It was a purple sky tonight. I was finally sitting next to the lake I always wanted to see. I used to dream of coming here with him. I told him this dream long before we got married. But then life got in the way and I never got a chance until now.
Today I am sitting next to the lake like I always wanted. I am alone tonight, but I am finally here.
My trusty RV is parked mere few feet away from the water. How I wanted this RV. How long it took me to convince my husband to buy this. Now this RV is my home.
It took me two years to convince him. I showed him video after video of couples travelling the world in their RVs. We can go anywhere we want. I kept saying that until he finally agreed and bought this RV. I had drawn a map marking every place we would go to. Marked every place we would halt and stay for days or weeks or even longer. I marked every place we could re-fuel, every city we could stop to get supplies, every park, every forest that we could see. I marked a lot of places.
The lake is looking beautiful today. The purple sky reflecting over its still water. I can see some lights on the other side of the lake. They are twinkling like tiny dots of lights forgotten accidentally.
Sometimes this entire area gets misty. I don’t know if it would get misty tonight. Even if it does, I can finally see clearly. There was a time I wanted to come here with my husband. My beloved husband.
That time is long gone, and so is that girl.
I convinced my husband to buy this RV, not because I wanted to travel the world with him. I just had to pay two guys to help me fake a fatal accident, which convinced my husband that both the RV and his meek wife are no more. The same guys helped me repaint the RV and even got me fake number plates. I just cut my hair really short and no one could recognize either of us.
Now I was finally free. He couldn’t hurt me anymore.
I was finally at this lake under a purple sky. I never marked this lake on the map I gave him. I marked it on a map I made for myself. The map shows me every city and every place I can drive to safely. Every place where I can find some work without revealing my relay identity. Places where no one knew me. Places where no one he knew lived. Places I could hide in plain sight.
I kept this map with me in my RV.
I’ll go on with my life. I won’t stay in one place for long. I still get a feeling sometimes that he is still looking for me.
But tonight it’s just me, the lake and the purple sky.