Margaret sat back. Her son had only expressed that Cherish had been through a lot, but she didn't notice there was more than what met the eye. Not wanting to bring the moment down, she made a mental note to discuss it further with Simon when they had a moment alone. To her, Cherish was blood; her daughter. She knew Miriam felt the same in a sense.
Once they broke apart, they were led into the back room where the bathtubs, filled with hot, bubbling water, rested. They climbed in one by one and immersed their bodies in bliss. Given facials, teas, and sweet rolls for a dessert, they soaked in the tubs for another hour before their experience ended. By the time they all redressed themselves and met outside of the building, it was 5 P.M.
Hugging it out, Imani was the first to thank them and leave because she had to meet another for dinner. She made plans to meet up with Cherish one weekend for drinks. Miriam expressed the desire to go to the house early the next morning to spend time with the kids.
Saying goodbye to both mothers, Cherish carried a sleeping Jasmine towards her car and strapped her in as per usual. The car, by saving grace, started up without incident and before long she was off. She waved to Miriam and Margaret and used the GPS to take her home.
To avoid traffic, Cherish was taken on a route she'd never been on and kept a watchful eye of where to go. On a corner where a billboard advertised a farmer’s market, she turned onto the road and was instantly met with thick woods on both sides. The radio played Disney music for Jasmine even through her sleep. Thinking back on the conversation with Miriam, Cherish sighed to herself and felt more at ease. The respect she held for the woman grew ten-fold and, now that she knew how they felt regardless of what she and Simon did, she debated on if she were ready to take the next step with him. Just the thought of him made her smile.
A smile that wasn’t destined to last.
A loud bang caused Cherish to scream; jolting Jasmine awake with a cry. Smoke erupted from the hood of the vehicle and, in a panic, she slammed on the breaks. The car veered to the right, which jerked her to the side, and slid down into a ditch before stopping.
Looking up with the steering wheel gripped in her hands, the sounds of Jasmine's cries caught her attention first. Quickly, she spun around, looked at her baby, and realized she was okay. Panting, tears stung the corner of her eyes as she quickly took out the key with shaken hands and gripped them in her palm. Reaching around for the baby bag, she grabbed the strap and brought it to the front; speaking to Jasmine, "I-It's okay baby. Mommy is going to call daddy. Alright? She's going to call daddy and he's going to pick us up..." Digging through the bag, she felt blood pumping in her neck as she pushed items from one side to the other. Her wallet was there, but her phone was not.
That’s when it dawned on her. The phone was left on the changing table in the kid's room, Cherish's entire stomach dropped. She placed a hand over her eyes, "Fuck." She whispered amidst Jasmine's inconsolable shrieks. The kind she made when she wanted Simon.
Rubbing the side of her head, she then began to mix a bottle for Jasmine to sooth herself. Shaking it, Cherish turned and held the bottle to Jasmine who took it and cried between sucks. Looking into the rear-view mirror, Cherish undid her seatbelt and quickly opened the door, "Mommy will be right back." She whispered. Jasmine watched her with tear stained cheeks before she dropped the bottle and cried out once more.
Cherish was completely terrified which showed with the short-breathed pants she took. She gazed down both sides of the rarely traveled road and began crying out loud. She should have told Simon, she shouldn't have lied, and now she was stranded without transportation, with her infant child, and no way to contact anyone. Breaking down, she wrapped her hands around her neck and hunched over. Every fiber of her being was stressed because she didn't know what to do, what would happen, or who would find them.
In the distance, thunder rumbled and over the trees, along the horizon, the sky had already darkened. Now, she couldn't walk. Back stepping towards the scrap heap that would ultimately protect them from the elements, Cherish returned to Jasmine's wails and rolled up the windows. Leaving a slight crack for airflow, she locked every single door, before she climbed in the backseat.
Unbuckling Jasmine, she held her daughter close and rocked from side to side with her. Though she tried to console her baby, she felt just as helpless. Unable to truly break down and give up, Cherish sighed breathlessly and kept a tight grip on her child while the world quickly darkened around them.
Several hours passed on the way to winning the jackpot. The men began taking the game seriously and called for second matches. Ten games became twenty, twenty into thirty, and Simon was already well behind with three chips to his name. The men just didn’t want to give Simon Sr. the satisfaction of a victory, but Simon looked at his watch and how dark it was outside. He wasn’t in for another round.
Inevitably many of the men were drunk and
