{"id":3714,"date":"2013-12-30T14:48:33","date_gmt":"2013-12-30T20:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/?page_id=3714"},"modified":"2026-02-23T01:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T06:04:15","slug":"mina04","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/extras\/vignettes-outtakes\/confessions\/mina04\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Escape"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

AUTUMN 1987<\/p>\n

Mina: 18
\nBethlehem, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMINA!\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned at the sound of that beloved voice and saw Mitch running toward the soccer field at practice Monday afternoon. It was the last place she would have expected him, as he would have had to take time off from the mill to be here at this time of day.<\/p>\n

Choking, she ran to him and launched herself in his arms, then buried her face in his shoulder and cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ca\u2014can\u2019t\u2014\u201d She hiccuped. \u201cI have to practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo you don\u2019t,\u201d Coach Leonard said from behind her. \u201cMina, take him to my office.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Kyle,\u201d Mitch said over Mina\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime, Mitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once they were in Coach\u2019s office, Mitch lifted Mina and set her on the edge of the desk, then went and rummaged for tissues to clean her face. He found bandages, but she figured it was applicable, since her heart was broken.<\/p>\n

He got her a drink of water and hitched himself up on the desk beside her. \u201cSo \u2026 what happened? You weren\u2019t at church yesterday and your dad wanted an interview with me, but I told him to get lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get lost<\/em>?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said<\/em> that?\u201d she whispered in horrified awe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I said that,\u201d he said flatly. \u201cMy mission president was like him. I sat there and took whatever he had to dish out, but my companion didn\u2019t. I regret what I didn\u2019t do that I should\u2019ve done, and I\u2019m never going to let somebody walk all over me like that ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was like dawn had broken, and Mina poured out her heart and soul.<\/p>\n

It took a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s my daughter? I know that no-good kid\u2019s here!\u201d Mina\u2019s father\u2019s voice echoed off the walls of the school halls.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuick, hide,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not hiding from him, Mina,\u201d Mitch said. \u201cThat\u2019s not who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor my sake, Mitch. You don\u2019t know what\u2019ll happen to me at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He struggled, she knew, but because he knew she was telling the truth, he hid.<\/p>\n

She propped her ankle up on her knee and busied herself wrapping it with the bandages she\u2019d thoroughly soaked with her tears.<\/p>\n

Her father burst in and glanced around, looking for all the world like a wildman. \u201cWhere is he?\u201d he roared.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe who?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat no-good Hollander kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh \u2026 Daddy, it\u2019s six o\u2019clock. He\u2019d be at the mill.\u201d She\u2019d never lied to her father before, but it rolled off her tongue so easily it almost frightened her.<\/p>\n

He stopped short, as if he\u2019d been sucker punched. \u201cWhat happened to your ankle?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI twisted it. I\u2019m wrapping it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see that,\u201d he snapped. \u201cI\u2019m not an idiot. Hm. Well. Are you going to be able to play Wednesday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, yes, I think so. But, um, what about my birthday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about it? You have a game. You play. I<\/em> have to work on my<\/em> birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d she whispered, unaccountably hurt. She\u2019d hoped for a nice surprise birthday party for her eighteenth birthday, when she would get to vote.<\/p>\n

He turned and strode out of the room. \u201cFind a crutch if you need one and get in the car. I\u2019m hungry and I want to get home.\u201d<\/p>\n

She waited until she had heard the last of his footsteps echoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMina,\u201d Mitch said once he\u2019d un-hidden. \u201cI have an idea. You aren\u2019t going to like it, but will you at least think about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She gulped. \u201cUm, okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have an out-of-town game the first week of December in Atlantic City, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and I could get married.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mouth dropped open.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Mina,\u201d he said as if he said it every day in passing, and not for the first time ever, because he was rushed and listening for her father\u2019s footsteps. \u201cI promise, somehow, I will give you everything you ever wanted in life. So, think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to get married in the temple,\u201d she wailed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father would never allow it,\u201d he replied. \u201cWe can get sealed in a year, I promise, but he\u2019s the bishop, and he\u2019ll never sign off on your temple recommend. After we\u2019re married, we\u2019ll find an apartment in another ward and do it there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, wait,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a temple recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow wrinkled. \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was for whenever I was going to get married to Greg.\u201d She leaned forward. \u201cMitch, I can go. I don\u2019t need his permission as long as I have the recommend and I\u2019m eighteen.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo all we\u2019d really have to do is make an appointment at the Washington, DC temple. We could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stood stunned. \u201cWhat about a wedding dress?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWilhemina!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to go,\u201d she whispered, near tears.<\/p>\n

And then he kissed her for the first time, the same mouth that had kissed Inez so lustily, and she felt something low in the pit of her belly when his tongue slid along hers.<\/p>\n

