A woman opened a handbag she bought at a flea market and discovered a piece of paper inside.
“What is this?” she asked, pulling it out. She had no idea that the message engraved on it would lead her somewhere unexpected.
“Look, Nick. This bag is as good as new!” Jane pointed to a cart full of bags at the flea market.
Jane and Nick went to the flea market a week before their second wedding anniversary. During their last visit, they bought designer jackets at a fraction of the original price, and Jane was now eyeing an antique handbag.
“Yeah, it looks good. But you already have so many handbags in your closet,” Nick said.
“I don’t have anything like this. Just look at the quality of this one!” Jane slid her hand over the handbag.
Nick stared at his wife and shook his head. “We aren’t buying this, Jane,” he said.
Jane and Nick started arguing while standing next to the bag cart. The tall, muscular cart owner glanced at Nick, while his wife stood behind him.
A few moments later, Jane started crying. “Alright, alright! I’m sorry. I’ll buy you the bag. Please stop crying!” Nick pleaded.
“How much is this for?” Nick asked the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper’s wife gazed at Nick but did not say anything. When the merchant announced the price, Nick pulled his wallet from his pocket and handed him the money.
Her smile dimmed when she noticed a piece of paper inside the bag.
However, while standing near the cart, Nick detected something peculiar. He felt the shopkeeper’s wife wanted to say something, but she just stood there and stared at him.
“Can I help you with something?” Nick asked the fragile woman.
“She can’t speak,” the shopkeeper replied sternly. “She is mute.”
“Oh, okay,” Nick smiled at the man.
Before leaving the cart, Nick watched the shopkeeper’s wife move her lips to speak. However, Nick left the cart because Jane stated that she wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
Jane freshened up after arriving home and sat on the bed to unwrap her new acquisition. “This is so beautiful!” she said as she unzipped the main compartment.
Her smile dimmed when she noticed a piece of paper inside the bag. What is this? She puzzled as she pulled it out. She unfolded the paper and read the words on it.
“Help me! ASAP!” Jane read.
“Hey, Nick! See what I found here!” she called her husband from the other room.
“What is it, honey?” Nick asked worriedly.
Then Jane handed him the message, telling him she found it in the bag. Nick’s brow wrinkled and his eyes widened after reading the letter since he assumed he knew who had written it.
“It’s the woman… she wanted to say something,” Nick told Jane.
“Which woman?” Jane asked.
“The shopkeeper’s wife,” Nick said. “Didn’t you notice she moved her lips to say something before we left?”
“But the man said she couldn’t speak, Nick,” Jane shrugged. “You’re overthinking.”
“No, Jane,” Nick shook his head. “I know this message is from her. She needs our help.”
Nick took up the handbag and put the message inside. “I’m going back to the flea market to help the woman. I’m sure she’s in trouble and needs us, Jane,” he said.
“Okay, honey,” Jane hugged her husband. “Be safe!”
Nick returned to the flea market and searched for the proprietor. Unfortunately, the man and his wife were no longer there. When he inquired the other merchants about the pair, he discovered that they had left for home.
Should I tell them about the note? Nick wondered. Instead of telling the other shops what he saw inside the handbag, Nick inquired about the couple.
“Did you ever see them fight in the market?” Nick asked.
All of the shops shook their heads, but Nick suspected they were hiding something from him. He suspected they were terrified of telling the truth.
“Can you give me their address? I found something precious inside this bag and want to return it to them,” Nick lied.
Only one of the salesmen came forward to tell Nick where the man and his wife resided. “His name is Brad,” the shopkeeper said to Nick.
“Thank you!” Nick smiled at the shopkeeper and drove to Brad’s house.
Nick left the flea market just as it was getting dark, and he had to travel for half an hour to Brad’s house. The shopkeeper and his wife lived in a trailer parked on the outskirts of town, surrounded by bushes.
“Hey! Open the door!” Nick shouted.
When Nick arrived at the spot, he parked near the trailer and turned off his headlights. He noticed two moving figures through the curtains on the trailer’s window. “It seems like they are fighting,” he told me.
When Nick got out of his car, he heard the man yell at his wife. “She certainly needs my help,” Nick remarked, knocking on the trailer’s door.
Brad went silent and approached the door to see who was there. Having visitors was unusual given how far he lived from the city. “Who is it?” Brad muttered and opened the blinds to look out the window.
“What are you doing here?” Brad’s brows furrowed, and his eyes widened. He was furious to see Nick standing on his porch. “Go away!”
Before Nick could react, Brad closed the curtains and turned off all of the lights inside the trailer, preventing Nick from seeing anything.
“Hey! Open the door.” Nick shouted and knocked on the door, but Brad did not answer.
What should I do now? Nick wondered. He was certain Brad’s wife had placed the message in her handbag, but he couldn’t help her. He did not want to go without speaking to the lady.
“Miss, I’m here for you,” Nick shouted.
“Turn on your phone’s flashlight if you’re in trouble. I will help you!”
