As Joe and Sarah ride the Ferris wheel at the annual state fair, a voice echoes in the wind:

“YOU CAN’T ESCAPE US NOW. WELCOME TO TORTURE PRISON! TELL EVERYONE THAT THEY CAN RUN, BUT THEY CANNOT HIDE FROM US. HA HA HA HA.”

The voice continues to laugh as Joe and Sarah scream. As their screams fill the air, the Ferris wheel begins to shake violently. Sarah looks at Joe with fear in her eyes and asks, “Joe, what in the world is going on?” He grips her arm tightly, clearly terrified himself, and replies, “Sarah, I don’t know.” Within minutes, the Ferris wheel speeds up to an unimaginable rate, and their seat suddenly detaches from the frame. They are hurtled into the air, their screams echoing as they ascend higher and higher into the sky. As they begin to descend back toward the ground, their screams grow louder and more frantic.  Just as they are about to collide, with the concrete below, Sarah jolts awake.

“Damn!” Sarah exclaims as she sits up in bed and looks around her room.

“That was a messed-up dream.” She grabs the remote for the television and turns it on, searching for the news or anything to take her mind off her dream. Just then, the phone rings, and she answers it after the second ring.

“Hello, this is Sarah,” she says.

“Hey, sweetie, what are you doing?” Joe asks. Sarah quickly sits up in bed.

“Nothing, I just woke up not too long ago and I'm missing you. What are you doing?”

“Just out sight-seeing. Would you like to go for a ride?” Joe replies. Sarah glances at her watch and responds,

“Sure, give me a few minutes to get ready. At least 30 minutes.”

“Okay, sweetie, I’ll see you soon,” Joe says before they both hang up.

 

                                                                                                                          **********

Sarah's ancestors are from South Carolina, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Doyle, have been retired for some time. After Sarah graduated from community college, they moved from South Carolina to Tennessee. They have only lived there for less than a year. Sarah is currently unemployed and has been searching for a job. While her parents could help her find work, she prefers to do the job hunting on her own. Since they are retired, her parents enjoy traveling to different places to get away. Joe's ancestors are from Alabama. His mom and stepdad left Alabama and moved to Tennessee after completing their training to become detectives. They work at different precincts across town, while Joe works on cars and attends classes at a local college.                                                                                                                                                                              **********

Sarah has been searching for a job online as well as in newspapers. After a continuous search, she finally finds a position that interests her in an ad. She reads it over and over before writing down the details. However, she notices that there isn't a phone number associated with the ad.

“Hmm, it’s odd for a company to be hiring a front desk clerk without a phone number,” she thinks out loud. Nonetheless, she continues to gather the information she needs to apply for the job. Joe pulls up in the driveway at Sarah’s parents’ house and honks the horn. Hearing the horn, Sarah rushes down the stairs to the front door and calls out to Joe,

“Hold on a minute! I'll be right out!” Joe waves her off, shaking his head to the beat of the loud music coming from his jeep speakers. Finally, Sarah comes down and climbs into the jeep with Joe. He pulls out of the driveway after giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

“Joe, you know my parents will have a fit about you playing loud music in the driveway, especially if they are home,” she says, holding onto his hand.

“Yes, I know, and that’s why I play it,” he laughs out loud as he continues driving. “I’m just kidding, sweetheart. You know, if they were home, I wouldn’t be playing loud music at all.”

“Okay,” she responds. “So where are we going?”

“Are you hungry? We could stop to get something to eat first.” Sarah agrees, and he drives toward a restaurant.

“Hey Joe, I need to drop off my resume at a place I saw in the newspaper that’s hiring. It’s on Evals Street.” Joe looks at Sarah and replies,

“I’ve never heard of that street before, and I know this area pretty well.”

“I’ve never heard of it either,” Sarah says. “But I got the information from the newspaper. We’ll just have to map it on the GPS to see how to get there after we eat.”

“Okay, baby,” Joe replies as he continues driving toward a nearby eatery. “How about Jack's Rib Joint?” Sarah nods her head in agreement. He whips the jeep into the parking lot and parks.

“Are you going to be a gentleman and open the door for me or not?” she asks with a smile. Joe looks around, grinning, and replies,

“Not.” He laughs and smiles back at Sarah. “Just kidding, babe. You know I’m going to open the door for you.” He then walks around to the other side of the jeep and opens the door for Sarah.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”