Chapter 3: the notebook
Evelyn pulled the shade on the window to block the sunlight from streaming in. They had already been on board for over three hours. It was around 9:45pm but since they were following the setting sun it was still daylight out.
They had just pulled back into the sky about 20 minutes ago, after a stop in San Francisco to pick up and drop off passengers. Now that things had quieted down on the plane it was time for her daughter to go to sleep.
Wrapped in a blanket with her pacifier in her mouth Evelyn rocked her daughter gently and sang in a low voice. Ever since the plane took off the first time her daughter had been fussy. All the new experiences were taking a toll on her and she was in sensory overload. It took a while for her to finally drift off to sleep as she was trying to fight it.
Once she was sound asleep Evelyn put her in her carseat. Grabbing an extra blanket out of the diaper bag she put it over the carseat to keep the air condition and light out. With her daughter taken care of Evelyn now focused on taking care of herself. First things first she needed to readjust her shirt and bra after breastfeeding the little tiger. Once that was done she looked around to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied that no one was looking Evelyn removed the itchy blonde wig that she had been wearing to the airport and shoved it in her purse. With her hair being shoved under the wig it was a mess. Using her fingers Evelyn combed out her long chestnut brown hair until it looked halfway decent. She then put it in a braid to keep it out of her face and contained. Once finished Evelyn dug into her purse for a pack of chocolate chip cookies and her bottle of juice.
You would think after having a baby and snacking like she does she would have gained a lot of weight. But truth be told, she was skinnier now then before she was pregnant and that was without extra exercise. She could only imagine how much weight she'd lose once she got to Tokyo and started walking everywhere. Pair that with carrying her daughter, she was definitely going to lose fat and build muscle. Finishing her cookies Evelyn cleaned up the crumbs on her tray and put all her trash in the empty juice bottle.
Then because she wasn't tired she decided to go over her notes. Turning on the overhead light Evelyn reached into her purse and pulled out a small notebook and pen. This notebook had been her partner in crime for the last four months. Anything and everything had been written down in it. She had multiple checklists and all her information in it to help her stay on track. The first few pages were just thoughts, ideas, and questions like, "Where can I go that he could never find me?" or "I hate being here. I hate feeling this way. So I never want my daughter to have to live like this."
After that the next few pages became more detailed and pointed like, "How much money do I need to get away successfully?" or "What do I absolutely need to get away?" With these pages Evelyn started researching information and writing out lists. She realized that it was going to take five to six months to get everything set for their escape. They would need passports, visas, airplane tickets, and most importantly money. All of these things took time but luckily she was able to get it done in only four months.
The pages after that consisted of important information like her new email address and password. Her secret PO Box number, for the mail she couldn't have her husband finding out about. Her account information for United Airlines. The website for renting an apartment in Tokyo. Her new lawyer's information. Her new bank account information. She had thought of everything and it was was all in this notebook.
Turning to the last couple pages,she had filled in, she started going over the things she had written.
[Name: Mrs. Eve Kennedy]
Once she got off the plane she would no longer be the married Evelyn Reece but she would become the widowed Eve Kennedy. She had thought about going back to her maiden name of Mitchell or her mother's maiden name of Steward but knew it would be easy for her husband and his family to track her if she did. So she chose to use her beloved grandmother's maiden name instead. Her grandmother had raised her after her parents had died in a car accident when she was twelve. And if her grandma had not passed away 5 years ago and was still around she would have never gotten married to that scoundrel. So it was only right to honor her grandma by taking her name.
As for pretending to be a widow it was the easiest choice for her. First, it was a way to explain her being alone with a child. Second, people are more likely to except them if she was a widow verses a single mom or a divorcée. And thirdly, it would keep people from prying into her past. When people find out that her husband died and she moved far, far away they immediately think tragedy and stop asking questions.
Eve hoped that in a few years she would be strong enough mentally, physically, and emotionally to face her bitter past. Because only then she could file for divorce on grounds of them living separately for years. She wished that she could get a divorce now but even her lawyer advised against it. With no visible evidence of abuse it would be her word against his and since he and his family were upstanding citizens in the community there would be no way she would survive the legal battle, let alone get custody of her daughter. No, the only way for her to win was to wait.
And once she finally got divorced, she could legally changing her name to Eve Kennedy. No longer would she live in hiding or fear.