To those who commented that my original version was rushed at the end, I agree. All other comments have been addressed as well. I hope this edited and extended version is an improvement even though I still left some things to the reader's imagination. I know those omissions will disappoint some, after all, this is Literotica. Those of you who just want to see how it ends can skip to the middle of page 4.
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Most of the year, Washington, D.C. is a cold landscape of government buildings accented by the white marble of its historic monuments but for a short time between the months of March and April, it becomes a magical place when cherry blossoms bloom. Those tiny pink and white petals bring out smiles hidden the rest of the year.
It was one of the few joys that I looked forward to while working there. The word "monotonous" doesn't begin to describe my life. Six days a week, I got up, followed the same morning bathroom ritual, and dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a tie. My life was so routine, the only way to remember what I did on a particular day was to think about which tie I wore. Each morning, after grabbing a cup of coffee from my coffeemaker and the lunch prepared the night before, I drove to the office following the same route. For the next eight hours I'd do paperwork and stare at the clock on my desk. It didn't make it go any faster but that's what I did. God, I hated my job. It's not that it was stressful or physically demanding, it was just sooo boring.
As a child I had dreams of an exciting life. At five it was to be a cowboy, at seven a fireman and at eight an astronaut but those dreams faded and when forced to make a decision in college, Accounting was chosen as my major. Considering my earlier choices, it would seem a strange decision unless you knew my dad. He's the type of person I wanted to be, a loving husband and father. He's also an accountant. His hours seemed reasonable except for tax time and the pay was decent so it seemed like a good idea at the time. Of course, being an accountant did absolutely nothing for my love life. Telling people what I did for a living didn't cause beautiful women to fall at my feet. Hell, my life was so pathetic that I considered not removing those pictures that come inside cheap wallets so I could pretend I had a life.
As if that wasn't enough, I worked for the government, you know, that three-letter branch that everyone hates on April 15th. The bad news was that I could never tell anyone. I did that once. Nothing kills the mood at a social gathering faster than saying that you work for the IRS. Everyone stops talking and starts to avoid you. So, from that point on, to anyone who asked, I was just an accountant.
Although I can't tell you the exact date it happened, I remember many details of the night I took a long, hard look at my life. It was during cherry blossom time and I was wearing a yellow tie with blue stripes.
After a dinner of sesame chicken and broccoli ordered from my favorite Chinese restaurant, I settled in for a night of channel surfing. Scrolling through the menu on my TV, I noticed a movie called "The Accountant" starring Ben Affleck. I was curious how they could make an interesting movie about such a boring occupation. Well, by the time the final credits rolled I was sure of one thing, the life of the main character was everything my life wasn't, it was exciting and dangerous. The only thing we had in common was our first name, Christian. Maybe I could do without the dangerous part but immediately I knew my life had to change.
I've never been an impulsive person but that night was the exception. The rest of the evening was spent packing up my things and and loading my car. It was amazing to see how little was important enough to take with me. What was left was placed in bags and dumped down the chute that led to the garbage area in the basement of my apartment building.
The next day I handed in my resignation, telling everyone that I decided to start my own company. I left the building happy, knowing I wouldn't have to deal with all the people who file their tax forms at the last minute.
Next, a few thousand dollars in travel money was withdrawn from my checking account. Between the cash, my checkbook and credit cards, I could handle anything that came up. Payments on the charges made to my credit cards wouldn't be a problem since they could always be made online.
That was followed by a trip to the post office to put a hold on delivery of my mail. In time, a change of address card would be filled out and my parents could forward anything important that was held.
Finally, my keys were left at the renting office in my apartment building. With all of that done, I kissed my old life goodbye and headed west in my 2015 Honda Civic. When the car was purchased, I was only looking for one that was practical and inexpensive but after watching that movie, I wanted more, much more. I was only thirty-two at the time and yet I was going through a full-blown midlife crisis.
