Page 2 of Mia Amata

“I am parked four rows to the right, red van. Don’t follow us exactly, go down a few cars, then work your way back to the van on the passenger side. My daughter and I will go now and put our things in the back while you are doing all this. Then walk over there and jump in the back seat, but on the floor so no cameras can see you leaving the parking lot with us. Hurry!”

Not knowing exactly why, I did what she said. Maybe it was because she was the first person to treat me with kindness in a long time. Maybe it was the fact that she offered me a way out, even though I didn’t know what she was thinking she could do to help me. I think it was mainly that my two other options were so horrible that whatever she could offer couldn’t be as bad. I worked my way down the parking lot, past their van, then back toward them where the door stood open welcoming me in.

“Just dive in, I’ll close the door behind you automatically.” I did and lay on the floor. She closed the door and drove away—hopefully to my freedom and a better option from death which seemed like my only way out this morning.

Chapter 2

As I was lying on the floor, the lady driving started talking to me. “OK, honey, I know this is probably scary for you, but we honestly just want to help you. My name is Lauren, and this is my daughter, Eva. I am offering you what someone offered me several years ago—the chance at a new life, a new start away from the man who is abusing you. If someone had not given me that option, Eva and I would not be here today. Any time I get the chance to pay it forward, I do so,” she was talking while negotiating the traffic. “We only ask two things from you in return.”

Here it comes, I thought to myself, some proposition. Here is where I learned exactly how big of a mistake I made trusting two total strangers. I look at the van doors, wondering if I could unlock them and jump out fast enough to get away.

Lauren continued to speak. “Someday down the road when you are safe, no longer in fear for your life, you pay it forward if you are able to. That is not something we would expect of you for years. In fact, you are only the fourth person I have helped in the 19 years since someone helped me. Secondly, most importantly, you have to keep everything you see, hear, and learn about us a complete secret or you will endanger our lives.” She stopped talking while she maneuvered the van around a couple of cars.

“Right now, I imagine you are terrified that he will find you. So are we. If he finds you, we will be out there in the public eye. I only tell you this as I need you to understand the risk we are taking. Just in case they caught us helping you in the parking lot on a security camera, we are going to make a couple of stops. I know it isn’t very comfortable lying on the floor back there, but this is to help you I promise,” she explained as she was stopped at a stoplight.

“We had a couple of errands that we were going to run today, so I am not going to stray from what we would normally do today,” Lauren said. “One of the errands was to renew the plates on the van, so I am going to the courthouse, where I will park in the view of the camera. I need you to stay hidden, do not look out any windows at all. I want the cameras to show what appears to be an empty vehicle. Pull that blanket on the back seat over you, hiding you from view even more. When we are done here, we will go to one of the drugstores and do the same there. Do you understand the importance of staying hidden? Not only will he find you, but you put us in danger also as there is someone looking for us out there too.”

Even though I was in a state of shock, I was able to take in everything she said. Someone did this to her, too? This is not what I had expected to hear, in a weak voice I replied, “I understand. I won’t put you or your daughter in danger although I don’t think you understand how much danger you are in just by helping me. You need to know, my husband is a cop.” I hear both of them gasp.

Lauren said, “Well then, that makes going to the courthouse the perfect cover. Do you think he will be there today?”

“Chances are pretty good he will be. He is at work today, the police station is adjacent to the courthouse. His name is…”

“No! Don’t tell me his name,” Lauren declared. “I don’t want to be looking for him. If I were to see him, my face could betray that I know who he is—that would be dangerous for us all.”

I understood what she was saying, so I didn’t tell them Allen’s name or give them a description of him. I grabbed the blanket, covering up with it, making sure I didn’t show anywhere. I also grabbed a couple of their bags off the seat, placing them over top of me.

Eva looked back, saying, “That is perfect, I can’t see you at all.”

Lauren said, “Great. Now, don’t tell us your name either, I am sure I will learn it at some point from the news, but if someone asks me about you, I don’t want to show recognition when your name is mentioned.”

“Instead, while you are waiting for us to run errands, think of what you would like to be called instead, making it something similar to your real name, so you will get used to it quickly, but different enough to not ring bells when it is heard. That is the name that you will give to Eva and me when we get to the house.”

At that point, we pulled into the parking lot at the courthouse, and she parked the van, but before they got out, she said, “I know you are scared, but you need to trust us. I also know I am asking a lot of you, trust is probably hard for you. You have nothing to lose by putting your trust in us right now. I am going to do my best to help you,” she reached for the door handle. “Stay hidden, we will be back in a few minutes.”

“I promise.”

With that, Lauren and Eva left the van, shutting the doors. I heard the doors lock. Scared? I thought. Scared did not explain how I was feeling at that moment. Scared was an understatement.

Terrified was an understatement. I lay there hiding, waiting, knowing that the door to the van could fly open at any minute, and he would drag me out of the van. I tried to think about the situation, did I have anything to fear from these two women? Could I trust them?

The conclusion came to me easily. I didn’t have a choice. I had to trust them. The fact that they were putting their lives at risk for me, that this mom was putting her daughter’s life at risk FOR ME, is finally what made the conclusion obvious. Who would do that? What daughter would be OK with her mom doing this? I wondered if Eva experienced what her mom went through, remembered it and so did this for that reason.

I remembered that Lauren said they had helped four people before this, I wondered how that went. Were they successful? I was going to take a risk to trust these two people with my life. It was at this point I heard the doors unlock and open. I never said a word as Lauren and Eva climbed into the van, buckling up, chatting like a normal mother and daughter probably running errands together. The doors closed, the van started, and soon, we began moving. As we pulled out of the parking lot, Lauren asked, “Are you OK back there?”

“Yes,” I replied. “I don’t know how to thank you both for what you are doing. I am sorry I don’t know how to act or what to say, I am not sure I even believe that this is all real.” There was a moment of silence, and then, to my surprise, Eva answered me.

“I’m sure that this morning when you were getting up, showering, eating breakfast—whatever your morning routine is—the last thing you were thinking about was getting away. I’m sure you were thinking about what you could do to make sure that you didn’t get hit again. I remember hearing the horror stories about my dad and what he did to Mom. I read the newspaper articles. Mom shared her journals with me. I vowed that I would help anyone I could get out of that situation if I had the chance.” Eva paused. “You don’t need to thank us; Mom and I have discussed this many times.”

“We know the risks we are taking. This morning when we both saw your face, we knew, without even speaking, that we needed to help you. We already care about you, wanting to help you, so that you can have a future. All I want from you is a promise that you will never give up, no matter what. My mother is my world. I will protect her at all costs, even if it means kicking you out. If you can abide by what we ask you, keep us a secret from anyone going forward, I will help you to no end.”

I was crying in the back as I listened to this young lady—a girl no longer seemed appropriate to describe her—her words held so much meaning that I would never forget them.

“Eva,” I said as I pulled the blanket away from my face enough, so I was not muffled, “I don’t know what life holds for me right now, I’m trying to wrap my mind around all of this. I will promise you that no matter what happens to me, I will never give you and your mom up to protect myself. What you have already done for me is more than anyone has ever done for me in my entire life. I have a lot to take in, but that promise I can make to you without hesitation.”

“Thank you,” Eva said.

I saw her look at her mother and smile. I pulled the blanket back over my head as we pulled into yet another parking lot, going through the same routine as we did at the courthouse. This time when they came out and unlocked the doors, they opened the back doors, putting some more sacks in, including on top of me, yet gentle enough that it did not bother me. We started driving again.

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