I release her hand and decide on something simple and cheap for my dinner. “I'll take the burger and fries, please.”

“And to drink?” She asks while taking out a notepad from her apron and pulling the pen from her hair.

“Water,” I reply, trying to go as cheap as I could. Most restaurants don't charge for water and I’m hoping Maggie's Diner is one of those places.

Anna scribbles on her little notepad, sticks the pen back in her hair and says “I'll have it right out for you.” Still smiling, she turns and flounces away.

A little dazed from my encounter with the exuberant waitress, I glance around at my surroundings. I notice that the young couple seated in a booth a couple of places over from me to the left is staring at each other with stars in their eyes. They can’t be more than 16 or 17 years old, but you can tell they are completely infatuated with each other. When I was just a few years their senior, I too thought that I had found something special and lasting. After college graduation it didn't take long for me to realize my hopes and dreams were all an illusion.

Looking to my right, I find one of the older men has turned around to look at me. He looks to be in his 70's. His hair is as white as salt with just barely there hints of pepper. His skin is wrinkled and sagging and his cheeks have that sunken in look. The arm that he has draped across the back of the booth is skin and bones. He’s wearing a green and gray plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbow.

“Why do you wear your hair in your face like that, little girl?” He asked in a well-used and scratchy voice.

I sit there stunned and speechless at his inquiry. Not many people ask that question of me. I don't know if it’s because they don't notice, they don't care, or they don't want to offend me. This old man threw me for a loop and I don't know how to respond. Luckily, the old buzzard’s equally old friend rescues me from coming up with an answer.

“Jack, don't ask the girl that, it's none your business,” he scolds his friend. He can't have been more opposite in looks than the first old man named Jack. Where Jack is a bag of bones, his friend has maybe 50 pounds too many. He has thinning hair and it’s solid gray. He has on a pair of old coveralls with a deep blue button up on underneath.

Jack turns and looks at his friend. “What? I just don't understand why a pretty girl like her would want to cover up that face. She should pull her hair back so we can all enjoy her beauty.” He turns back towards me with his eyebrows puckered in concentration.

“Jack! Don't talk to her like that! Can't you see you’re scaring the poor thing?” Says the unknown friend.  Bringing his eyes back to me he continues, “Don't mind him, he's very simple minded and if he comes across something he doesn't understand he lets others know. He's never learned how to curb his tongue.”

“Hey, I take offense to that, you old goat. There's nothin’ wrong with tryin’ to bring the girl out of her shell. It's obvious she's a shy little thing and just needs a little push to get moving.”

Jack's friend looks to the ceiling and rolls his eyes. When he looks back at me he says, “I'm Jake and this here nosy body is Jack.”

I bite my lip, trying not to smile. I really have no inclination to get to know anybody here in this town. I won’t be here long enough to form any type of friendships before I have to move on to another no name place. But these two old men are hard to resist. It’s plain to see that they have been friends for a long time, probably more years than I'd been alive. They both compliment each other. Where Jack is gruff, grouchy, and way too outspoken, the other is kind, considerate, and keeps his manners.

A little smile forms on my lips and I introduce myself. “Hello, I'm Bailey.”

“Very nice to meet you, little lady,” replies Jake.

“Yeah, good to meet ya.” This from Jack, which he follows up with, “What brings you to our little town?”

I’m saved from answering his, once again, nosy question when Anna comes back with my water.

She places my water down on the table in front of me, props her hands on her hips, and turns towards Jack and Jake's table. “Alright Jack, I won't be having you harassing my customers again. Leave this nice lady alone and get back to your dinner.”

Jake winks at me while Jack turns back to his table while grumbling, “I was just trying to make conversation. Can't a body inquire about a new person in town?”

Anna turns back towards me and says, “I apologize about that. He may be a bit overbearing at times but he's completely harmless.”

“That's okay.”

“I could tell by the look on your face that he was making you uncomfortable. Next time, just tell him to put a sock in it.”

Jack grunts.

My lips twitch.

Anna smiles and tells me my food will be out soon and then she walks up to Nick, gives him another quick kiss, and slips back behind the counter.

I grab my purse and pull out the cheap disposable cell phone I bought at the beginning of my trip. I know until Chris hears from me, she will be on pins and needles. I promised her I would call or text her daily just to let her know I was okay and where I was. She’s been my lifeline through this whole mess. I don't know where I would be if it weren’t for her. Hell, I don't even know if I would still be alive if it weren’t for her. We've been friends since third grade and she has saved me more times than I can count. If it weren't for her I would still be stuck with Steven living in my daily dose of hell. She was the one who helped me escape. She is the one that gave me the courage to make a stand and metaphorically say no to Steven. I say metaphorically because there is no way I could ever say no to his face.

I shudder at the thought of the repercussions I would receive from Steven if I ever worked up the courage to stand up to him.

My text to Chris is short, just letting her know I was in Jaded Hollow, Ohio and that I would be staying here for a while. She knows my cash is running low. Between the two of us, we were able to scrounge up a whopping $5,534 for me to travel on. That may sound like a lot to some, but when you’re constantly on the go it disappears fast. Most of the money came from her, which I refused in the beginning because she is a struggling full-time waitress. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, she had to put off going to college for a few years. Her waitressing gig is what’s paying her way through college. She kept insisting and I finally realized that I had no choice. It was either take her money and run or end up dead. And I knew one of the times Steven lost it, he would end up killing me.

So, while Steven was at one of his “meetings” I checked myself out of the hospital early. Chris took me to get a cheap car and I loaded it up with as much of my stuff as I could. Just outside of town my first stop was a cell phone store in a strip mall to purchase a cheap non-traceable phone. My next stop was a gas station to fill the gas tank in my car and I vamoosed. I was gone, hoping and praying, into thin air. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Steven caught up with me two weeks after I left.

My thoughts are interrupted when my cell pings with an incoming text. I know it was from Chris, she was the only one that has my number.

Chris: Please be careful and keep a close look out. Keep me posted daily. Love you.

Me: I will, I promise. Love you too.

I slip my phone back into my purse just as Anna walks up to the table carrying my food. “Here ya go, sweetie.” She says when she sets my burger and fries in front of me. My stomach rumbles at the sight of it.

I blush and peek up at Anna, who is still standing at the table watching me. When I do, my hair falls away from my face and exposes a small portion of my scar. Although she recovers quickly and tries to conceal it, I hear Anna gasp. This is a typical reaction, so I ignore it.