This story started from a thought I had while I was doing some work and waiting for the scanner to do its thing.
As I typed, it grew, from some notes on a piece of paper to what has been published below.
It's a story about two people recovering from a major event in their separate lives, who meet, and discover they have much in common, and who like what they see.
Enjoy, and vote if you wish.
The Invitation
David saw the lights ahead of the servo-diner. As he got closer he saw it was on the same side of the highway he was travelling on and decided that he would take a break just like the road signs were imploring: 'Stay alive, have a 10-minute coffee break'.
David was driving to his home which was still another 250 kms away - about 2 and a half hours driving - and couldn't see the urgency to get there even if he was that weary. He might as well stop, have something to eat and a cuppa, not coffee though, and then a snooze in the car before he headed off again.
There was no one at home after the divorce he'd applied for had been granted. Divorce in Australia was only due to 'Irreconcilable Differences', there was no fault attached any more. Adultery, desertion, and any of the myriad of reasons meant nothing; quote 'Irreconcilable Differences', bide your time, and off you go, happily single or otherwise.
David had filed against his former wife and gained the divorce from her some 2 years before. He had kept his home and most of his assets after she had left him for the snake in the grass Thomas James Henry, the dickwad with 3 first names he had called him, but it still cost him a lot of money to pay her out, however it was 'money well spent' in his opinion.
Thomas James Henry (TJ he liked to be known as - made him sound more 'hip', 'with it' and superior to the mere plebs with whom he had to deal with on a daily basis), had been headhunted into the branch office to replace Warren Rolfe, the Manager, who had collapsed at his home and died. TJ immediately staked his superiority and micro-management of everything that went on in the office. He had made it known that he wanted Sherree, and she succumbed to his charms, although apparently it didn't take that much time to win her over, a couple of lunches, an evening dinner or two, the promise of quick promotion, and she was putty in his hands.
It wasn't long before he had her panties off and in doing so, killed her marriage so that 18 months later she was a free woman. TJ then found himself with a single - recently divorced - woman with nowhere to go. Unfortunately for Sherree, that arrangement didn't fit in with his plans at all and she found herself without a job, a husband, and living in a small flat.
When the snake realised that she might become an unwanted burden upon his lifestyle, he dropped her like a bucket of hot rocks. She came crawling back to David, crying that she was mistaken, it didn't mean anything, and to please forgive her of her transgressions.
David looked at her, shook his head and said, "No, no way in hell are you coming back in this house. I told you when I found out after you had been bonking him for six months, how you were wrong, he didn't want you, just someone to screw. But of course, you didn't believe me, I was wrong, you loved each other, you said, and you were going to him. Even after I pleaded with you to stay, you told me you'd be back on Sunday evening so you could get your stuff moved and you'd be gone the next day.
Well, you know how well that worked out for you, and now that you realise you were wrong and Dickwad is a bastard and pussy hound, by the way, how many others has he been through now, last I heard it was 4 besides you, you want to crawl back here with me as though nothing had happened. Tell me, my dear Sherree, how long would that last? I reckon about as long as the next prick who turned up looking for a quick lay on his part while promising you the world and meaning none of it. No, thank you, you can leave now."
David closed the door in front of her face and turned the light off after telling her she'd better be quick if she wanted to find somewhere to sleep that night. Where she went, he didn't know, and cared even less.
David parked the car where he could see outside the dining room after he had refuelled it and paid the attendant. He found a table and perused the menu noting the place was almost full and he was lucky to get an unoccupied table at all. The waitress took his order, including a pot of tea and returned after a few minutes with the tea, and some milk.
He could see the door and the large TV screen from he was sitting, but the sound had been turned down. He lost interest in the TV and gazed about him seeing a small white Toyota sedan pull in next to his car. The door opened and a young woman of about 30 years got out, closed, locked the door, and entered the diner, looking around for an empty table.
She made her way toward him, David pleading with the God's that she passed him by. No such luck however as she stopped opposite him and asked if he would mind sharing the table.
Reluctantly, he stood, and indicated the chair next to her. "Thankyou," she softly said, "I haven't eaten all day, been driving nonstop, to get.....well just to get away, I guess you could say."
David asked the young woman if she would like tea or coffee? "Tea, please, I can't stand coffee." He signalled to the waitress a "T" sign and watched as she turned to retrieve another cup and saucer.
David poured the tea and offered the milk to her. She added a small amount and sipped the result. "Mmm, thank goodness, I've hanging out for one of these since this morning."
"I'm David, David Draper, please call me David."
"Thank you for the tea," the woman said, "My name is Jasmin Wellington, most people call me 'Jaz'."
"Tell me, Jaz, how long have you been driving and where from? Oh, sorry, you don't have to say if you don't wish to."
Jaz tilted her head as she looked at him, as though she was trying to work out if there was anything in what she could say that might go against her, then offered, "I took off just after 8 am this morning and have driven almost non-stop, except for a toilet stop about 3 hours ago. I didn't eat or get a drink there, just kept going."
"Are you in a hurry to get somewhere, getting away from something, it's just that you have driven a long way which is a bit unusual I guess?"
"No, not really, but I'm sort of in a hurry to get back to my home, I'm not really that comfortable otherwise."
"How far do you have to go, then?"
"I'm driving to the hills near Perth, so I suppose about 250 kilometres yet."
"Coincidence, I'm driving to Greenmount in the eastern hills, back home as well. I work away at times, and I'm heading home after nearly 3 weeks away. I guess I'm lucky I don't have any pets, but I have neighbours who keep an eye on the place for me."
"Where were you working, David?"
"I was doing some work at the roadhouses between Eucla and Norseman, checking out the computer systems and making sure the satellite connections are working as they should, and running software audits, that sort of thing. Not that interesting really, but sometimes you find some interesting things that need investigation. I hand it the back-room boys then and they sort it out."
