I stuffed the last of the jerky and dried fruits into my pack. 10 gallons of water were already loaded into the special compartment on the back of the bike.
"Heading out, Dave?"
"For two weeks. You know it."
"Lucky bastard. Retired at forty."
"I didn't plan on the computer game I originally programmed in BASIC at age 10 to be so successful... after refining it for 25 years. Now I can do what i always wanted."
I shepherded my friend out the door, locked it behind me, and climbed onto my custom-built motorcycle. Three hours later, I was out in the desert, away from people.
I locked down the bike and climbed into my sleeping bag. There wasn't another soul within miles. The night was peaceful. I gazed happily at the stars for a good hour, letting myself relax. It was good to get away from the world.
I heard the faint noise of someone walking on the hard-packed dirt (not all deserts are made of sand.) A fellow misanthrope, perhaps? I sat up in my bag and waited. The footsteps were coming towards me.
"Hello."
It was a soft, feminine voice.
"Hi." I clambered out of the bag and stood up. "I'm Dave."
The hand that extended itself towards mine was small and delicate. I shook it gently.
"Buduh. I'm of Persian descent, hence the non-American name."
The cloud that had interjected itself between me and the moon moved aside, and in the light of the gibbous orb, I could see Buduh's features better. She did appear to be Arabic, and she was a good six inches shorter than me. Slim, with a decent but not huge chest - it wasn't easy to tell by just the moonlight, but her dress appeared to be covering perhaps a set of C-cups. Maybe a little smaller.
"Delighted to meet you. What are you doing out here?"
Buduh gestured to her backpack. "My boyfriend kicked me out of the house. Said we were through. He was `kind' enough to help me pack a few essentials." The acid tone in her voice grew stronger with every word. "Then he chloroformed me, and when I woke up, I was out here. I thought I saw someone and started walking towards you."
I wrapped her in my arms. "I'm so, so sorry. Your so-called boyfriend needs to be dropped down a mine shaft."
Buduh held me tightly. "What's done is done. Hopefully I never see him again."
"Would you like to lay down?"
"That would be awesome. Thanks, Dave."
I unzipped the sleeping bag and spread it out. Now there was room for two, though we would be uncovered. Buduh and I lay next to each other, and she rested her head on my chest.
"You're being very nice."
I blushed. "I'm just doing what anyone would do."
She pressed more tightly against me. "You'd be surprised."
"Close your eyes," I encouraged her.
She did, and I let my own eyes slam shut.
*
The sunlight on my face woke me. Buduh, still in my arms, stirred a bit.
I lay still and waited for her to come fully awake. That only took a few minutes.
"Mmmm. Good morning, Dave."
"Good morning, Buduh."
We headed behind separate rocks to perform a needed function, then met back at the sleeping bag.
"I normally stay out here for two weeks," I told Buduh. "But this, obviously, changes things."
"How so, Dave?"
"You weren't planning to be out here at all. I have plenty of space at my house, so I'll take you back and you can stay there. I'll help you get your life back in order, although I figure it'll take some time."
"That's very kind of you, Dave. What's the catch?"
"I understand you aren't in the mood to be trusting of men right now, Buduh. The `catch', I suppose, is that I expect you to not steal my property or wreck the house."
Buduh giggled. "That sounds very reasonable."
I packed my stuff back up into the compatment on the back of the cycle. "You'll have to wear your pack, I'm afraid. Only until we get back. You can sit behind me and hold on."
Buduh laughed. "I don't have much of a choice. Be prepared for me to hold on very tightly."
I climbed on, made sure she was seated properly, and she wrapped her arms firmly around me.
"Ready?"
"Yes, Dave."
"Here we go!"
I drove the motorcycle a bit slower than normal and was more gentle on the turns. We made it to my house safely, and I parked the cycle inside the garage.
"That was thrilling. My first time as a passenger on a motorcycle."
She helped me carry the stuff back into the house. I installed her in a comfortable bedroom with attached bathroom.
"Tomorrow I'll take you shopping for essentials. I don't figure one pack has a lot of clothes, for instance."
"Thank you kindly."
The next day, she bought 10 sets of underwear (matching bra and panties), 6 T-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of slacks, 3 pairs of sweatpants, 8 dresses, 5 skirts and 4 blouses. She then restocked on makeup and feminine items.
"I had to leave my books and movies behind."
"I have a large collection of both, but if there's anything not in there that you want, let me know."
Two days later, we added a copy of Terms Of Endearment and a copy of Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood to my stock of movies. She seemed surprised that I already had Fried Green Tomatoes and Sweet Home Alabama.