Blanca said that the trip would be brief, but obviously her idea of brief was different from Barb's. She didn't have a watch with her, but it felt like the car ride was at least two hours long. Maybe more.

If the trip was long, at least Barb couldn't say that it was uneventful. At first she saw nothing out of the ordinary; just the roads around town, then the highway that led out to the interstate. They drove the highway for quite a while, until the road signs went from being green and oblong-shaped, to brown hexagons. Then Blanca suddenly veered off the highway and onto the unpaved dirt, weaving through tall grass and trees. Barb wrapped her arms around Sadie, who fortunately had been lulled to sleep by the movement of the car.

"Um, are we almost there?" Barb asked in a nervous, hopeful voice.

"No," Blanca responded simply. Then she seemed to tap something on the car's panel, and the windows darkened all at once. Barb could just barely make out lines and shapes outside of the car's window. Then the car seemed to lurch upwards, like it was riding over a steep incline. Barb yelped quietly as she felt the angle of the car move to what felt like a 90 degree angle, and it seemed like they were travelling faster than before. She panted, trying not to panic too much. Oh, this was a mistake! What had she gotten into?

She felt dizzy and disoriented. She wasn't sure she could handle anymore. Barb started to reach for the door handle.

"Don't touch the doors," Blanca warned her in a stern voice. Barb jerked her hand away, startled. How had she known?

She tried to focus on her breathing. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The darkness, the steepness. She didn't know how much more she could take. She craned her neck downwards, towards Sadie, who was still fast asleep. How would Barb keep her calm if she woke up?

And then—just like that—it was over. The car was finally situated on the horizontal plane again, the lights came on shortly after that, and Barb could see out the windows. They were driving down a city street, lined with shops and offices, and people strolling around. The sun was shining. Barb sighed in relief. Blanca turned into an open garage, turned a corner, then finally parked the car.

Barb waited in the car, afraid to touch the doors. A few seconds later, the door opened, and there was Cherry, smiling kindly at her. "Oh, Barb! You came. I'm so glad!"

Barb couldn't help but smile back. "Uh, yeah." She saw that Sadie was waking up. "Mommy?" the little girl asked in a groggy voice.

"Yes, Baby. We're here." Barb got out of the car, then lifted Sadie into her arms.

"And there she is again. Hello there!" Cherry greeted Sadie, who giggled and hid her face in her mother's neck.

"Won't you come with me? I'll take you to our suite. Blanca has your bag," Cherry told her, gently putting an arm around Barb and leading her to an elevator.

The suite that Cherry led Barb and Sadie was elegant without feeling opulent—some sort of cross between an office, a hotel room, and a clinic. The walls were painted in rich purples, pinks, and reds, the furniture gleaming white. Several tall, exotic potted plants served as living decorations. Cherry had Barb and Sadie sit down on a plush, peach-colored sofa. "Blanca and I just have to get a few things ready. You haven't eaten or drank in 12 hours, right?" The tall woman asked.

"Nope. Nothing." Barb realized, with that question, that she was, indeed, hungry and thirsty.

"Great! The procedure should only take about a half an hour, and then you'll need to recover for a little while."

"Okay…" Barb looked down at Sadie, who was playing with the ribbons on her shirt. "Who will look after my daughter while this is all going on?"

"No worries! I have that covered."

"Is it…um…Blanca, who's going to watch her?" Barb looked doubtfully at the grim, pale woman, who had just entered the room and was taking her bag down a hallway.

"Oh stars, no. Come with me. I have it all set up." Cherry stood and led them down a hallway on the other end of the suite. As they walked towards a closed door, Barb could hear voices faintly talking. Cherry opened the door to reveal a room that was set up very much like a nursery, with toys; big, wide, soft pillows and cushions; and a shelf with story books. In the middle of the room sat a little boy about Sadie's age, also with light blonde hair, playing with building blocks. A woman sat on the floor near him. She looked up at them and smiled. "Cherry!"

