minutes. She was pretty sure she blacked out while he was choking her a few times, and the cut on her head wouldn’t stop bleeding causing her to see stares. Then after all that Spencer yet again threw her on the bed and sis what he wanted without considering her feelings about any of it. After he finished and passed out Maggie grabbed his phone and slipped into the bathroom.

She prayed that they would answer and would understand her plea for help.

Her father answered on the second ring. “Hello?” he asked drowsily.

“Daddy?” she couldn’t help but let out a sob at hearing his voice.

“Maggie! What is it? What’s wrong?” he was wide awake now. Urgency in his voice.

“I need help. I can’t stay here. Please daddy. He won’t stop hurting me.”

“I’m on my way Maggie. I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll meet you out front. Can you get out there?”

“I’ll try.” She hung up and slopped back into the bedroom.

Spencer looked like he was still sleeping so she slowly opened the door and quietly made her way through the house. Outside she stood near the front gate ready to run to the car as soon as it pulled up. Ten minutes… fifteen minutes… twenty minutes… one hour… where was he. It shouldn’t have taken him this long. Even if he had been going the speed limit it should have only been twenty minutes at most. At the hour and forty-five-minute mark Maggie saw the lights of a cop car approaching.

Maggie was surprised that her dad managed to convince anyone to come with him. Spencer’s dad had a lot of the squad in his pocket. She had seen plenty of deals happening in the last couple of months. That’s when she realized that her dad’s car wasn’t following. Lights came on in the house behind her, and she knew in her gut that her parents weren’t coming to save her after all.

The cop’s words washed over Maggie. The cop never looked at her and her bruises even though he was talking to her. Supposedly there was a deer, and they found the car in a ditch. Both her parents’ necks had snapped from impact and pronounced dead at the scene. when the cop left, Spencer told Maggie to go back to their room. She heard Spencer’s father say to Spencer he was proud of him for taking care of that problem. Maggie vowed that she would find a way out of all this mess. She didn’t believe that a rouge deer caused her parents accident.

Remembering her parents’ accident had left her crying. It had taken her several hours for Maggie to explain everything in detail. Deputy John also brought in Lily Adams, a nurse from the local clinic, to photograph and assess Maggie’s injuries. When they were finally done Mrs. Ruth made sure Maggie had everything she needed for the night as well as phone numbers for herself, deputy John and miss Ann. Maggie was finally able to sleep for the first time in months.

Maggie was so surprised that six months later she was still in the same town and happy. She was gaining that independence she always talked to her mom about. She is renting a small one-bedroom house on the edge of town from the clinic’s doctor. She has a job at the bookstore as assistant manager. She is also making friends with the recent graduates from the local high school. She was getting comfortable in her new life, that she forgot to keep looking over her shoulder. So, she missed seeing the passenger that stepped off the train that December day.

But Spencer had seen her immediately.