They drove for what seemed like forever. Reba finally got up the courage to say something. "Where are we going?" "Far away." "Why?" "Because I said so." Reba huffed. "Charlie, if were gonna be driving for a while could you at least cut the ties from my wrists they're killing me." "And? You killed me." "What? Charlie pull over and cut these fucking things. I can't get situated." He pulled over and undid her safety belt shifting her in her seat. "Don't move or I might cut you with this. He got the knife and gently tried to cut the ties. "Why did I pull these so tight?" "I don't know. Maybe you've lost your mind!" "You best be quiet before you get it!" He put the blade against her back and she instantly sat up straight. He finished cutting the ties and then moved her back into the seat re-fastening her safety belt.

As he reached his arm up to grab the belt from beside her shoulder he paused and suddenly felt a rush of calmness come over him. He looked at her face. It showed just how truly exhausted she was. The streetlight beamed across her eyes and where there once were pools of blue, now had clouds of grey. They were so dull he could almost feel her sadness and fear as he looked upon them. He quickly snapped out of his trance as she looked back at him. He fastened the safety belt, slid back to his side and pulled back onto the road to continue their drive in silence.

"Charlie you better tell me what's going on sometime soon because my husband will have rung every police officer in the country by now trying to hunt me down, and I don't think it will take them long to find us." She relaxed in her seat resting her tired head on the window frame. "Don't go to sleep, I'm kidnapping you, you're supposed to be scared." "I am scared! I'm just exhausted, and I can't fight anymore so if you're gonna kill me you better make it quick." "Kill you? I'm not gonna kill you. I love you Reba." She groaned at his comment. "I do. I love you, and I'm taking you home with me to live." "You really have lost your mind! You mean to tell me you drove all the way to Tennessee just to abduct me and return me to Oklahoma?" "Well, yeah! I've missed you! The house has been so lonely without you. The first little while was fine. I could just take women home from the pub, but soon the women all ran out, and now no one will come home with me." "You are such a filthy old man Charlie Battles" She laughed and kept her head leaned back with her eyes closed. He smiled secretly and then kept staring at the road.

"Reba I actually came to steal you in the hope that your asshole husband gave over some cash in return for you" "Why? You got enough money to last the rest of your life in the divorce and were still paying for it. How could you possibly want more?" "None of your business, I just do." "Well it may be a little difficult getting money out of us at the moment." "Why? You're a superstar these days, you're practically loaded." "Well this superstar ain't been able to work for a while so we're practically broke." She sassed. There was silence. "I mean we have what we need to pay the rates and stuff to keep what we have, but we just dropped a new album today and that cost quite a bit to make, so we are waiting for our returns...That and me to get back on stage of course." "Why haven't you been working?" "Haven't you read the papers?" "No. I drink, ranch, rodeo, and sleep." "You're back rodeoin?" She asked almost excitedly. "Well here and there. So why haven't you been working?" He asked again "Oh just medical reasons." He didn't know what to say. "But you're okay now though right?" "Goodness me, I almost got to thinking you might actually care." "I do care Reba, answer the damn question." "Yes I'm mostly fine now."

"I like this, us catching up. I feel like I missed so much." "Well you treated me like crap, and then you disappeared." "I know. I'm sorry, but you were the one who left my arms for his. What was I supposed to do?" "His arms weren't beatin on me like yours. They were holding me and protecting me." He didn't say a word. "We both know you weren't treating me right long before that night with Narvel. "Okay do we have to go back there?" "You went there, now I'm tired will you please quit this stupid game and take me back to my husband. I really need a decent sleep." "Reba you're coming with me. What don't you understand?" "I don't understand any of this. Why do you want me? It never worked the first time for very obvious reasons, and now you want to try again? I have commitments I need to tend to. It's just not going to work. I don't love you." "You did when I married you." "You're right. But I'm not the same girl that married you at 21 years old. I've grown, and I've made a life for myself with the help of my new husband. I love him, with all my heart. Please Charlie, do the right thing and take me home. We can just forget about all of this."

The anger and frustration that he had been carrying towards this woman had vanished. The words she spoke helped him realize that all the stories he had been telling himself about their relationship were false. He knew deep down what had happened between them, he just didn't want to deal with the fact that she had left him because of his actions. It was just so much easier to believe that she was the enemy and he had done no wrong. He couldn't understand how this woman seemed to carry herself so freely. She didn't want to fight him, or cause him any harm. It seemed like she had already forgiven him.

He pulled the car over and stopped "I'm so so sorry Reba...For everything." "Awww come here, she un-clipped her safety belt and went to give him a hug. She could see there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. "I forgive you." "But how? I treated you so bad, and was so horrible with the divorce settlement. How can you forgive me just like that. "I didn't forgive you 'just like that' I forgave you a long time ago." "But how? Why?" "I forgave you for me. I couldn't be happy carrying around all this hatred towards you for what you did. So I let it go, and put it at the feet of God. Then I got on with my life...Which is what you're gonna do just as soon as you take me home." He watched as she re-buckled her safety belt. He pulled out his phone and handed it to her. She looked at him blankly. "Here call your husband and tell him to quit worrying. You'll be home soon." She looked at him and smiled "Thanks."