THE VOW

ONE YEAR LATER - THE PARK

June 14th, 2025. One year after we poured the lake.

The Vow doesn't exist on maps anymore. Cobb County renamed it on Google: *JUNE PARK - VICTIM MEMORIAL.*

Six houses still stand, but repainted. Not white. Colors.

House One - mine - painted yellow. I live there still, but not with Kevin. Divorce final March. He got 3 years probation, no jail, because he testified against Eleanor. He teaches math at Morehouse now, lives in dorm, sends me $200 a month that I put in Imani's college fund. He visits park, sits on bench, never asks to come inside House One.

House Two - Simone lives there. Ankle monitor off in January for good behavior. She manages park. She never wears white anymore. Only black. She poured every bench foundation herself, 12 benches, perfect concrete. She has list of 30 babies from safe, found 12 so far, invites them to park each June 14th. She calls herself House Two still, like penance.

House Three - Priya 2024 owns it now. She changed name to House Three Legal Aid. Free contract reading for young wives. She reads page two out loud. Real Priya, original 2019 Anaya, lives with her as roommate. They are sisters now, not return dates.

House Four - Lena and Rollins live there. Together. He quit Atlanta PD, now runs cold case unit for Vault Babies. Lena runs library inside House Four, 400 books Mae saved from bunker, plus that first book _HOW TO HIDE A GIRL_ under glass. Lena is pregnant. Due June 14th, 2026. Size doesn't matter. She says baby will be House Zero, first baby born above ground, not under lake.

House Five - Mae lives there. Neck brace off. Voice back, hoarse. She grows tomatoes where laundry house was. Laundry house demolished. Washer one hatch filled with dirt and flowers. She wears silver bracelet, never takes off. She told me once: "I hid 43 girls in 6 years under lake. You were last one I tried to hide. You came back. So I got poured. Worth it."

House Six - Empty. For new family. With new deed, no page two. Cobb County holds it until someone size 6 or size 16 or any size, any wedding day, needs safe house. No Vow. Just house.

And in middle, where black lake was, gray slab is now park.

We didn't leave gray. We painted it. Mural. By Imani.

Imani - House One 2025, now 18, Spelman freshman, full real scholarship from Rollins' mother Patricia - painted mural last month with 43 girls from bunker wall names plus 30 babies.

Mural: Black girl with afro, size 6 dress burning, holding shovel, standing on concrete that says JUNE 14TH IS NOT RETURN DATE. IT'S BIRTHDAY.

At bottom, small bones painted, with flowers, labeled E. VOW MOTHER 1972 - SHE WROTE BOOK TO SAVE GIRLS.

Eleanor?

Federal trial February. Judge was not Holt - Holt in prison, wife in memory care, doll house demolished, 6 desert girls adopted legally by Mrs. Holt's sister, all in therapy.

Eleanor got 40 years. No parole. Trafficking, murder of mother, attempted murder of Mae. She sent letter from prison to Simone on June 1st:

_Daughter, pour my cell floor. I want House Zero again. - Mom_

Simone burned letter, poured new bench instead.

Agent Shaw came today, for park opening. Brought cake again, same grocery store, but this year 27 candles for Rollins, plus one for Lena's baby coming.

She said FBI found one more safe, under House Six, not under lake. Not bones. Money. $4.2 million cash, Eleanor's mother started saving 1972 from adoption fees.

Patricia Rollins, lawyer, motioned to give all to victims fund.

I got $120k. Priya got $120k. Lena, Anaya, Amara, Grace, Imani - all got.

I used mine to pay off House One mortgage, so no bank can ever say return.

At 3:30 p.m. today, same time we raided The Vow a year ago, we all sat on bench in park.

Me, Priya, Lena (belly big), Rollins, Mae, Simone, Imani, Anaya, Amara, Grace, plus 12 Vault Babies we found, including a 26-year-old man who is Rollins' half-brother, also Holt's son, birthday June 14th, 1999.

We read names off wall.

Not ZURI 2024. But ZURI WILLIAMS, HOUSE ONE, 2024, SURVIVOR.

PRIYA PATEL, HOUSE THREE, 2024, SURVIVOR.

LENA CARTER, HOUSE ZERO BABY, 2006, HOUSE ONE WIFE 2018, SURVIVOR, LIBRARIAN.

MAE JOHNSON, HOUSE KEEPER, 2018-2024, SAVED 43.

And last, new plaque, just poured by Simone this morning, still wet:

JUNE PARK - BUILT JUNE 14TH 2024 - ON CONCRETE THAT USED TO BURY GIRLS - NOW HOLDS THEM UP.

Kevin came late, stood at edge, didn't sit. He waved. I waved back.

He left tomato from Mae's garden on House One porch. For old times.

At sunset, we left park lights on. Not warm white like Eleanor had. Bright white, like library.

No electric fence anymore. Anyone can walk in.

And tonight, first night in 53 years, no white dress, size 6, will be returned early to black lake, because black lake is gone.

It's just park.

And I am just Zuri.

Not early. Not return. Just home.