Safe

Belong

She opened the door to the bar quickly, and rushed inside hoping Mel wasn't going to ask questions. Did she see the report on the news? The bar usually had a TV playing in the front.

"There you are. Where have you been?" Mel exclaimed stopping her in the path to the upstairs where she stayed.

"I don't have time to explain." She cried frantically. She was shaking not a single bone in her body was still.

"I saw the news." Mel admitted looking her deep in the eye. Laura instantly started shaking her head, and crying again.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I HAVE TO GO, I HAVE TO GET AWAY." Her breaths were deepening, her chest was heaving, and she was scared, more than scared she was terrified.

"Honey calm down. We won't get anywhere if you don't calm down.  If you need to get away, we can get you a bus ticket quickly, but I really think we should talk about this, you don't have to run from the police." As much as she appreciated the offer Mel had, it didn't help she didn't know the circumstances. He knew where Laura was now. If she didn't run he would find her.

"I'm not running from the police, I'm running from...him." It was the first thing Laura had said clearly. She was hardly able to keep a straight mind.

"Who? Whom are you running from?"

"Did you see him; he was on the news. Its funny because they titled him as husband."

"The man you stabbed?"

"Yea. Stabbed."

"Is he really your husband?" Mel asked. Laura pursed her lips, and another tear fell down her face. She collapsed on the ground right where she was in the middle of the floor. She let all of her stuff down, and plopped on the floor. She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Used to be." She paused and looked up. "It's a long story." Suddenly the bar door swept open. Laura almost jumped out of her skin at the noise. It was Rocky. Laura stood up.

"You can't be here!" She scolded. She could definitely see Rocky's eyes were puffy, and red no better than hers. He was probably crying too. He had a right to, after sleeping together, and admitting how much they loved each other he finds out all of this is going on. Rocky took a deep breath.

"Please just tell me the truth. Are you really married? What was this?"

"I cant-"

"Come on I deserve to know the truth.  When I said I loved you this morning I meant it, and when you said it I thought you did too but if not I need to know that." Rocky's voice was weak; she could tell he was heartbroken.

She saw Mel slowly creep out of the room, into the back not wanting to get into the middle of things.

"No I'm not married, but I was. The man on the news was my ex-husband. We were young, and stupid, and thought we were in love. Got married straight out of high school when I was 19. It was great at first, but then he started drinking. He drank all the time even when I asked him not too. And when he got drunk he beat me." Rocky's face was shocked.  He took a step towards her.

"Baby, I'm so sorry." He whispered. He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"And then it got worse. He got drunker, and the beating got harder. I told him I wanted a divorce, and surprisingly he agreed. I was shocked, and scared but he just agreed. I was waiting for a catch, but I thought you know maybe just maybe he realized he needed to change. Maybe he was going to straighten his life out, and take some time alone. About a year into the marriage, we filed for divorce. That was six months ago, and it just finalized about a month ago. When the papers finally came he broke again. He broke into the apartment I was staying at, and told me I had to take him back, he threatened-" She took a deep breath. She hadn't let this story out of her brain to anybody and now it was all just coming out like word vomit.