There should be a legal limit on everything. The limit of being an idiot, the limit of being cruel, or at least, the limit of being nonhuman(inhuman) from being human. In everything Morano had done to her and her mother, this wasn't icing on the cake, it was the whole damn cake. This wasn't the tip of an iceberg, it was the whole freakin' iceberg. (If there was anything legal inside Morano's blood, that was.)
How Morano came up with the idea of selling her to an old man as old as a fossil was beyond her imagination. As a normal human being, Renata couldn't imagine what an inhuman creature could think of. The scarred-faced old man was so old that crow's feet were not only under his bulging eyes, they were all over his face. But his face was the least of her worries; his demeanor was. The gloomy graveyard was less creepy than this man. The graveyard was a place for the dead, but that old man could deliver any living being to the death door at anytime, she was certain of it.
Renata was alarmed when the old man started to move away from the black 1979 Lincoln Continental to approach her. In her panic, she yelled at Morano, all the while she tried to walk faster through the paths across the graveyards. "You're joking, right? That man looks almost as old as you!! What were you thinking???" Getting kidnapped on an early Saturday morning in a public graveyard was not in her usual morning plan, or she wouldn't have worn a tight dress; she could barely walk in it.
The old man swiftly caught up with her and held her right forearm, Morano soon stood next to him. "Now, now, don't you worry, little doll. Everything is going to be fine…"
Renata was trashing as hard as she could against the old man's grip, but to no avail. "You let go of me this instant!!! Hey!!! Let me go!!!! I will sue you for kidnapping, Old man!!!!!"
The morning's chill was nothing compared to the old man's icy glare at her. Renata never understood the meaning of the phrase "Someone was walking over my grave" until that moment, as shivers ran down her spine when the old man threatened her. "I don't mind breaking your legs or arms, or both, to make things easier for me, young lady. You better act wisely…...."
Despite her fear, she still dug her heels in, trying to stop the old man from dragging her to his old car. But surprisingly, the old man was so strong that she couldn't do anything to stop him from throwing her into the backseat. "Don't make me put a hole in you, pretty face." He showed her the small gun he had kept on his back all this time.
That was a game-changer for her; she could have died just now. Renata watched helplessly as the old man drove away from the graveyard, and apparently away from Philadelphia too. He just made a turn onto the highway and soon she knew where they were heading: New York. Many cars drove past the car, as she was thinking about what would happen to her in the not so distant future, in two hours to be exact.
Swimming in her worst-case scenarios, Morano's words to the old man jarred her. Morano asked the old man to stop for a while in the nearest rest area, he needed to take a piss. After so much back and forth, the old man agreed. This could be her only chance to escape from their clutches before she reached New York if she could play well. Without making any noise, Renata opened her simple shoulder bag. Luckily, there was a pepper spray can she always brought. If her reckless plan didn't work, she would need another plan once she arrived in New York. While browsing on her Facebook, she tried to find any of her friends or any business associates she knew who would help her get away. Renata also memorized the millions of routes of New York's subways as best she could. She had been in it when she was young(er), it shouldn't be that hard.
As her attention was absorbed by her phone, the car clearly slowed as it made a turn to a quite large rest stop. The car passed row after row of self-service gasoline stations. There had to be more than 30, judging by the number of cars lining up for each station. The old man finally stopped at the corner, near the public restroom area behind Roy Rogers.
"2 mins, or I leave ya here." The old man said to Morano before he went out and ran. When Morano disappeared into the building, Renata took her pepper spray and attacked the old man. She raced to the small mall without looking back at the old man screaming. It was a good thing he was parking far away from the crowded places, or people could have stopped her from running away.
The small mall had several stores, some of them selling clothes, but most serving fast food like Buckee's. She noticed that her black dress was eye-catching, so she quickly grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans, a navy blue T-shirt, an oversized jacket jeans, a small backpack, a black baseball hat, and a brown wig. Most people were here to grab some food or snacks. Luckily for her, the clothing stores were not overwhelmed by many visitors. After she paid for those items, she changed her appearance in a nearby restroom. She hoped she could fool them.
The first thing she saw after she went out of the restroom was the two old men who had just entered the building. They walked through the crowds, scanning everyone that looked like her. She nervously went the opposite way to the automatic glass sliding doors on the other side of the building. Being paranoid was probably normal in this kind of situation, but it didn't appear likely so for her. Keeping her head down as she walked out of the mall made her unaware that there was a guy in front of her. As she fell down from bumping into him, she uttered her apology. The guy carefully helped her stand, but he didn't release his grip on her elbows.
There was a tinge of an accent she was familiar with when the guy replied to her apology. "It wasn't your fault, Miss. I wasn't paying attention myself. Are you alright?" Renata didn't pay any attention to the guy but glanced back at her chaser, they were heading in her direction.
Renata nodded to the guy and wanted to get away, but he still wouldn't let her go. Annoyed, she told him to unhand her in a low voice; she couldn't make any commotion lest she drew those kidnappers' attention. "I'm sorry, are you perhaps, Renata?" The guy said.
The guy's question made her look up at the guy's face in surprise, and soon realization came down on her. She should have recognized him when he spoke with his unique New Zealand accent. Noah Wilson. The one and only Noah Wilson.
