Just a somewhat short true story this time.
Everybody is aged eighteen or over. Names have been changed.
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It was about 8:30 pm on an unseasonably warm fall Monday. I was stopped at a traffic light. Traffic was virtually non-existent as I drove through a rundown part of the city dominated by vacant lots and buildings. As I looked at the weeds growing through cracks in the pavement and the dirty buildings with the faint outlines of signage, I recalled a recent story in the local fishwrap about the city council discussing the revitalization of the area.
Then I heard someone lock up their brakes. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the headlights behind me.
"Oh, shit!" I yelled and involuntarily braced myself.
The impact wasn't as violent as I thought it would be. It still forced my beater 1992 Escort ahead a few feet.
"Aw, dammit!" I swore. "You gotta be kidding me!"
I looked behind me through the rear glass, but I couldn't see the driver.
"Probably on their fucking cell phone," I said out loud
I reached out the window and motioned for them to pull into the parking lot of a long-closed Target store to my left. My car seemed to drive fine. I stopped, shut the engine off, and unbuckled my seatbelt. I was more annoyed than angry. I wasn't worried about the car. It was a piece of junk with over 150,000 miles on it. It was my pizza delivery car, and it had only cost me $900. It had long since paid for itself.
Still, I was ready to unload on the driver for their lousy driving. My car had a big dent in the bumper, but otherwise, it appeared okay.
The driver shakily got out of her car. It was a girl. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties and stood about 5'6". She was wearing a black Linkin Park tee and leggings which showcased her magnificent figure. Her breasts jiggled slightly as she ran to me.
In the dim light, her face became visible.
My jaw dropped. And suddenly, the accident was all but forgotten.
"Ohmigod, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" the girl tearfully asked me. The tears made what little makeup she was wearing run.
"Uh, yeah," I said. "I'm fine. You okay?"
"Yeah. Dammit! I just took my eye off the road for a second to answer my phone," the girl hysterically explained. "My sister called. She's been sick with pneumonia, and she asked me to pick a few things up at the store for her. Oh, please don't call the police!"
I held up my hands to get her to stop.
"Listen, uh...?" I said.
"Chrissy," she sniffed. "Chrissy Johnston."
"Okay, Chrissy," I continued. "My name's George. I'm fine. I'm not upset. Really. The car's a clunker. Forget it. Your car okay?"
We peered at the front of her faded red Honda Civic. It had a scuff mark on the front bumper.
"Yeah, it's alright, I guess" Chrissy nodded, angrily wiping away tears with her hands. She was shaking.
"Dammit!" she yelled. She slammed a tiny fist on her fender in exasperation.
"Just take a deep breath and calm down, huh, Chrissy." I said, putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's no biggie. Just pay attention from now on?"
Chrissy nodded. After a few minutes, she had calmed down and had stopped crying. She was even smiling. She gave me her phone number and her insurance information and I gave her mine. She thanked me and hugged me and apologized again before she left. I watched her beautiful ass as she walked slowly to her car.
I got back in my car and sighed. I hoped like hell I'd run into Chrissy Johnston again, but just under better circumstances.
Wishful thinking, George. She's too young,
I told myself. She was probably half my age. I decided that if I wasn't in serious pain the next day, I'd cut Chrissy a break and not call her insurance company. Ultimately, neither I nor the car suffered any ill effects.
Several days later, I was working my shift at Domino's. It hadn't been a good one at all, even for a Tuesday, which tended to be a slow day to begin with. We finally got a delivery order. A medium thin crust with extra cheese and a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke. I made the pizza quickly. I looked on the checkout screen and I couldn't recall ever having been to the house before. The store manager, Herb, told me it would be my last delivery of the night. The pizza was out of the oven in less than ten minutes, and the drive to the address on the ticket didn't take much longer. When I got to the door, I knocked and put on my "you're-my-most-favorite-customer-in-the-whole-wide-world" smile as the door opened. To my surprise, it was Chrissy! She was dressed in a purple tank top and skinny jeans.
"Oh, hey, Chrissy!" I said cheerfully. "You doing alright?"
Chrissy looked at me puzzled. I pulled off my cap and her eyes went wide.
"Ohmigod! Sorry, George," she exclaimed with a toothy smile. "I didn't recognize you. You alright?"
"Well, I'm better now," I said as I looked her up and down again. I winced at the cheesiness of the line. But Chrissy just giggled.
"Sorry," I apologized. "Couldn't help it. You're beautiful. Yeah, I'm fine. Honestly. How about you?"
"Yeah," she said. "Just mad at myself. Thanks again for not calling the police. Uh, what's the cost again?"
"$9.99," I replied. Chrissy handed me $13 and told me the rest was mine. I handed her the two-liter and pulled the pizza out of the bag and gave it to her.
"Uh, listen..." Chrissy said as I was about to leave. "You really saved my ass by not calling the police. I've already got four points on my license. Hey, if you're not busy after you get off work, maybe we could hook up? I figure I owe you."
A split-second later, she sasped and covered her mouth.