“Please say something, Bonnie” she heard her mother plead. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“I’m very fine” Bonnie replied. “I left mom. I wasn’t kidnapped.”
They were not listening. “Thank God” said Robert, “We can’t wait for you to come home”
“That’s why I’m calling right now, dad” Bonnie began quickly, scared that they would talk her out of it…just like they talked her into almost everything her entire life. “I wanted to tell you myself that I won’t be coming home…at least not now. All my life I’ve done everything you have asked me to do, but now I think I want to make this one decision for myself. I will keep in touch as much as I can to let you know that I’m fine and safe, but I won’t be coming home and I sure as hell won’t not getting married to Marcus.”
“Baby, we understand that, and no one is asking you to marry Marcus now. Just come home first. That’s all we want”
Too bad it took running away from home to get them to listen to her, Bonnie thought sadly. This might have started with her not wanting to get married, but now it was more than that. Now it was about finding herself, it was about knowing what she wanted to do with her life…on her own…without her parents having a say and dictating every part of it. She tried to explain that to them, but they were more concerned about her being out there alone. To them, she was still their helpless little girl who needed her parents.
“But how will we know that you are fine when you are so far away in another state?” they kept asking. “You can do everything you are doing there over here too. We promise not to intrude”
Oh, but they would, Bonnie thought. She knew them that well. They wouldn’t even know when they were intruding. “I have been safe since I left” she said, “Infact, the hardest part since I left has been trying to stay hidden and trying not to be found because I knew you guys wouldn’t stop looking for me, and surprise, surprise, I was right. You can ask your spy, David. You trusted him enough to find me so if you don’t believe me when I say that I’m alright, maybe you will believe him. I’m handing the phone back to him now, dad. This conversation is over. I’m not coming home and you can’t change my mind…. the only way that’s going to happen is if you ask him to force me and I can tell you right now that I won’t forgive you if you do it”
Without hanging up, she passed the phone to David who took it and resumed the call. He moved away from her a bit and spoke in a hush tone, while nodding his head severally. The entire time he spoke to her parents, he never took his eyes off her. Bonnie wondered if he was worried that she would try to run away. Honestly, the idea crossed her mind, but she was so damn tired of the running and hiding from her own damn parents. All she wanted was a life of her own, and she sure as hell was going to take what she wanted one way or another.
David finally hung up, and moved towards her. Bonnie’s heart beat faster as he strode forward, wondering what he was going to do, but instead all he did was open the door to his jeep and motioned for her to get inside. She hesitated, not certain she should trust him. But he only stood there, watching her with that intense, probing green gaze. Finally, Bonnie grabbed the door frame to hoist herself inside.
David shook his head and gave that annoying chuckle of his. “And you ask how I know you’re an innocent?” he said. Before Bonnie could reply, he slammed the door and walked around to get in behind the wheel. “Buckle up.”
She watched his profile as he steered the truck out of the alley and onto the main road. The lights from well-spaced street lamps flashed across his features. Trying to avoid staring at him, she distracted herself by looking out the window.
David noticed the look on her face and grinned. “Talk with dad didn’t go so well, huh.”
Trying for disinterest, Bonnie muttered, “Yeah.” She ran her fingers over the fabric covering her laps, then asked the question that had been on her mind since he told her who he was. “So how did you find me?”
“Well, you were such in a hurry to leave that you didn’t plan your escape that well.” He flashed her a grin, then continued. “I have been on your trail since your father hired me. Guy named Richard…told us he found you on his boat on the day of your wedding…said he hid you and helped you leave the next day”
Bonnie nodded, she remembered him alright. Richard Morty was his name. He had found her hidden in his boat , struggling to keep hold of her monstrous dress and one sparkly shoe, and she had begged him to let her stay until the security stopped looking for her. Richard seemed to understand her situation, and even ended up helping her get away, but not after lending her a pair of his gray sweatshirt and matching pants. She guessed he might have felt so guilty about helping her and maybe too worried that he finally told her father everything, and she couldn’t blame him. In fact she would always be grateful for his help.
“You made a huge withdrawal from your bank account the day after you left” David continued. “Your father hired me a week after, if not I’m sure I would have found you earlier. I’m guessing the money ran out and you had to make another withdrawal…that’s how i found you”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. He was right. She had contemplated withdrawing more money, but she was skeptical about carrying a lot around since she had no place to go to, so she had just taken as much as she thought would sustain her for a while. Now that she had been found, she regretted that decision. She sighed, “So what happens now that you’ve found me?” she asked.
He gave her look. “I thought we agreed that I was taking you home since sleeping at the club wasn’t an option”