Nick was unsure whether this trick would work, so he stood outside the trailer in the dark, waiting for the woman to answer. He remained outside for about fifteen minutes, but Brad and his wife did nothing. There was complete silence inside the trailer.
Is everything OK? Why isn’t Brad saying or doing anything? Nick wondered. He was already fatigued, but he did not want to go without seeing the woman.
He stayed outside the trailer for an additional ten minutes, but no one responded. Am I overthinking? What if that note was from somebody else? Nick wondered. After a few minutes, Nick turned to leave when he noticed a bright light.
“Yes!” Nick exclaimed, rushing to the trailer’s entrance. Before he could knock, he heard Brad shout at his wife and felt something fall to the floor. “Open the door, Brad! Open the door right now!” Nick yelled.
When Brad didn’t react and kept ranting at his wife, Nick kicked and pushed the door open. Eventually, he broke inside. Brad yelled at him, “How dare you enter my house without my permission! Get out!”
Nick noticed Brad’s wife standing behind him and recognized what was happening. Brad’s wife was a vic:tim of domestic ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ, and she needed assistance.
“Why are you looking at my wife? What do you want?” Brad grumbled and took a few steps toward Nick.
“I just came here because…”
“Because you wanted to look at my wife? How do you know her?”
“It’s nothing like that, Brad,” Nick said. “Don’t get me wrong.”
Then, Brad turned toward his wife and stared at her. “Do you know him?”
“I’ll run away before they come here,” he said before storming out the door.
She shook her head, terrified that her husband might lash out again. Then Brad turned to Nick and pointed to the door.
“GET OUT!” Brad shouted.
“I’m not leaving until you let your wife leave,” Nick replied sternly. He folded his arms on his chest to show Brad he wasn’t afraid of him.
“Oh, really?” Brad let out an evil laugh. “You want me to let my wife go with you, huh?”
“She doesn’t want to live with you!” Nick shouted.
“So now you’re going to tell me what my wife wants?” Brad gave Nick an angry look and walked towards him.
Just as Brad was going to strike Nick, he heard police sirens approaching his trailer. “Did you call the cops?” Brad let out a growl. “You will pay for this!”
Brad went into his room and grabbed a bag. “I’ll run away before they come here,” he muttered as he stormed out the door.
Two police cars came before Brad could flee and apprehended him instantly. After escorting him into the police van, the cops thanked Nick for calling.
“I found this note inside the handbag my wife bought from Brad’s cart,” Nick told them.
A few police officers entered the trailer and told Brad’s wife she was secure. “Please come with us to the police station. You need to file a complaint against your husband,” they urged her.
Nick went with the woman to the police station, where she filed a complaint against Brad. Over there, Nick discovered her name was Anna.
After filing the report, Anna left the police station and planned to return home. “Hey, Anna! Why don’t you come to my place? I want you to meet my wife, Jane,” Nick said.
Nick brought Anna home and called his wife. “Jane! See who’s here to meet you!” he remarked, inviting Anna to sit in the living room.
When Jane came, he introduced her to Anna. “This is Anna. Remember we met her earlier this morning at the flea market? She left that note for us,” Nick said.
Jane hugged Anna and was saddened when the silent woman cried hysterically on Jane’s shoulder. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, Anna,” Jane rubbed her back, attempting to calm her down.
When she was younger, she married a wealthy man who loved and cared for her.
“We’re here for you, Anna,” Nick said. “That man won’t hurt you again. The police will teach him a lesson.”
When Anna stopped crying, she tried to talk but couldn’t. “Should I bring you a pen and a piece of paper?” Nick asked.
When Anna nodded, he swiftly retrieved a pen and handed it to her along with a piece of paper. Anna then typed out her story for Jane and Nick.
She explained that she wasn’t mute by birth. When she was younger, she married a wealthy man who loved and cared for her. Unfortunately, he died five years later.
Then Anna met Brad and fell in love. At first, he appeared to be a good man. She felt she could live peacefully with him, but the truth about his nature revealed before her a few weeks after they tied the knot.
“He spent all my money in a casino and forced me to sell all my branded clothes, shoes, and bags,” Jane read. “He often lost his temper and had a drinking problem. I always felt scared living with him.”
Brad returned home unhappy after losing all of his money at the casino. When he fought with Anna, she became extremely upset and lost her ability to talk.
“Since that day, I haven’t spoken a word,” Jane read. “Brad always told people that I was dumb by birth. He made my life miserable.”
After hearing Anna’s terrible story, Nick and Jane resolved to aid her. They paid for her therapy and let her stay with them until she could find work.
Meanwhile, Nick apologized to Jane for yelling at her and pledged not to raise his voice again. “I love you, Jane,” he said, holding her hand.
“I’m sorry for quarreling with you.”
A few weeks later, Anna got a job and found a safe location to live. She walked out of Jane and Nick’s house but pledged to stay in touch.
Six months later, Anna and Jane established a support group for women who had experienced domestic violence. They donated money for such ladies and helped them live in a safe environment away from the guys who made their lives miserable.
