He began seriously regretting the extra time he stayed with the guys. He should have checked on her or tried to call sooner. He blamed a lot on himself. With each mile closer to the spa, the lower his spirits became. With the storm getting worse, he rubbed a hand over his forehead when he found it closed and empty. Jasmine was terrified of thunder and storms. The thought of his baby girl lost somewhere in the weather ate away at him.
Driving the back roads home with the storm lurking overhead, there were less cars out from the severity and Simon’s mind began running away with him. He couldn’t go back home without them, he couldn’t. Every haunting possibility that he’d suppressed began to bubble to the surface. Slowly, his car crept down the streets before the bright headlights illuminated a sign: “Fresh Strawberries for Sale NOW!” An arrow pointed down a small side road which led off path. A gut feeling overcame his senses because strawberries were Cherish’s favorite. He had nothing else to lose.
Turning down the road, Simon was unnerved by how isolated and dark it was aside from the cracks of lightning in the sky. The farmer’s market seemed too far away on the never ending, winding street. Finally coming up towards the shrouded area, there wasn’t a sign of Cherish or Jasmine. Gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles were white as continued to crawl down the road. He couldn’t stop looking on each side and would take a couple of glances at Jr. in the backseat. Thankfully, his son was asleep through the chaos and was none-the-wiser that his mother, another mother, could be lost.
Simon couldn’t comprehend being without them.
Another two miles down the road, he felt completely hopeless. He called his parents through the Bluetooth in his car, “Please tell me you found them.” He stated desperately. Hearing that they hadn’t, the feeble words of comfort and assurance that Margaret tried to instill in him meant nothing. Just as he was about to lose his mind, pull over onto the side of the road, and cry, he saw something big and black in the distance. His heart was in his stomach when he realized it was Cherish’s car. The lights were out, and nothing moved from what he could see, “I found the car! I found the car, I have to fucking go!” he exclaimed quickly hanging without waiting for a response.
Parking on the side of the road, he rushed out, shut the door behind him and slid down the slight slope. Running over, he slipped twice and stumbled to his feet without any regard for the mud. Soaked from head to toe, his eyes stung because a part of him tried to prepare to see something he couldn’t handle. His heart stopped. His feet numbly carried him closer to the car before he heard his child shrieking and screaming uncontrollably, “CHERISH! JASMINE! CHERISH!” he yelled. He pulled on the handle and slammed his fists on the window to get inside or see through the fog.
Throughout the night, the chaos that spiraled in the car only went from bad to worse. Jasmine was over tired, and nothing Cherish could do calmed the little girl down; leaving her to feel hopeless. She held onto Jasmine with her eyes shut and pressed against Jasmine’s little shoulder. Rocking back to forth, the sound of sudden slams on the car caused Cherish to shriek. She’d seen enough scary movies in her mind to know that stranded, on the side of the road, in the dark, and the rain meant death.
Hearing her name from a voice she wasn’t sure she’d hear so soon caused her to set Jasmine down on the seat. Simon could see their outlines as he said her name again, “CHERISH!” When she looked up at him, it was clear that she was just as terrified. Her eyes were wide and scared with tears streaking down her face, “It’s Simon. Open the door!” he called.
Hearing his name only confirmed to her that somehow, someway, he’d found her. A complete mess in her emotions, her shaken hands fumbled with the latch of the door before she finally clicked it open. As Simon yanked the door, she saw his soaked, dirtied form looking right at her. Lightning only cracked behind him and he could hear that Jasmine’s wails were hoarse and desperate. Breaking down, Cherish climbed out of the car and immediately wrapped her arms around his torso. Her cries mixed with Jasmine’s as she bawled against his shoulder. Her hair and clothes grew heavy with the water while she clung to him seemingly out of her mind.
Embracing her in return, his hand held against her head and the other wrapped around her back. His heart was racing but his shoulders were lifted. He was washed over with relief that she was alright, but he was shaking with his face against her hair with his eyes shut. After a moment, he pulled her back and rubbed the side of her face, “Get in the car.” He said.
Staring into Simon’s eyes, Cherish nodded quietly to herself. She was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. To see him there, to know that he looked for and found her, was beyond her. Rushing up the incline, she yanked the door open and sat down in the front seat. She panted out shaking where she sat and stared ahead at Simon.
Opening the backseat, he picked Jasmine up and held her close while she screamed in his ear. Back in the car once he strapped Jasmine into her seat, his interior was
