Page 20 of Mia Amata

Lauren’s phone rang. “It’s Audra,” she told Eva.

Eva stood up, taking over at the stove for her mom while she walked to her office to answer the phone. Lauren taking these types of calls in her office was protocol for these situations. Lauren and Eva shared almost everything, but if there were things that it was better that only one of them knew, in order to keep the other safe, then these conversations were held in private.

Eva set the table, pulling supper off the stove. Soon Lauren was back. Eva looked at her questioningly. Lauren explained that Audra felt it would be in Mattie’s best interest to not share the interviews unless she asked. They should use their best judgment. They sat down to eat supper, agreeing not to tell Mattie unless absolutely necessary.

Eva then asked Lauren when they expected to learn more about the plan to get Mattie to safety. Lauren said she would call their contact this evening after supper to see if there were definite plans yet. They chatted for the rest of the meal about their day. Lauren told Eva about a funny incident that happened at work. Eva shared the new research paper she was working on and how excited she was about it.

She thought it was a very interesting topic. Pretty soon, they cleaned up from supper, Eva stated she needed to work on some homework for her classes the next day. Lauren went back to her office to call their contact. Before she called, she grabbed a sheet of blank paper and a pen, so she could take notes. Taking notes was necessary to keep details straight, but she knew they also had to be careful.

She knew better than to write on a tablet as what was written could show up on the page below by shading over it with a pencil. By taking a single piece of paper, they could burn it or flush it; then the evidence of it would be gone. In order to know the details of where to go and what time they needed to make all this happen, she had to take some notes. Once she had the details of the plans, she left her office, heading to Eva’s room. Eva was sitting at her desk and working on her laptop.

“Eva?” Lauren said from the doorway. Eva looked up at her mom.

“Hey, Mom, did you find out the plan?”

“Yes, I’m going to go discuss the plan with Mattie, want to join us?” Eva nodded, standing up. She followed her mom to the basement door and Lauren knocked. Pretty soon they heard Mattie unlock the door.

“Come in,” Mattie said, letting them by her. They all proceeded down, taking seats in the living room.

Chapter 12

I had a very relaxing day, taking a nap after lunch, I woke up feeling more refreshed and then worked some more on the baby blanket. After an hour or two, my eyes felt a little tired, so I took a break from crocheting. I cooked a small meal for supper consisting of a potato and a small steak, with some corn. Once I was done eating and had everything cleaned up again, I lay on the couch, turning the TV on. I wanted to crochet some more but felt my eyes needed a break.

I was almost halfway done with the blanket; I had plenty of time to finish it before the baby made her entrance into the world. I scrolled through the guide on the TV, deciding to watch a cooking competition show. It looked like an interesting, fun show. I was enjoying the show when Lauren and Eva knocked at the door. I muted the TV and then headed up to unlock the door. Lauren and Eva sat down with me in the living room.

“I love this show,” Lauren stated. “It is a lot of fun to watch them compete, but you can also pick up tips.”

I nodded, “It has been interesting.”

Eva asked, “How was your day? Are you going stir crazy shut in here all day yet?”

I smiled at her. “Oh, not at all! Look at what I have been working on!” I pulled out the baby Afghan from the tote bag at my feet. Lauren and Eva both looked at it, commenting on how nice of a job I was doing with it.

“You caught on very quick!” Lauren stated. “You are a natural!”

Eva nodded in agreement, “You’ve got a lot done on it since last night. It looks great!”

“Thank you,” I said. “It was pretty easy to catch on to the stitches. The pattern is one of the simpler ones in the book you gave me. I should be able to finish it in plenty of time before the baby arrives.”

“I would say so,” Lauren replied.

I put the blanket back in the tote, looking at Lauren and Eva. “I’m sure you didn’t come down here to talk about my crocheting. Is there more news?”

“I do,” Lauren said. “I have the plans for getting you to safety.”

I sat more upright on the couch. “Am I leaving Friday?”

Lauren nodded, “That is the goal, to get you out of here, on your way early Friday morning.”

Emotions flowed through me, fear, because, in a couple of days, I would be on my own, fending for myself. Then a sense of excitement hit me when I realized that I would be starting my new life. “So… what’s the plan?”

Lauren started telling Eva and me the plan. “We will be letting everyone know we are going away for the weekend, just a little mother/daughter trip. Not out of the ordinary for us, we do this occasionally. We will hide you in the back of the van, probably hidden from view by our suitcases. We are to drive to a VRBO home with a two-car garage, pulling into the garage.”

“Once in the garage, we will close the garage door. You will then transfer to a car that is waiting for you. In the car, there will be everything you need to start your life over. The paperwork for the house, the car, your new identity, bank information, credit cards, cash. There will also be a new cell phone.”

“Your new destination will be programmed into the GPS system in the car. Depending on how far you will actually have to travel, you might probably have to stop for a night or two along the way, but that will be up to you. You will have enough cash and credit on your credit cards to get a motel room, plus everything you need for groceries and household items.”

“What about the job?” I asked. I wanted to be able to support myself, even though I was super appreciative of all they were doing for me.

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