First semester was finally over, it was time to go home til after Christmas. Before I left, I went to the Women's dorm to take Janelle to the airport. I found her in her room, crying.
"What's wrong?" I asked. "You can't possibly be worried about our finals, we studied our asses off."
"No, not that." She sobbed. "I just got off the phone with Dad, he couldn't get me a flight home."
"Ok, so why the tears?" I probed. "Just drive home."
"I don't have a car here." She answered.
I felt stupid. I'd known her for an entire semester and I never realized she didn't have a car. She was so enamored with mine that we always took it.
"I'm sorry Janelle." I said hugging her. "I just assumed you had a car, I feel really dumb right now."
She smiled faintly at my discomfort. "I was so busy drooling over yours, I guess it never came up."
"You know?" I grinned. "My parents are on a cruise for their 25th anniversary, I'm going home to an empty house, how 'bout I drive you home?"
She stood there momentarily, stunned, as what I said registered in her grief-stricken brain. "What... really?" "You'd do that for me?"
"Sure." I responded. "If it won't cause any problems."
"Let me call Dad real quick." She chirped. "But I'm sure it'll be fine."
Within two hours, we were on the road, the 912 humming like a sewing machine. We'd have to stop overnight, just not enough of the day left to get there.
We stopped in extreme western New York state about 10:30PM, tired and hungry. We found a motel and checked in.
"Anything left open this late to get something to eat?" I asked the clerk, a middle aged lady with a kind smile.
"There is a 24 hour diner about 5 miles up the road." She answered. "I don't recommend it if you value your insides, not the best if you know what I mean."
"I was afraid of that." I sighed. "Guess we'll just have to..."
"Tell you what." The clerk said. "My husband and I own this place, let me get him down here to cover the desk and I'll whip up something for you two."
"We couldn't." Janelle protested. "You don't even know us."
"College kids trying to get home for Christmas, right?" She smiled. "Not the first time I've seen it." "Now you two get upstairs and get comfortable and I'll bring you something in about 45 minutes."
"Thanks ma'am." I smiled. "You are an angel."
"It is THE season after all." She laughed. "Merry Christmas."
"To you as well." Janelle beamed.
We went to our room, got comfortable and waited for our host.
A short time later, she knocked on the door. "Come in." I said.
"Hope you like it." The clerk lady said. "Best I could do on short notice." She sat down 2 steaming bowls of the best smelling beef stew I'd ever encountered along with fresh baked biscuits and apple butter.
"I...thanks doesn't seem adequate." I stammered.
Janelle jumped up and hugged her. "It looks wonderful and smells even better, thank you soooo much."
"Just leave the dishes, I'll get them tomorrow." With that, she left. "Sleep well."
After we ate, we took a quick shower and went to bed. I did enjoy snuggling Janelle's naked body, but we were both too tired to do anything else.
In the morning, my eyes slowly fluttered open. Janelle was lying next to me, already awake, smiling. "Morning RJ." She half whispered.
"Morning beautiful." I answered. "Ready to get going?"
"Yep." She chirped. "Can't wait to get home and see Mom and Dad."
"How do I play this?" I asked. "Do they know about us?" I wasn't sure how her parents were going to take her dragging a redneck white boy home as her boyfriend.
"Well I did tell them I was seeing someone." She giggled. "Might have left out some of the details."
She let me panic for a few seconds before she laughed and hugged me. "As long as you're good to me, they couldn't care less, relax."
We packed up and headed downstairs, checked out and after thanking the owners once again, continued our journey.
Janelle figured we'd get there by early afternoon, as long as the roads were clear. This was WAY before anything like the internet, so we had no way of knowing what we were driving into.
Lucky for us it was a beautiful, sunny day. It had snowed recently as everything was covered in a pristine, white shroud, but the roads were dry. The countryside was amazing, like something out of a Currier and Ives print. Very majestic.
"Oooh, turn here." Janelle squealed. "We're here!"
Damn, I was so wrapped up in the scenery, I'd nearly missed it.
I pulled in and parked in front of one of the garage doors. We had barely stopped moving before Janelle bounded out of the and ran for the front door. Just as she reached the steps, the door opened and her Mom appeared.
"There's my baby." She smiled, enveloping Janelle in a hug.
Janelle's Dad came out just behind his wife and after peeling her off her mother, hugged her as well.
I stood back, not wanting to intrude.
Shortly, their attention turned to me. I was terrified.
"Mom, Dad this is RJ." Janelle said, making the introduction.
I stuck my hand out and approached Janelle's Mom. "Pleased to meet..."
"Oh, honey, we're huggers, hope you don't mind." She beamed, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me on the cheek. "Thank you so much for bringing our baby home."
"Doris, behave, the boy just got here." Her Dad boomed. "Give him a minute." He shook my hand. "She gets a bit carried away sometimes."
"I understand, Sir." I smiled. My Mom is very much the same way."
"Oh, we'll have none of this "Sir" crap." He grinned. "I'm Ronald, call me Ron." Glancing over my shoulder, he finally saw my car. "Yours?"
"Yes Sir...I mean Ron." I stuttered. "Janelle tells me you have one as well."
"68, green, but otherwise, same as yours." He grinned. "Bought it new, babied it ever since."
We talked cars for awhile, Ron inspecting mine in detail, before Doris called us into the house. After the grand tour, we settled in the family room by the fireplace and got acquainted.