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Written by: Francoise
They ran for what seemed like hours. At a certain moment, Megan, out of breath, said:
- Please… stop… I can’t… run… anymore.
Babyface agreed:
- O.K. Anyway, we must be far from them by now.
- From whom?
- The police! They have discovered my hiding-place. They have killed one of my men and arrested the two other ones. As for me, I escaped and as long as I have you with me as a hostage, I’m kinda safe.
Megan didn’t say a word. That was all she meant to him: money, safety. She was "merchandise” as he had said on that dreadful day when one of his men tried to rape her. She couldn’t help but say, with rage:
- Money! That’s all I mean for everybody! Was I born with a dollar sign on my forehead?
Babyface wasn’t expecting this one. For once in his life, he did not know what to answer.
***
They were running, day and night, to escape capture. Babyface was sure Megan wouldn’t try to escape, because she didn’t know how to survive in the woods, and he did. When Babyface was planning a kidnapping, he always had a bag ready “just in case”. That bag contained some non-perishable food, a blanket and a certain amount of money.
They spent most of their nights sleeping outdoors, because Babyface knew his picture with a “Wanted” caption would be shown in all the nearby towns. He couldn’t allow himself to check into a hotel for fear of being caught by the police.
One morning, Megan woke up before Babyface. She felt dirty after one week in the same clothes. There was a creek nearby. She hesitated then couldn’t help but think a good and quick bath would do her no harm. She silently undressed then got into the water; it was chilly but after a few minutes, she felt great. She swam a little then feeling refreshed, she wanted to get out of the water. Babyface was there, waiting for her. She gasped with surprise and said:
- I thought you were still sleeping.
- No, Babe, some things wake me very quickly. Like what I have in front of my eyes.
- Would you please hand me the blanket and turn your back?
He smiled, took the blanket but didn’t turn around.
- Come and get it, he said.
- You want to humiliate me?
- I just want to show you that money is not the only interesting thing about you.
- TURN AROUND!
He turned around, but as soon as she got out of the water, he caught her and wrapped her with the blanket. He held her close and their eyes locked. He kissed her. She felt helpless in the arms of the man she had begun to desperately and hopelessly love. She just whispered: “Please, let go!” “I can’t”, he answered. Then they fell on the grass, and he kept on kissing and caressing her. But suddenly, he stopped and said:
- Not here, we could get caught. Then, looking into her eyes, he said: “But I know, one day, you’ll be mine.”
Megan did not answer. She felt disturbed. She had felt pleasure in his arms but the “you’ll be mine” sentence troubled her. What did he mean? She did not know what to think and she was so tired after this foolish week of running that she burst out into tears. Babyface asked:
- What’s the matter, now?
She sobbed too much to answer. He helped her to get dressed, then said softly:
- We have to go. Come on.
She was surprised by the gentle tone of his voice. Usually, he would talk to her only when necessary and in a rude manner. Babyface Morales was certainly not the “gentleman” kind. But these last few days, he had become more human.
They came near a village. Megan said:
- We should go to the general store. We need a few things.
- Are you making fun of me? The next time we meet people means freedom for you and jail for me.
- Not necessarily.
She took a comb and combed Babyface’s hair in a different way. She told him:
- Put on sunglasses and hold my hand. If somebody asks questions, I’ll say you’re my husband.
- How can I trust you?
- You don’t have any choice. We NEED some goods.
Babyface was out on conditional parole and certainly didn’t want to go back to prison. He had always been a very careful man, and had never trusted anybody but himself. Of course, the kind of life he had chosen didn’t allow him to confide or trust anybody, even his “associates”. He knew deep inside that the guys who worked for him didn’t like him; they were jealous and dreamed of killing him and taking his place as leader of the gang. But this time, he was not with one of these rotten men and even if Megan was his victim, something deep inside him told him he could trust her. So, with his hair combed in a slightly different way, his sunglasses and Megan who held his hand, like a woman in love, he made his way to the store. There wasn’t any picture of Babyface in that village; that surprised him but maybe Megan and he had crossed the state line. After all, they had been walking for one week, now!
They bought a few things such as non-perishable food, soap, towels, a new shirt for Babyface and a new blouse for Megan. Then, she had a bright idea:
- We could ask the parish priest to let us spend the night in the parsonage. After all, God accepts everybody and you would be safer in the priest’s home than in a hotel.
The parish priest agreed to give shelter to the two poor young people in front of him. Megan explained they were not married yet, and wanted separate rooms. The priest complied.
All night, Megan thought of her situation. It was unbearable. On one side, she could call the police right now, have Babyface arrested and go back to her normal way of life. But when she thought of this man behind bars, it broke her heart.
The next morning, she came to Babyface and made him a proposition he could hardly refuse.
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