Oh, my.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get it arranged,\u201d Mitch whispered once he\u2019d broken the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, breathing hard, just like she was. \u201cI\u2019ll get the first Saturday morning appointment I can get, okay? We\u2019ll figure out the rest once I get that, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Mina.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, too, Mitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

IT DIDN\u2019T MATTER that her parents weren\u2019t there when Mina became Mrs. Mitchell Grant Hollander. It only mattered that she had a wonderful man as her husband, that she\u2019d married him in the temple, and that she had a lovely dress, courtesy of her new mother-in-law.<\/p>\n

Her new in-laws weren\u2019t exactly pleased with the timing, as Mina was still in high school, but that was their only gripe and they understood the necessity.<\/p>\n

In the month since Mitch had come up with this plan, he had found a ratty little apartment into which Mina quietly moved her things via Coach Leonard, who was only too happy to assist them in this scheme, even though it meant he would lose his star player.<\/p>\n

For the longest time, her parents didn\u2019t notice her bedroom becoming more and more barren until it looked designer perfect, without all the touches she had put on it throughout the years. She shrugged when her father remarked on it. \u201cJust putting away the little girl things.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pleased her father even more since she appeared to have settled down about \u201cthe Mitch issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not a speck of her treasures remained when her father dropped her off at school Thursday morning. \u201cGame tonight, Mina. Ramp it up. You\u2019ve been lagging.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Daddy,\u201d she said meekly and alit, throwing her backpack, filled to bursting with two changes of clothes and all her most basic toiletries, over her shoulder.<\/p>\n

She watched as he drove off, wondering at how her life was going to change in about\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cMina!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch\u2019s truck had pulled in front of her and he had hopped out to open her door for her.<\/p>\n

She grinned and cast herself in his arms, kissing his face, joy flooding her soul.<\/p>\n

Free!<\/p>\n

She was free!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, her grin irrepressible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to book it, Meen,\u201d he said as he helped her in and strode around the front. \u201cWe have to get our license, and then \u2026 sightseeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

They talked and laughed and made plans all the way to Washington, DC. It wasn\u2019t as if they hadn\u2019t talked about children, but they hadn\u2019t spoken of them with a view to getting married\u2014or how quickly\u2014building a family together<\/em>. From scratch<\/em>. Just the two of them against the world.<\/p>\n

Right.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry you have to transfer high schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy can\u2019t I just get my GED?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at her sharply. \u201cDo you really want to not graduate from high school after all the work you\u2019ve put into it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, no, she didn\u2019t. At all. It was what her father had suggested in order to get her and Greg married off faster, but her wish for a high school diploma had prevailed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re leaving after you graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n

She started, and looked at him wide-eyed. \u201cLeaving? To where?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissouri. I got into Missouri University S&T.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, isn\u2019t that something you\u2019re supposed to talk about with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, yes,\u201d he said as he navigated traffic with the lead foot she\u2019d gotten used to. \u201cIn this case, I want to get you away from your dad, so it\u2019s kind of not an option. Besides, it\u2019s the best school in the country and I have a full scholarship and I just got the letter last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo \u2026 you\u2019re \u2026 taking me from my family?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at her sharply. \u201cYes. Mina, would you rather be taken by me or by Greg? We both seem like really nice guys on the surface, right? What is it about me that you like more than Greg? He has money. I don\u2019t. He has power. I don\u2019t. He has your father\u2019s approval. I don\u2019t. He finished out his mission. I didn\u2019t. By all rights, you should<\/em> like him more than you like me, but here you are with me, on your way to DC to marry me<\/em>. So maybe you should ask yourself if being away from your family is a bad thing in this instance, or even if that\u2019s maybe what you really want and are scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her nostrils flared as she looked at him, those shaggy blond curls, that rough face that could carve into laugh lines, even as young as he was. His body was broad, much bigger than it had been when she had first seen him, but now she knew it was because he\u2019d been starved before he\u2019d gotten home and went into the hospital. His big hands were rough and calloused, with dirt and grease tattooed into his fingerprints.<\/p>\n

Greg had brought her dread and fear.<\/p>\n

Mitch brought her joy and light.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d she said, and promptly fell asleep, trusting Mitch to get them there safely.<\/p>\n

★<\/p>\n

\nMina Part 1<\/a>
\nMina Part 2<\/a>
\nMina Part 3<\/a>
\nMina Part 4<\/span>
\nMina Part 5<\/a>
\nMina Part 6<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
20260223<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AUTUMN 1987 Mina: 18 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania \u201cMINA!\u201d She turned at the sound of that beloved voice and saw Mitch running toward the soccer field at practice Monday afternoon. It was the last place she would have expected him, as he would have had to take time off from the mill to be here at this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1599,"menu_order":4314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3714","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3714"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23578,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3714\/revisions\/23578"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}