"Hi there! Barb, meet Shallot."

Barb shook hands with the woman. She was short and somewhat stout, with large black eyes, a wide grin, and hair done in purple and white pin curls that framed her head. "Nice to meet ya, Barb!" she said in a raspy sort of voice.

"You too. Charlotte?"

"Nope, Shallot—like the onion." The woman smiled proudly.

"Oh! Sorry."

"Don't worry about it—happens a lot! This is my nephew, Sour Cream. Come say hello, Baby!"

The little boy gazed at them silently with wide, thoughtful eyes. Tentatively he left his toys and went to stand by his aunt. Barb instructed Sadie to say hello to Sour Cream, and then with both Barb's and Shallot's goading, the two children sat down together and started to play.

"Aw, look! They're already making friends," Shallot cooed. She returned to the cushion she'd been sitting on and started to talk to them.

"Shallot will watch Sadie while we're occupied," Cherry told Barb, turning her back towards the door. Barb looked over her shoulder in hesitation, but the taller woman gently pushed her forward. "It's best if we leave now. She'll be fine, I promise," Cherry whispered.

The two of them walked down the hallway, towards the opposite end of the suite. Cherry opened the last door at the end of the hall, which led to a room that was structured very much like an operating room, with a bed and many tables and cabinets, all painted in clean, sterile white. Blanca was already in the room, dressed in white surgical scrubs.

"Please change into this gown," Blanca told her, handing her a soft package wrapped in plastic. "Then get into the bed. Cherry and I will return in a few minutes."

Cherry laid a hand on Barb's shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise." With that, they both left.

In the meantime, Barb did as she'd been asked, changing out of her clothes and leaving them in a neatly folded pile on the closest counter. She got into the bed and laid back, staring up at the glossy white ceiling. So many things could go wrong, she thought. She didn't know these women. What if they were planning to kidnap Sadie? What if they planned to harvest her organs? She was literally putting her life in the hands of strangers.

But then she thought of Cal. Her husband, the one who was supposed to be the closest person in the world to her…and he terrorized her, hurt her more than anyone ever had in her entire life. She supposed that meant that it didn't matter if she knew someone or not—they all had the potential to hurt her.

Cherry and Blanca returned, as they promised. "Are you ready, Barb?" Cherry asked her.

Barb tried to smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The beautiful blonde took her hand, and for a moment, Barb swore her eyes lit up like stars. "Thank you for doing this for me. I'll never forget it, as long as I live—longer, even!"

"Ah-hem."

Barb looked over to see Blanca, standing beside the bed, holding what appeared to be a magnifying glass. "If we could begin?" the pale woman asked.

"Of course!" Cherry cried. "Okay, Barb. Here's the deal: Blanca's going to shine this light, you'll go to sleep, and when you wake up, it'll all be done! Sound good?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Great! And here we go!"

Barb looked at the Blanca. A warm, bright, pink light seemed to fill the room.

"Barb?"

Barb opened her eyes slowly. Cherry was smiling down at her. "Oh!" Barb sat up. "Are you and Blanca almost ready?"

Cherry laughed at her. "Ready? We're done!"

"Done?" Barb ran her hands over her stomach. "Really? I don't even remember going to sleep."

"Well, you did. And we're done! Shallot is bringing your daughter right now to visit. You'll rest for a little while, then we'll bring you to your new home."

"New…home." Barb could hardly believe it. And she could hardly believe she'd had surgery. There was no pain, no grogginess. Barb ran her hands over her belly again. "Cherry…are you sure that it happened? Did you really go in…and take my…"

Cherry took her hand. "Yes. Thank you again. You've changed my life."

Sadie came in soon after, and Barb clutched her daughter to her, so grateful that she was okay. Barb rested in bed for a while, then got dressed and got ready to go. As she was leaving, she saw Shallot in the garage and thanked her for watching Sadie.

