Author's note: the following story is purely a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The author wishes to express his gratitude to Angel Love for her editing to make this a better story.
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It was already mid-afternoon on a Thursday when I received the call. I run a computer warehouse in which we stock an astounding variety of components. As a result we've developed a goodly clientele of people who require parts that seldom get into the average household personal computer.
The caller was one of the best of these clients. He was the manager of a sizable manufacturing plant located on the edge of a little sleepy town about a two-hour drive upstate from us. The plant relied on a computer to control their entire manufacturing process and the computer had suffered a major failure early that afternoon, causing a complete shutdown of their production line. He had already sent all of his employees home but was desperate to get a replacement part that evening.
I determined that I had the part but our driver was already on the road to other customers. I promised him that I would have the part to him by 7 PM, which meant that it would have to leave no later than 5 o'clock. The only way to keep from paying big bucks in overtime meant that I would have to make the delivery myself.
At 5, I left instructions with one of my people on closing the shop while I took the part and headed north. The roads were fairly straightforward, with only a couple of changes in direction, but only a few of the miles were on multi-lane road. For the first 30 miles, traffic was heavy and slow but then it began to ease as people turned into the many housing developments. With the terrain being mostly flat and just a few low undulating hills, it was difficult to keep my mind occupied on the way up. My console thermometer indicated that the outside temperature was 97 degrees and I was thankful for a working air conditioner.
I pulled into the client's parking area just three minutes before 7 o'clock and found him waiting anxiously. It took me about 20 minutes to get the part replaced and test the machine, which worked perfectly to his great relief. We spent another 40 minutes talking about how his business was going and the economy in general and then I headed back to my car.
I settled in for the mind-numbing ride through all the corn fields in the lowering dusk. With a top speed of 55 MPH in the country and little towns every 10 to 15 miles requiring that I slow to 30 and sometimes to a stop, It was going to be a long trip.
It already seemed like an interminable drive when, after 50 minutes during which full dark descended on the area, I approached the largest town along the route I was taking. Just as I topped a hill, I spotted a white dot bobbing along on the side of the road in front of me. Even with the darkness, the temperature drop had not brought it down to a comfortable enough state to make walking pleasant. I slowed.
Not until I stopped beside the figure did I realize that it was a woman. Lowering the right side window, I said, "Awfully hot night for a walk. Care to share my air conditioning?"
She stepped over to my window and ducked her head to look at me. She gave me a rather appraising look, then smiled and opened the door. As she climbed in, she said, "Thank you. It is so-o-o hot out there and, of course, my car broke down yesterday. Right in the hottest part of the summer."
She was dressed in knee-length black shorts, a very conservative white blouse, white sneakers and bobby socks, and a maroon visor. Her hair was more gray than black but looked nice, even with a few strands here and there out of place. She could pass for late thirties or early fifties or anywhere in between.
I said, "My name's Gene."
"Oh, hi. I'm Francis but everybody just calls me Fran. Pleased to meet you." As she finished that statement, her left hand patted my right knee in a very friendly gesture.
"Where can I take you, Fran?"
"Uh ... well, if you don't mind taking me home, its up here about four miles to Turrill Road and then to the left about another mile."
"I don't mind at all. Are you just getting off work?"
"Yeah," she replied. "I work at a fast food place about a mile back and this was my night to close up the place."
"Oh, so you must be in management?"
"Well, yeah, I've got the title of assistant manager but you couldn't tell it looking at my paycheck."
I laughed. "I know what you mean."
"Turn left at this next street. ... How about you?"
"Well, I run a computer warehouse in the city. I just took some parts to a client upstate and I'm heading home for the night."
"Ah. Going home to the family, huh?"
"No, it's just me."