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She was so tired and her back throbbed. She lay down on the bed
and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. Kevin called later, the
bleating of the cell phone waking her up. It took everything she
had to keep her voice steady, to betray nothing, but she sounded
as tired as she felt and she knew that Kevin believed that she was
in their bed. When he hung up, she fell asleep again within
minutes.
In the morning, she could hear people walking down the hall,
heading for the bathroom. Two Chinese women stood at the sinks
and there was green mold in the grout and wet toilet paper on the
floor. The door to the stall wouldn’t lock and she had to hold it
closed with her hand.
In the room, she had cheese and crackers for breakfast. She
wanted to shower but she realized she’d forgotten to pack
shampoo and soap, so there wasn’t much point. She changed her
clothes and brushed her teeth and hair. She repacked the duffel
bag, unwilling to leave it in the room while she wasn’t there, and
slung the strap over her shoulder and walked down the steps. The
same clerk who’d given her the key was at the desk and she
wondered whether he ever left this place. She paid for another
night and asked him to hold her room.
Outside, the sky was blue and the streets were dry. She realized
the pain in her back had all but vanished. It was cold but not as
cold as Boston, and despite her fears she found herself smiling.
She’d done it, she reminded herself. She’d escaped and Kevin was
hundreds of miles away and didn’t know where she was. Didn’t
even know she’d left yet. He would call a couple more times, then
she’d throw away the cell phone and never speak with him again.
She stood straighter and breathed in the crisp air. The day felt
almost new, with endless possibilities. Today, she told herself, she
was going to find a job. Today, she decided, she was going to start
living the rest of her life.