Chapter Twenty-Four
Melody’s mind has become fogged over; she mourns the loss of her freewill days and nights, becoming unresponsive to Adam’s persistent gifts and kisses.
One day he comes up to her with his big sapphire eyes full of joy.
“I figured that since you’ve been so good this past week, I would take you out.” he announces.
Melody perks up, feeling her soul for the first time since she last saw Sam. “Maybe I’ll see Sam! Maybe he’ll take me away from Jet! Please God, let him be there!” she thinks to herself.
Adam smirks, pleased with her reaction.
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Adam and Melody walk through the cluster of booths of the local flea market, his fingers interlaced with hers, pulling her along as he smiles stupidly at the erotic painting that someone is selling.
Melody’s head snaps back and forth, searching for Sam’s face amongst the crowd. She stands on the tips of her toes, the smell of moth balls float off of everything around them. Her pulse quickens as she spots a tall, thin young man thumbing through a stack of vinyl records, his ashen hair rustling in the light summer breeze; she can recognize that figure anywhere.
She plants her feet flat on the concrete flooring, sliding her fingers away from Jet. “Adam I have to go, um, to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” she says, praying he buys it.
He nods, not taking his eyes off the painting as Melody slinks away from his sight range.
She weaves in and out of the tables of random crap people are trying to sell. Her legs wanting to break out into a run the farther she gets from Adam, but she keeps her pace normal, not wanting to accidently knock something over and bring Jet’s attention to her.
She can smell the ink and coffee roll off of Sam’s skin as she walks up to the wooden boxes with dusty sleeves full of records are crammed against each other. She grabs a random record from the top of the pile Sam had set aside, holding it against her chest.
“Hey I'm sorry I'm actually planning on buying tho-” Sam begins to say before he gasps. “Melody.”
Sam pulls his fingers away from the sleeve of an Ella Fitzgerald record and gathers her in a hug, holding her as tight as his arms will allow; she pushes her face into his shirt.
He rubs her back as he notices she’s crying, and looks around for Adam. “Do you think you can get away?” Sam whispers.
Melody looks back at Adam, who is speaking with a woman in a black and red floor length skirt. “If we’re fast; he thinks that I'm just going to the bathroom.”
Sam pulls her by her hand through the crowd and to her car, which he is still continuing to drive because he has yet to replace his Station Wagon. Melody climbs in the back seat, laying flat against the floor while he starts the car up, pushing the gas pedal to the floor as he speeds out of the parking lot; driving right past Adam without him even noticing.
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Once they have put a good amount of distance between them and Adam, Melody slides up to the passenger seat.
“Where’re we going?” she asks.
Sam slows down to the speed limit, relaxing just slightly. “We can’t go to your place, that’s the first place he’ll go looking for us.”
Melody stares at him, fingering the chain around her neck to make sure it’s still there. “Let’s just keep driving.” she suggests.
Sam’s lips pull themselves into a smile as he gives the ok and continues driving down the highway. Melody scoots in closer to him, kissing his cheek.
“I’ve missed you.” she whispers.
Sam blushes a little, his lips curling up into a boyish smile as he pulls into a diner parking lot, setting the car in park before leaning across the seat to hug her.
He sits back just a little, pulling on the golden chain until the ring and heart are out from under her shirt. He unclasps the back of the necklace, sliding the ring off of the chain and holding it delicately in-between his thumb and index fingers.
“Do you think it would be a good idea to still get married with this whole Jet thing?” Sam asks.
Melody sits foreword, a semi-truck flies down the highway behind them as she runs her fingers through his hair. “Yes, I think that it would be a good idea to still get married, then I’ll be yours, and Jet won’t be able to take me from you.”
Sam blushes as his hand fumbles for hers, lifting her left hand to his lips before kissing the soft surface of the back of her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger.
……………………………………………
Sam and Melody spend the rest of the day driving absolutely nowhere, wasting a month’s worth of gas money.
“Sam, um, you know we’re going to run out of money soon,” Melody points out.
Sam nods as he changes lanes. “I know, I won’t be able to keep up with my photography appointments but I’ve got my laptop in the back so I can still write and return the emails I'm required to reply to for the newspaper.”
Melody sits back, the nagging fear that Adam could be right on their tails and without them realizing it tingles at the back of her head.