"You are Renata. What is the matter? You look so pale, are you ill?" Noah put his hand on her forehead.
"I'm fine, Noah. Sorry, I really need to go now. " She couldn't help but turn her head again.
Noah looked in the direction where Renata had just glanced. "Do you perhaps know those men? They seem to be looking for someone. Are they looking for you?"
Renata once again noticed that the two old men were just a few meters away from her, her body shook like a leaf blown by the wind. She really needed to leave, fast. "Noah, please.... I need to go…."
"Come with me." Before Renata could refuse him, Noah had dragged her to his black Toyota Hilux in a nearby parking lot.
------------------------
Noah put the seatbelt on her carefully before he closed the passenger door. At the same time, Renata could see the two old men who had just come out of the building from the reflection in the rearview mirror. Her body immediately relaxed as she exhaled a relieved breath. He put the key into the ignition and soon the car was raring to go, leaving the gas station and those old men behind.
Renata observed the car and found it odd. The "Noah" she knew in high school was a perfectionist to a T. She knew this fact to a T too, since they were dating for a while then. The dirty windows that said it had been years since it went to a carwash, the dashboard and beat-up interior of the car that had seen better days. They all didn't resonate with his personality back then. Was he changed? Was he struggling financially as an adult like he used to?
There were some new facts, though. He could drive now. He didn't have a car back then, so they went to dating places using public transportation. He used to shave every day, claiming he wanted to keep his face smooth and free of facial hair. But the "Noah" next to her seemed to haven't shaved for two days. He didn't like to wear a hat; it would ruin his perfectly combed hair, he said. This guy beside her wore a baseball cap. He would always wear a shirt whenever he went out, it was weird seeing him in a T-shirt like this. That was probably the reason why Renata didn't recognize him in the first place.
Noah's half-European, half-Japanese face was as handsome as she remembered, if not more handsome. His pronounced jawlines perfectly decorated his rectangular face. Renata used to stare at his warm amber eyes, touching his soft chestnut hair, kissing his thin lips, pinching his tall nose. His parents had to have won some genetic lottery before he was born; he inherited all the best features of both races. He had a perfect face and body, especially his creamy skin. He looked so tall and hunk compared to his days in high school.
They used to sit side-by-side in the library in silence, comfortable with each other's company in silence. But now, the silence was deafening, it was uncomfortable. She sat stiffly and stayed as far away as possible from him. It was her fault, her doing that broke their relationship. Both the friendship and the romance. It had her suffocated in this narrow space they shared.
"Are you alright now, Renata? Do you still live in Philadelphia?"
"Yes, thanks. You don't have to take me to Philis, I can take a cab or something…..." Renata didn't dare to look at him, she was pretending to enjoy the dull scenery.
"I think it is quite impossible to get a cab on a highway like this. Or do you think you could just randomly hitchhike? That will be dangerous for a little girl like you, Renata. Or anyone for that matter. " She snorted, he always thought of her as a little girl. "What if those men find you?" His last words sent chills all over her body. Being with Noah shouldn't be that bad compared to getting kidnapped again.....right? hopefully.....
"How are you, Renata? I heard you finally inherited the handbag store from your parents. Oh, my condolences on your mother's passing. " The way he called her name with a drawl in his thick New Zealand accent was still the same, the same endearing intonation, so pleasing to her ears, made her heart skip a beat.
"Thanks, it's been a few years since I ran the store after my mom died. What about you? Did you get taller? " Renata berated herself for her stupid question. Of all the things she could have asked, being taller was her question.
"I did get taller. Having a growth spurt in college apparently was a real deal. I am working in New York now. You can call me whenever you are in town. Perhaps we can catch up on some old stories. "
Hell freakin' No to that, she didn't want to remember anything about the past, especially her time in high school. But she couldn't possibly say no to him, so out of her politeness, she agreed while playing with her fingers, fidgeting. But those damn deep dimples, though. This man was a sinner, it should be illegal to have a dimpled smile like that. An angel would throw away heaven for that kind of smile. Time seemed to pass slowly, and she wondered if it took this long to get to Philadelphia.
"I actually have something in mind. Something that has boggled me for so long. " He glanced at her for a moment before returning his attention to the road ahead. Deep down, Renata was dreading what he wanted to ask, praying he wouldn't ask about what had happened to them. But no god responded to her prayer at that time.
"It's been a very long time, I notice, but I still want to know. I think I have the right to know, as your boyfriend at the time. " Renata was screaming internally, refusing to hear what Noah wanted to ask. "Why did you leave me just like that? No words whatsoever. You also left the school. What had happened? Was I part of the cause? "
Maybe being kidnapped wasn't such a bad idea after all. Just anything, anything at all, aside from her having to remember that certain of time she had struggled to bury in the back of her mind. She spent thousands of dollars on that therapy. Well, her mom did.
Renata took a deep breath before answering, "It had nothing to do with you. Something came up and I had to resign from the school. I'm sorry I didn't say anything or try to contact you. It was wrong of me. "
Noah clearly wasn't satisfied with her answer, he wouldn't let it slide away. "Did you cheat on me back then? Did you fuck Lyle behind my back?"