The Acura Integra ahead of me was off kilter, leaning to the right. Sure enough, the right rear tire was almost flat. The car's brake lights and turn signal came on as it moved over into the breakdown lane.
As I began to pass by, I saw that the driver was a young woman. I like to think I would have stopped had it been someone older, but I really don't know. Even at first glance she was good-looking and in need of a man's help. So I pulled ahead of her into the breakdown lane and stopped.
It was sprinkling rain. I put on my St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap, the blue one they wear for road games; then, zipped up my windbreaker, and walked back to her car.
Her ash blonde mane was not much longer than my own blonde hair. She was wearing black pedal pushers and a faded denim jacket adorned with sequins. She looked at me, not as friendly or grateful as I expected; then said, "I've had a slow leak in that tire. Guess I should have had it fixed."
Raindrops were collecting in her hair, little diamonds that sparkled in the late afternoon light. At least that's how I remembered her later. "I can change it for you," I said, speaking loud enough to be heard over the traffic on Interstate-70. "You'll need to open the trunk."
She did so, and I began to undo the cover on the spare. She vigorously shook her head, causing the droplets in her hair to fly. I knew then that I had seen her before, but could not recall where. "Look," the woman said, "I'm getting wet out here. Do you mind if I get back in the car?" Almost as an afterthought she added, "I appreciate your help."
"No problem," I grinned. "Shouldn't take long."
But the spare tire was as flat as the one on the car. I walked up to the passenger side window and tapped on it. She clicked the ignition on and rolled down the window.
"Your spare tire's flat!" I yelled, "I can take you to a garage to get it fixed if you like."
"Dammit!" she swore, slamming her hand against the steering wheel, "I've got to be at work soon!" She considered her options, and then said, "Look, can you just drive me to my apartment?"
I agreed and offered to take the spare with me and get it repaired. She waited as I took out the spare and put it in my trunk. She had two bags of groceries in the back seat, so I transferred them to my car as well. The rain was coming down harder now. The woman got out and locked her car and sprinted to mine, sliding into the passenger seat.
She gave me a quick smile and just like that I recognized her. She was Jade. She saw the look of recognition on my face and frowned. Much to my surprise, she remembered me as well. "I thought it was you. You're the one who looked like he's still in high school, aren't you?"
It's strange to meet a woman casually like that, a woman so ordinary in dress, and recall that you've seen her stark naked, that you've caressed her soft butt, and that she has given you the most shameless looks of raw sexual desire. She was at once the same person and yet someone else.
"Just my luck!" Jade murmured. Then, "Okay, go ahead and say it. 'I didn't recognize you with your clothes on?' C'mon, I've heard all those witty lines!"
I shrugged, saying only, "Hi! My name's Cale." I offered her my hand but she didn't shake it. "Can we go now?" she said.
We arrived at her apartment in about ten minutes, and I carried both sacks of groceries as she opened the front door. A woman who also looked vaguely familiar got up from the sofa as we entered. She had shoulder length black hair and dark eyes, a trace of African-American in her.
"Where've you been, girl?" she cried, "we're gonna be late!"
"Had a flat tire and this guy helped me," Jade replied, smiling. "Recognize him?"
She looked at me for a second, then said, "Oh yes! The high school boy!" She grinned and went on, "How they ever let you in the club, junior, I'll never know!"
The two women began to put away the groceries. "Did you get my Tampax?" The other woman asked.
"Yeah," Jade replied. "Is a dozen enough?"
"Probably. I swear, I go through two every night." After a pause the other woman gave Jade a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, "Thanks for shopping, sweetie."
"You owe me a better kiss than that," Jade murmured. And just like that the two women were embracing, kissing each other deeply and moving their hands over each other, moaning almost imperceptibly. Jade especially didn't want to let go. When she did, she looked over to me as she caressed the other woman's breasts.
"Junior, I just want to be sure you understand .... Oh for Pete's sake, Teena, will you look at that!"
Both women stared at the bulge in my pants that was still swelling. Never had I ever gotten so hard so quickly. I blushed intensely; my throat was so tight I could hardly breathe.
"I just don't understand men!" Jade laughed, "I mean, you'd think girls like us would, but, go figure!"
CHAPTER 2
The women then shooed me out of the apartment. By seven o'clock I had gotten Jade's tire repaired and had put it on her Integra. Then I drove her car to her apartment and hid the key under a rock next to the porch as she had instructed. I called my friend Marty who came to pick me up and took me back to my own car.
Marty was the one who had taken me to the Gemini Club a week earlier as my 21st birthday present. I had had to show every form of ID on me to get in. Even then the manager, Andy, eyed me suspiciously, muttering, "Next time bring your birth certificate, kid. You don't look a day over 17." Nothing makes strip club managers more nervous than the thought of admitting a minor to the premises. They can lose their license in a heartbeat.