"Fine, Carla. I'll go up tomorrow for the wedding. If that's what it takes to make you and your family happy, then I'll go."
"Well, I also told them you'd pick up Amy after she got out of school and take her as well. Her car isn't too reliable. Aunt Shirley said she had room for her to stay Friday night."
Matt Clements knew not to argue about any of it. He and Carla had been together for 4 years and married for the past two years. At least he could pick up her cousin, Amy for some company for the four hours drive north to Fresno. Matt, Carla, and Amy all lived in Long Beach and the drive to Fresno was approximately 4 hours...up to 5 hours if the traffic was backed up due to an accident along one of the freeways. Leaving around 3 pm on a Friday afternoon virtually guaranteed a very busy freeway.
Amy Hester was a nursing student and nearing graduation. She had never been close to Carla and wasn't particularly close to her cousins in Fresno. However, she was making the trip to keep peace in the family; the same reason that Matt was making the trip. Plus, Matt was tirelessly trying to keep peace with Carla, although it seemed like a hopeless endeavor most of the time.
Matt had met Carla when they were both seniors in college. Matt was preparing for a career as a history professor and Carla was preparing to be a kindergarten teacher. 4 years later, they had both achieved their goals...professionally at least.
Matt had a great job at Long Beach State University and Carla had secured a job as a kindergarten teacher. However, the marriage wasn't too solid at all. Then Carla suddenly dropped her career as a teacher after two years and went into the real estate business. In a short time, her career had accelerated and she was earning significantly more money than Matt.
Matt was a self-admitted nerd. He wasn't anti-social, but he enjoyed reading and learning. He enjoyed modern technology and was often a useful resource for friends and family when it came to computers or any other kind of communication devices.
He never understood why a stunningly beautiful woman like Carla was so interested in him. By his own admission he wasn't so great looking. He was 5 feet ten and 160 pounds. His curly dark hair had already begun to recede. At 26 years old, he looked more like a man in his 30s. He wasn't particularly muscular although he was a decent athlete as evidenced by his tennis success in high school. He was also a fairly good golfer.
Carla was just the opposite. She was only 5 feet 2 but was perfectly built. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in to a ponytail and her 34B cups were perfectly proportioned to her body. She also had an ass that any woman would envy and every man admired. Matt knew that she could have had any guy she wanted, yet she wanted him.
In reflection several years later, he still didn't understand why. He didn't understand why she wanted him and he still fumbled around in his mind as to why he married her. Before they married the sex was great and plentiful. After their honeymoon, it was if her libido had been shut off.
Matt had been raised in a very strict and fundamental Baptist home. He knew that his parents would have been upset if they knew that he and Carla had participated in premarital sex. They would have been livid if they knew that it happened several times a week...often a few times each day.
Finally, just a week ago, she dropped the big bombshell on him...she didn't want any children. They had agreed to start a family once they bought a home but suddenly Carla changed that. Matt, a man that dearly wanted a family, was crushed. He began to question her commitment to him and even his own commitment to her.
That would create even more problems with his parents since they were vehemently opposed to divorce. Matt's older brother, Luke, had been happily married for 5 years and had a 2 years old daughter that Matt adored.
Carla's mind was made up. Any time Matt tried to approach her about it, it only started a heated argument. This wasn't the same person he met 4 years ago. She was often very distant to him and seemed to argue about nearly everything. Matt suspected she may be having an affair but had no concrete evidence to support that hypothesis...a lack of sexual desire didn't necessarily mean that she was cheating on him. However, knowing how she had craved sex in the past, he had to assume the worst.
The wedding in Fresno was put together quickly. Carla's cousin, Katie, had discovered that she was 4 weeks pregnant and the family put together a quick wedding so that no one would suspect that the baby was conceived out of wedlock. Exactly two weeks later, there would be a wedding and only a handful of people were aware of the need for the hurried ceremony. That didn't stop the whispers of those that thought the wedding was too hastily planned. They really weren't fooling anyone.
It was late in March and to complicate matters, there was a chance of snow over the Grapevine; the main freeway artery that connected Southern California and the Central Valley that included Bakersfield and Fresno. The forecast of snow wasn't expected to be too bad and there was no threat of a road closure.
By two o'clock that Friday Matt had finished teaching his last class for the week and he went home to pack for an overnight trip to Fresno. Amy was home and ready to go by 3:30 that afternoon.
As expected, there were a few delays on the Long Beach Freeway and then again on the Golden State freeway. It wasn't until after 5:30 before they began their ascent up the mountain. As they looked toward the north, the skies were extremely dark and ominous looking. Still, the forecast was mostly for rain at the elevation that he would be reaching.
The weather forecast couldn't have been more wrong. The radio broadcast mentioned that the roads heading northbound were closed at least for a few hours after the Gorman exit. Matt took the last exit and parked in front of a diner that catered to travelers; including truck drivers.
Matt and Amy sat at a table for over an hour enjoying their conversation. They had both ordered a salad and a Pepsi. The diner was now crowded since no other travelers could get much further up the road.
About that time, a highway patrol officer came by their table and informed them that the road would likely be closed for several more hours. He had just come from across the street and the motel still had two vacancies. He suggested that they grab one of those rooms before they were gone.
Matt thanked him, paid their bill, and he and Amy walked across the street immediately. There was another young couple in line in front of them. Matt was disappointed when he got to the counter and there was only one room available that had a queen sized bed.
"Dang it. I need a second room. Nothing else is available?"
"No sir, the other two motels are booked. This is the last one. I'm sure you and your girl can share a room for the night."
"She's not my wife, ma'am," Matt stated firmly. This is my wife's cousin and we're just traveling together to Fresno. That's why this is so uncomfortable."
The older lady working the front desk seemed sympathetic to their plight but was helpless to do anything else.
"Sir, I'll send some extra blankets and pillows to your room. One of you can sleep on the floor. Would that help?"
Matt shook his head in the affirmative. It was better than sleeping in the car. He agreed to take the floor. He thanked the older lady for her understanding and paid the tab for the night.
"Matt, I don't mind taking the floor. You've paid for the dinner and paid for the room. I don't have that kind of money. You've earned the bed."
Matt wouldn't agree. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed the lady to sleep on the floor? Take the bed, Amy. Seriously, it's the right thing to do."
Amy accepted Matt's offer reluctantly. She knew that he was being sincere in his convictions about being a gentleman. She had admired that quality in him since Carla first introduced her to him.
Selfishly, Amy had wished for the relationship to fail. She had known Carla since they were small children and never wanted to get too close to her. She saw Carla as a perpetually petulant child that would get angry and vengeful when she didn't get her way.
She never understood why Matt would settle for someone like her...except for her obvious physical attributes that were undeniably desirable to any normal man.
It's not that Amy wasn't attractive in her own right. She wasn't a classic beauty and she was acutely aware of it. She was a tall, stringy, 5 feet 9 inches tall with small breasts, small waist, and narrow butt. There was just enough in her hips to give a slight womanly look to her.
She did have beautiful, long red hair that was kept in either a ponytail or braided. Her hair fell down about 3 inches past her shoulders. Her best feature seemed to be her glistening green eyes which always seemed to be smiling, if that were possible, and sparse freckles on her face.
