The Year of Maybe

Chapter Thirteen

I blankly stare at myself in the mirror. Horrific purple hickeys make a trail from my collarbone to behind my ear.

"I'm sorry, Spencer... I never meant for this to happen to us..." She looks up from my arms and coos. "I can get us out of here I promise." Spencer reaches her little hand up and grabs a chunk of my hair, playing with it. I giggle and put her back in her makeshift crib. "Sleep up, it's late."

++++

I am pulled from my sleep by the soft hiss of an aerosol can. Cold air drifts through the room licking at my feet as the door to the motel slightly hangs open. I sit up quickly and look at Spencer's crib; she's still there. Thank you.

I scan the room and notice the bathroom door is open as well. My pulse races in my chest and my cheeks become warm. Spencer and I are not alone. I slide out of bed and gently open the bedside table and feel around in the dark for a weapon of some sort. My fingers fumble over the leather to a book, the Bible maybe? Warily, I walk to the bathroom with the book grasped tightly in my right hand. I peek my head in the bathroom and see a familiar face staring back at me. I struggle to regain my breath as I whisper, "Ricky.."

He wraps his arms tightly around me and says in a hushed tone, "We don't have a lot of time. I took care of the guard outside and covered the cameras with paint. If we're gonna go, we need to go now." I let go of him first and hurry over to Spencer. I wrap my arms around her tiny little body as softly as I can to keep her sleeping.

We head for the door, lock it and dart to Ricky's car. I lay down in the back and put Spencer on my chest, hugging her tightly. Ricky slides into the front seat and closes the door. "Comfortable?"

"Would you just drive?!" I basically scream at him, he giggles and backs out of the motel.

"I know this sounds really sketchy, and I understand if you're not all for it... But I recently acquired a cabin a few hours away from here and I thought it might be a good idea to keep you and your baby there for a little bit until all of this is sorted out?"

"Spencer... Her name is Spencer. And as long as Eli has no way of touching her, then I'm open to the idea."

"Oh, and one more thing," There's a slight jump in his emotion, "We're gonna stop at one of those baby stores on the way to grab a car seat for little Spencer. Except for this time I'm not losing sight of you. You really scared me... I thought I lost you." Ricky glances at me through his rear view mirror with a serious expression.

I stare blankly at the ceiling of his car and match my breaths to Spencer's. "Wait... So how did you find me then?"

"Well... I noticed you were missing and so I started searching for you around the store and I couldn't find you. I started to panic and ran for the exit. Some guy, your ex I assume, was escorting you out and I didn't get to you fast enough. You slipped through my fingers and into his. I followed his car for a bit but then lost it so I just waited where I last saw it, eventually he drove past me again and I saw you in the backseat with Spencer. I had to wait for the guards to switch out so I could have enough time to get to you. The guard that was last there was just a little scrawny guy that I took out with ease... And now we're here." The car bumps up the entrance to a large parking lot and directs us to a small strip mall complete with a barber shop, a diner, a thrift store and two different bookstores.

We park in front of the thrift store and I gently wake Spencer. "Hey baby girl, time to wake up. You can sleep again in a minute." Her big blue eyes crease up at the corners as the smiles and lets out a quaint yawn.

Ricky walks me and Spencer inside the sad excuse for a thrift store but sure enough there is a "baby section". We walk up and down a few crusty aisles and find a blueish car seat. Ricky rests the handle of it in the crease of his elbow. "Anything else?"

"You really don't need to spend your money on me." Spencer wriggles around in my arms and reaches for a ratty brown dog on one of the shelves. He picks it up and puts it in the car seat. I shoot him a glare.

"What? I'll clean it before she can have it." He scans the aisle again and grabs a green baby blanket and a package of unopened pacifiers. "I'll clean these too. Alright, we good?" I nod and then we walk up to the cash register where a short older Mexican woman stands seemingly unamused. Her gray-brown hair rests on either sides of her shoulders.

"How I help you two?" A heavy Latino accent drowns her words.

"Just these things please." Ricky places the remaining items in the baby seat and sets it gently on the counter.

"Baby is muy bonita." She nods slightly at her and Spencer smiles in response. She types something into the machine and the little drawer thing pops out. "That is to be sixteen dollars and eighty-two cents."

Ricky pulls out his wallet and hands her a twenty. "Keep the change, have a nice day." He gives her a sincere smile and walks me and Spencer out to his car.

++++

A small yellow Victorian style house greets us at the end of a long and winding driveway. There is a half porch that sits next to the entryway to the house. Long pillars hang down on either side of the ebony door. Ricky takes the car seat, baby blanket, dog, and pacifiers inside. He throws the pacifiers in the sink and brings the soft items I assume to the washing machine. "Make yourself at home," He shouts from the other room, "I stocked the fridge and there is baby formula in the pantry. Diapers and all that good stuff is in here."

I walk around the cottage and stumble upon a little bedroom. A queen size mattress dresses the floor in the corner or the room carefully decorated with a navy blue comforter and a few neat pillows. I hike Spencer up farther on my hip and walk around the room a bit more. The only other things in there seem to be a small white dresser, next to the bed, and a closet...? It's a single door on the opposite wall of the bed. We walk over to it and I twist the handle open. My mouth drops as I reveal what is inside.