"Oh, my pleasure! She and Sour Cream had a great time together. From what I heard, you'll be heading to my sister's stomping grounds, so who knows? Maybe the kids will become good friends."

"Yeah, maybe so. Where is that?"

Shallot looked cautiously over at Cherry and Blanca, who were talking quietly at the car. "Cherry will explain it all to you. Best of luck, Barb."

It was another strange car ride for Barb, but at least this time Cherry was there with her. The large woman had a very soothing influence about her that seemed to put both Barb and Sadie at ease, even when the interior of the car got completely dark and once again it felt like they were flying. "It won't be as long as before, I promise," Cherry told them.

And she was right. It only took a few minutes, and there was light again. They were now in a seaside town, it seemed—the ocean sparkled like it was crusted with thousands of diamonds. People in swimsuits and cutoffs lazily walked the sidewalks. A ferris wheel peaked above the trees, sluggishly turning in place. Blanca turned off of the main street which led to a residential area filled with small, neat houses. At last the car pulled up to one particular house: a cape cod with purple shutters.

Cherry smiled, her eyes again seeming to shine like stars. "Come on."

Barb hesitantly got out of the car and took Sadie in her arms. "Where are we now?"

"Your home, of course. Come check it out!" Cherry led them down the cobbled stone pathway leading to the door.

The interior of the house was already fully furnished, with brown and peach accents. The windows were draped with pink curtains. Everything was gleaming and had a clean, scrubbed scent. Barb looked around, amazed.

"I wanted the house to be ready for you to move right in, so we went ahead and furnished and decorated it for you. If you don't like it, you can change it however you want, of course." Cherry held her arms behind her back and rocked on her heels, clearly hoping that Barb liked it.

"This…is mine?"

"Well, yeah. Fully paid for and in your name. It was part of our agreement."

"Mommy, Mommy!" Sadie cried out. "There's a swing set in the backyard!" The little girl jumped up and down as she looked out the window.

"I'm so glad you like it, Barb," Cherry said. She and Barb stood outside the house together. Blanca was leaning against the car, waiting.

"So um…where is this?"

"Beach City, Delmarva."

"Oh. Hmm. I'd heard of it, but never been here before. I guess I'll come to think of it as home—eventually."

"Time's all you need." Cherry's eyes lit up again. "Well! I guess this is it!"

"Cherry…um…about Cal…"

"He'll never find you." Cherry's beautiful face got very grim. "We'll take care of him, I promise. You don't have to worry."

Barb exhaled. "Thank you. For all of this."

"It was my pleasure." Cherry held her arms out. Barb walked into them, and allowed the larger woman to embrace her. Barb breathed in her sweet scent, like rose petals.

"What do I do now?" Barb murmured into her shoulder.

"Now…you live your life." Cherry turned and began to walk away.

"Cherry, wait!" The tall woman stopped and turned around. "Um…will I ever see you again?"

Cherry smiled. "No. Probably not." With that, she turned and walked to the car and got in. Blanca nodded coolly at Barb, then got into the car too and drove off.

Starting a new life—starting all over again—it wasn't as difficult as Barb thought it would be. Her neighbors never asked where she came from or why she'd moved there. They treated her as though she'd been there all along.

On the fourth day of her new life, Barb found a job as a mail carrier at the post office. She used her maiden name, Miller, on the application. Her commitment to tidiness, efficiency, and courtesy helped her to quickly move up the ladder—not that it was a terribly long ladder to begin with.

Barb liked the way the house was furnished, so she never changed it. Barb still managed to put her unique mark on it, however. She and Sadie took lots of photos and filled the shelves and mantlepieces with them. She had her Die Kleine figurines prominently displayed. She bought house plants—asparagus ferns and spider plants and African violets—and she let Sadie name them.

