"This is why I love traveling at night.", I said to myself as I went speeding down Interstate 10, heading east through the state of Texas. It was almost 4:00 am., the temperature was perfect, and the stars were twinkling brilliantly through the moon roof. The area that I was crossing wasn't very populated. At this hour of the morning, I had only seen a handful of cars on the highway.
I was on my way to interview for a new job in east Texas, and my optimism was running high. This would be a wonderful opportunity for me to start a new life. I was a little nervous about the prospect of moving to a new city where I didn't know a soul, but the job was challenging, it seemed that I had a good shot at it, and the money was definitely right. I couldn't think of any reason not to take it.
I drove on for a good while, until I spotted something in the distance. As I drew nearer, I realized that there was a man standing in the middle of the road. "What's someone doing in the road way out here?", I asked myself, out loud. Now, I know better than to stop on the highway, but there was something about this man that told me that it was okay. He was dressed professionally, and standing in the middle of the road trying desperately to flag me down. He didn't appear the least bit menacing, but I decided to be careful, none-the-less. As I pulled my little Eclipse to the side of the road, I rolled the windows up partway and locked the doors.
"Thanks for pulling over!" He said with a relieved smile. "My car broke down, and I'm supposed to be at a meeting at 6:30 this morning. As luck would have it, the battery on my cell phone is dead, too. There is no way that I'm gonna make it to the meeting on time. I've been standing out here for a while, but there hasn't been much traffic."
"I have a cell phone that you can use." I said, and I handed him my phone through the partially open car window.
"Thanks. I'll call my boss and let him know that I'm going to be late for my meeting." He said as he took the phone from me.
He placed the call, telling his boss what happened, while I sized him up. He seemed harmless enough. He was also very handsome. He was kind of tall and slender, with blonde hair, beautiful eyes, and an easy smile. I remember thinking that he looked a bit uncomfortable with the shirt and tie that he wore, thinking that this wasn't his style of choice, but something he wore because of his line of work. My mind drifted to what he would look like in a pair of jeans, and then to what he would look like without that pair of jeans.
"Thanks for the use of your phone." His voice cut into my thoughts, making me jump. "I don't suppose I could ask another favor? There is a town about 30 miles up the road that has a garage with a wrecker. You think I could bum a ride? I mean if it isn't too much trouble."
"I don't normally pick up strangers, but if you are sure that you aren't some sort of serial killer.... Hop in." I said with a smile, and unlocked the car doors.
"Great, give me just a second to grab my briefcase."
He walked over to his car, retrieved his gear, secured the car, and walked back over to my car. I unlocked the car as he approached. "You might want to put that stuff in the back. These little sports cars don't have a lot of room up front." I said as pulled the release for the hatchback. He put his stuff in the back, and climbed into the passenger seat, loosening his tie at the same time.
"My name is Tom." He said, with an outstretched hand.
"I'm Linda, nice to meet you Tom. I replied, shaking his hand.
We spent the next 30 miles making small talk. When we reached the small town, he gestured toward the garage that faced the main street. I pulled the car in and parked, and waited while he went in to talk to the mechanic.
A few minutes later he came out and said, "The guy says that he can go out and get my car in a few minutes, but that it will be tomorrow before he will have the time to do anything with it. I guess I'm going to have to find a place to stay until then."
"Or, you could leave your car with him, and I could give you a ride to your meeting. Being late would be better than not showing up at all, right?" I said.
"You really wouldn't mind?", He asked.
"Actually, I left myself a few extra days, before my interview, to check out the area. Maybe you could give me some suggestions on what to do around here. And tomorrow, we could make the drive back out here and see about your car."