1.
Luna had met Trent at ball game. She hadn’t known him very long before he proposed. He was super sweet in between some spells of anger but nothing that flagged her to be concerned . Soon after marriage, his anger became worse that she would sometimes ask him to talk to somebody. She was able to avoid lots of his fits by working later or asking for longer shifts. She finally had begged him to get help but he wouldn’t.
His parents lived in California and he had moved to Indiana after college for a job opportunity. One night at the Hoosier football game Luna was in line for a snack and Trent was in line behind her. She had dropped her phone and he reached to pick it up for her and he smiled and said “ I’ll give it back as long as I can add my number.” She was smitten. For him, it was love at first site. In fact they had only dated about 4 months when Trent surprised her and just simply said ” marry me” and they drove to the courthouse and was married .
Luna had one sister who was more or less a hippy. Her mother lived pillar to post and the last time Luna knew , her mom was in Phoenix. She spoke to her mom maybe once or twice a year. She wasn’t sure who her Dad was and didn’t really want to know. Her sister, Aspen, was older by five years. However, Aspen never stayed one place too long. She did make sure to call Luna on her birthday and major Holidays. They had gotten together a few times but nothing consistent, but Luna and Aspen loved one another and had two things in common:1 their parents and 2. inconsistencies. Luna wanted roots and wanted children and needed stability. That’s why she married Trent. Besides, Trent was handsome and decently built. She really did love him, but it was hard in his worsening condition. And now after a few episodes, she was afraid for her life.
The first year marriage was hard adjusting to the changes of a new marriage but felt that time would probably change things. Still after the second year things seemed to get worse Trent began drinking and brought on more episodes of rage. By year three he began shoving her when he was drunk and punching doors. She began to be more fearful of him and tried avoidance. She tried to avoid him by staying at work late or going shopping until this began to be the reasons for his source of anger. She had also noticed him setting outside her work until her shift was over then would see him pull out of the parking lot . She was thankful that the pharmacy stayed open all night so she had a good excuse. She would call him and tell him she had things to do so maybe he would be asleep when she got home. Sometimes he would welcome her with open arms and be as sweet as honey but other nights he would scream and threaten to beat her if she ever cheated. Nothing seemed to get better. She then noticed him following her to the mall. She pretended not to notice but she would wear bigger sunglasses that would reflect his car without her having to turn around. On another occasion she actually seen him in one of the stores watching her. She was so aft of his mental instability she decided to leave him.
She would blame herself being unhappy and she would tell him that she wanted to go find her sister. She had packed a duffel bag and had planned to go to a friends house then head to Florida. When Trent came home and had already been drinking. He was very agitated and was slamming stuff around. He seen her bag beside the door and bellowed,” Where do you think you are going Looney?” This was one of the insulting names be called her.
“ I need to go get my sister.” She decided to change her story so not to alarm him.
“ You’re not going anywhere! He reached out and punched her full on her cheek sending her flying to the ground. Every bad word he called her sunk into her soul. She tried to get up. Trent reached down as if to help her but punched her again. He hit her in her head a few times then got back up. Right before he walked away he kicked her in her stomach. This time she didn’t try to move . She knew she was no match for him. She wasn’t even sure she could move. Tears formed but she fought them. Finally he staggered into the bathroom that was in the back of the house. Go now! She told herself. She managed to get up and she quickly opened the front door and ran.
“ You’re not going anywhere! He reached out and punched her full on her cheek sending her flying to the ground. Every bad word he called her sunk into her soul. She tried to get up. Trent reached down as if to help her but punched her again. He hit her in her head a few times then got back up. Right before he walked away he kicked her in her stomach. This time she didn’t try to move . She knew she was no match for him. She wasn’t even sure she could move. Tears formed but she fought them. Finally he staggered into the bathroom that was in the back of the house. Go now! She told herself. She managed to get up and she quickly opened the front door and ran.
The only thing she had with her was a cross body purse with her drivers license, her birth certificate, and her cash. She didn’t want anyway of him finding her so she had hid her phone under her mattress. She had packed 5 outfits and underclothes,but now had none of them.
She heard him running after her yelling. She knew in his drunken state she could out run him but then she heard the car and now she knew she must run for her life. He would kill her if he caught her. She ran so hard it felt like she would collapse . Her chest pounded and her sides screamed in pain. Rain pelted her face but she could hear him honking and his tires squealing. Then by a miracle of God, she seen the path in the woods. She had to find safety and quickly. She hurriedly turned and ran into the woods. Through the clearing she seen a shed and knew she needed out of the rain. She picked up the pace and slowly made her way in. The shed was empty but still was freezing cold. She peeked out the door and felt she had lost Trent. She wasn’t super sure where she was but she knew it was far enough away that Trent wouldn’t look. She peeked again out the window and looked at the house: no lights were on but the windows were bare and the house appeared empty. She crouched down and tried to go unnoticed and climbed the steps to the door, she turned the handle. It opened! She sent a silent thank you towards the sky. She made her way through each room easily. No furniture. The house was empty. She went to the furnace and tried to turn on the heat but nothing happened. She went back to the front room and leaned against the wall and slowly slid down into a heap on the floor.
Setting in this empty house cold and wet and in pain, she began to cry. Her face hurt to cry but she needed to let it out.
Exhausted and worn out from crying, she fell asleep on the floor. It was thunder that woke her up. She jerked awake and she wasn’t sure what time it was but she knew she wanted out of Indiana tonight! So she got up and looked out the door to make sure there was no sign of anyone and slipped out of the house. She noticed that the truck stop was just up the road and knew this may be her only way.
Setting in this empty house cold and wet and in pain, she began to cry. Her face hurt to cry but she needed to let it out.
Exhausted and worn out from crying, she fell asleep on the floor. It was thunder that woke her up. She jerked awake and she wasn’t sure what time it was but she knew she wanted out of Indiana tonight! So she got up and looked out the door to make sure there was no sign of anyone and slipped out of the house. She noticed that the truck stop was just up the road and knew this may be her only way.
A scarecrow sat on some hay bales in a yard. Luna grabbed it and kept walking. She ducked into a alley and slipped the jeans on and then the flannel shirt. The straw hat seemed like a bit much but she put it on. She needed to look different that what she had been wearing.
She walked around the trucks in the lot trying to go unnoticed. She seen a semi with a tarp and climbed as quickly as she could and laid under it she tried to position herself as part of the load. Rain pounded on the tarp, her head pounded with it but at least she wasn’t getting wetter.
A few hours had passed before she heard the rig start up and take off. She was so cold she wasn’t sure how she could not have hypothermia. She needed to see what direction they were headed but at this point she couldn’t. She was afraid to move as to not get thrown off the truck. She finally settled enough that she fell asleep. When Luna woke up she could feel the sun beginning to heat up the tarp. She noticed he was slowing down. She waited. Finally the truck come to a stop she could hear someone begin to pump fuel. She could hear them checking over the truck and worried if they noticed her. She finally could tell the driver had most likely went inside so she started making her way out of the tarp. She went to the back trying to go unnoticed. She stepped off the truck and turned to go into the truck stop and ran into a man with a ball cap and he reached out to steady her. Luna jerked away in fear.”Let me go!” She yelled. He backed up and let her go. She started walking in, scared he followed her.
She went to use the bathroom and realized she looked like a man going in the women’s room. She looked at her face . It looked like she had dental surgery with all the bruises. She raised her shirt that revealed the massive boot print for her stomach. She went for pain reliever and a coffee. She paid for the items she took her receipt to see where she was. It read ,Montgomery, Alabama. Luna needed a plan.