She found herself eventually starting to do things she'd never been able to do with Cal around. She played her country music songs and sang along, not caring that she was off-key. She cooked with spices—paprika and cayenne and sriracha. She could lie in bed all Saturday morning and watch TV with Sadie snuggled up next to her. She was allowed to burn dinner every now and then or forget to buy something from the grocery store or spill a drink; no one was going to slap her and tell her she was stupid. The freedom was so wonderful, she couldn't believe it. Her world, her life, had been such a prison, she hadn't realized it before. The only thing that could depress her was thinking of all the time she'd spent being afraid.

Barb worried that Sadie would look for her father or ask about him, or demand to see him. But she didn't. It was only the second night in their new home, as Barb was putting her child to bed, that Sadie looked up from her unicorn blankets and asked, "Mommy? Is Daddy going to come live with us?"

"No, Baby," Barb told her. Her stomach dropped to her knees as she anticipated the questions to come. But they didn't. Sadie just turned over and closed her eyes. Perhaps her little girl was just as relieved that her father was out of their lives as she was. Barb never had the heart to ask.

Barb spent the first few months in Beach City looking over her shoulder, constantly worried that Cal was going to find them. Every time the house creaked, every time the phone rang—Barb felt her breath catch and her heart race.

But Cal never came. Barb could never gather the courage to dial their old number, but she'd check the local and national papers to see if there was ever any mention of him—or of Barb and Sadie going missing. She found nothing. Cherry was telling the truth: they did take care of Cal. Sometimes Barb would stop and think about it, wondering exactly what Cherry and Blanca did with him—or to him. Eventually she realized that it was better not to speculate anymore.

She made friends fairly easily too: the ladies at the pharmacy; the counter guy at the car wash; a musician named Greg. None of them ever asked if she was married or where Sadie's father was. They all assumed Barb was a widow; for all she knew, she very well could have been.

Cherry had kept her promise about everything—including Barb never seeing her again. Barb thought about the tall, stunning woman from time to time, wondering where she was and if she was never able to make her dream come true. Barb's friend Greg took up with a woman that vaguely reminded Barb of Cherry, but Barb never bothered to ask if the two might be related.

And so, flash forward 16 years later, Barb was still living her quiet, limited, uneventful life. She never married or fell in love again. She never even went on a date again. She didn't care. Her Sadie was the love of her life.

A few weeks after all that fuss at the harbor and Lars Barriga going missing, Barb was changing the receipt tape in the cash register when she heard the door open and shut. It was Steven.

"Steven! Hey kid, how are you?" Barb greeted him.

Steven stared at his cell phone glumly. "Hey Barb," he replied in a monotone voice.

Barb frowned at this. Usually Greg's son was upbeat and bubbly. "Is something wrong? Woman trouble?"

"No! Well, maybe." Steven sighed and put his phone in his pocket. "My dad and the gems are taking me on vacation. Since we'll be gone for a while, Pearl wanted me to come in and have all of our mail held here, until we get back. Can you do that?"

"Sure I can! Here—fill out these Hold Mail cards and I'll be sure to keep anything that comes in for either your house or It's a Wash in the back."

Steven filled out the cards and held them out to Barb. As she took them, her hand brushed the boy's. Something felt…strange when she did this. What was the feeling? Familiar? Yes, that was it. Maybe like someone she used to know.

But it wasn't just that. Barb felt a connection. She'd known Steven for a while, and had known his father for even longer, of course, but it wasn't that. She felt linked to him. She couldn't explain it. She just couldn't explain it. Barb pulled her hand back in surprise.

"Barb? Is something wrong?" Steven asked.

She blinked. "Wrong? Oh! No, no, of course not! You—you enjoy your vacation, Steven."

He scoffed lightly. "I'll try, I guess. See you around, Barb."

She watched him go. The feeling she'd had about him lingered for a little while longer, but a sudden influx of customers and a call from Sadie about forgetting her lunch made it completely slip from her mind. After Jamie returned from his route, Barb hopped into her van and made a beeline for the Big Donut, brown bag lunch held securely in her lap as though it were the cure for all the evils in the world.

The End