Until that point, I'd never even been out of Maryland but that was easy to change. It was about 3:00 p.m. when I drove into a small town in West Virginia called Elkins. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten all day, acting purely on adrenaline. Definitely not in the mood for fast food, I searched for an alternative, eventually settling on a restaurant where my new freedom was celebrated with a delicious meal that included a New York strip steak, grilled shrimp and a baked potato.
I motioned to the waitress who had been serving me. The name plate on her blouse said her name was Rebecca.
"Yes, sir?"
"Rebecca, can you suggest where I might get some new clothes and maybe a car?"
"A rental car?"
"No, I want to trade in my car for something better."
"Well, we don't have many stores that carry fancy clothes and only a few car dealerships."
"The clothes don't have to be fancy, and as for cars, I'm not really sure what I want."
"I'll write down the names of some places and place the information in the billfold along with your check."
"Thank you, Rebecca."
It didn't take long to find the clothing stores and car dealerships that she wrote down. As I said before, Elkins is a small town. I picked out some comfortable clothes and drove to the car dealership that, according to Rebecca, had the widest selection.
A salesman slowly walked to my car the second I pulled into the dealership.
"What can I interest you in, today?"
"I don't know. I just know it has to be bigger than this," as I pointed to my car.
"New or used?"
"Used."
"Family car?"
"No. My midlife crisis does not include a minivan."
"So, something a little fast?"
I thought, "When in Rome..." and I decided on a car you'd never see in D.C.
"I want a pickup truck."
"Well then, you've come to the right place."
I came into town in a Civic and left in a dark red 2018 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT Z71 that had a cover over the bed. I didn't know what all those letters and numbers really meant, I just knew that it looked badass and was loaded with features, a far cry from what I drove up in. Nobody would ever look at it and think that the owner was an accountant, and it was perfect for hauling my stuff.
It had been a long day and all I could think about now was taking a hot shower. Feeling the warm water as it ran over my body always relaxed me. As I checked into a hotel, I thought about what I'd done. Everything was totally out of character. While my daily routines may have been boring, they gave my life a sense of order. My new freedom was exhilarating but it was also scary. It was the first time that I'd been without a home, without a job. As much as I wanted to change, right then I needed something to battle the uncertainty I felt. I left without a plan. What I chose to do that night wasn't much but it was a start. I made a list of the cities I wanted to travel to.
Early the next morning, with that list in my pocket, I hit the road again. My next stop would be a TA Travel Center where I could fill up my tank and get a decent breakfast.
I was sipping a cup of coffee at the Travel Center restaurant when a couple walked in. What caught my attention was how different they looked. It was hard to tell but she appeared to be in her mid-twenties, dressed in an outfit that looked like it came from an Army surplus store complete with a serious hiking backpack and what looked like a sleeping bag cinched under it. I judged him to be about forty and dressed in a business suit. Definitely a strange-looking couple. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but he was talking so loudly it was hard not to.
At one point he was almost shouting. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm almost home and I can get there the rest of the way on my own."
"That's it? Not even a kiss for my trouble?"
The girl started scanning the room before running over and sitting at my table. "Tommy, I didn't expect to find you here. It's been, what, five years?"
I was startled by her sudden appearance. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the man she came in with looked very unhappy as he slowly walked to where we sat.
"Where are my manners? Tommy this is, I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"
"Mike."
"Oh yeah,... Mike. Tommy this is Mike and he was kind enough to get me this close to home. I was hitchhiking home from college when he stopped to give me a ride."
Now, my social skills definitely aren't my strongest trait but I was smart enough to figure out the situation. Looking at the girl I said, "I haven't talked to your parents since I left for Washington. How are they?"
"They're fine. You know, they always thought you and I were going to get married before you left town for your new job."
"To tell you the truth, that was the hardest part of leaving but we both knew a long-distance relationship wouldn't work." Looking up at Mike I said, "Thanks for getting my girlfriend home."
Then turning to the girl, I said, "Do you have anything else in his car?"
