Author's note: This is one of my entries for the 750 Word Project. It's supposed to be short and to the point. It was inspired by a comment on a news article about Maryland automating their toll booths. Which, I guess, is proof you can get inspiration from anywhere...
Hope you enjoy, and as always, comments and feedback are welcome.
Belle
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It was almost 2AM when I got to the toll booth, halfway through an eleven hour drive. I was moving; again. As I handed over my dollars, the guy taking the tolls leaned down.
I smiled up at him.
He said, "Ma'am, I gotta tell you. That fella yonder." He jerked his head toward the car ahead of me, leaving the toll plaza. "That fella yonder said if you keep followin' him, he's gonna take you home."
My eyes widened. "Did he?"
"Yes'm. Said you were the best lookin' thing he'd seen on the road all night."
"Well, I don't know what to say."
He tapped the side of his trucker hat and said, "You be careful now."
"I'll try," I said, waving back as I pulled away.
It wasn't hard to keep up with him. Ours were the only cars on the road. His was a bright red sedan, with a vanity plate that read '2B WILDE'. I kept behind him for another twenty minutes or so. Then I saw one of those big blue and white signs for a rest area. Beneath it a placard announced the next rest stop wasn't for another seventy miles. Just as I was deciding I needed to pull off, I saw the red sedan taking the off ramp.
The only other car in the lot was the sedan. I parked next to it. As I unbuckled my seatbelt, I saw him, ahead on the sidewalk moving toward the building with the bathrooms. I quickly got out of my car and strode up after him, my long skirt swirling around my booted feet.
The building was basic, with an alcove for vending machines and a short hallway. Big signs indicated the restrooms: left for men and right for women. I went left. One stall door was closed. I leaned on the counter with the sinks. The room reeked of the damp industrial musk of a hurried cleaning. I heard the flush and he stepped out.