Special Series: One Woman's Journey

Part 5

Seven days remained until Gina could leave. There were a few melt downs. Robert was monitoring Gina more closely. He checked her cell phone, opened her mail. And she caught him following her while running erands in town. She counted the hours and the days. Gina was having difficulty eating and sleeping. Each night she go over her plan either on the 10 inch computer notebook she had hidden in the book case in the den or run it through her mind.

A bombshell of sorts dropped when a close friend nearby called to say there was a death in family and she would be gone for a week unable to take her to pick-up the rental car.

Gina thought as she drove over and got her friends car keys. The car was in need of a part so Gina told Robert she was going to have the car serviced for her friend and then use it to pick up Kathy at the airport the following week.

In a moment of weakness she thought about telling Robert of her plans she was tired of sneaking around it was stressing her out. But something in her gut told her to be silent and move forward with plan B.

Gina’s back up plan was to drive over to her friend’s house have someone take her to the airport to pick up the rental. Then drop off the rental in the alley of her friend’s house and drive the car back home. In the morning before she was to pick up Kathy, Gina would switch out the cars taking the rental to the airport drive back and tell Robert Kathy rented the car. But that plan blew up when Robert came home after work that evening questioning the unusal car behind her friends house. Gina decided not to flinch and she not react to Robert's inquiry.

Three days before the move Robert and Gina fought. “You are up to something, I don’t know what but you are" yelled Robert. A credit card company called today asking for you by name to verify an address change. Gina looked him square in the eyes and said “that’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t you dare leave I will come after you; I love you so much I won’t know what to do with you.” Again,Gina did not react . Instead she replied it was a mistake. “Maybe someone was trying to steal her personal information that is why she pays extra to have the credit fraud on her account.”

On Tuesday Gina met another friend who took her for the rental car. When she returned Gina placed a call from her friend’s home to make changes to her address with a bank and her credit cards. Gina knew Robert could call in every one of her credit cards once he learned she was gone and report them stolen or lost as many abusers will do making them unusable.

But that was something Gina already figured Robert would do. She was just trying to have at least one good credit card to use for emergencies.

Gina was also prepared for Robert to contact the State police and report her missing. He was a lawyer after all and capable of doing almost anything. At her friend’s home Gina typed a quick letter on the keyboard and printed it out for Robert. Then she folded it and placed the envelope in her boot. In the letter she told Robert the marriage was over and that she had contacted the State police just in case he decides to have a buddy issue a missing persons alert.

Gina noted the time and hurried back home before Robert returned. The next day Gina picked up Kathy at the airport. They went over the plan. That evening a few friends would be over for dinner and immediately after Robert leaves for work in the morning Gina had 1 hour to pack the car and go.

Thursday morning Gina’s stomach was in knots. She packed up the car, woke Kathy, and the two women went over the list Kathy had printed and brought with her the list for Gina items they discussed over the phone a week earlier.

Gina placed a note she had written earlier that morning to Robert on the kitchen counter with her house keys and they left. Once on road Gina disabled her cell phone removing the battery to the phone so Robert would not be able to track where she was headed.

In my opinion, Gina is alive because she had a plan. If she did not, we would likely be reading her obituary with our morning coffee.