I grew up in a small town where everybody knew everybody. I went to church on Sundays and I studied hard for my straight A’s. My parents didn’t let me, my sister or our three brothers date before we were 18, but that didn’t matter. We hung out with other kids who had the same rules. Our curfew was 9 p.m. on a school night and 10 p.m. on the weekends and we never broke it.
When we were 18 we went away to college. It was our first tastes of freedom and we all went to different colleges all over the country. We still focused on our studies and we still followed the rules that we’d lived by at home, no matter what our college friends did. Then one by one we graduated and moved back home to start our careers. My oldest brother was the first one to come home. He started his own business and he immediately hooked up with a local girl and before we knew it they were married and having babies. Next in line was my sister. She started working as a legal secretary and before long she started dating a lawyer and wedding bells could be heard. She quit her job and started having kids. Then there was our middle brother. He was an engineer and got a job in the next town, 15 miles down the road. By the time I graduated from college he was engaged and I got to be a bridesmaid once again that summer.
Now all eyes were on me. With my youngest brother pre-med everybody knew that it was going to be a long time before he settled down, but I was now a fully trained elementary school teacher, a perfect job to keep until I met a suitable boy, got married and pregnant. In that order. I spent all summer being introduced to suitable young men by my siblings and my parents. Most of them were boys I’d known as a child, some of them were from other towns in the area. They were well educated and had started careers that made them excellent husband and father material.
I happily went on a lot of dates. We went to dinner and the movies or dancing. They were all impeccably behaved. They would hug me and kiss me, but never try anything else. I was a possible wife and the unspoken rule was that there would be no sex until I had an engagement ring on my finger. I didn’t mind. I’d never had sex and I didn’t know what I was missing. I was a bit curious, and my sister and my married friends had let certain things slip, but I was happy to wait until I met Mr Right.
A week before I was due to start working I decided to go on a road trip. One of my friends from college had got a job in a town 100 miles from mine, but she didn’t know anybody so she wanted someone to keep her company and help her decorate. I decided that it would be a nice way to spend my last week of the summer and my parents agreed as I’d been getting increasingly nervous about the start of school. I set off in my old Taurus, the air conditioning on full blast and my favourite music belting out from the speakers. It had been a hot and humid summer and there was still no sign of any change. I wore my curly brown hair in two braids and my face was full of freckles from the sun. I wore a yellow tank top which didn’t quite cover the straps of my sensible white bra, turquoise shorts and white sneakers.
There really isn’t much on an 80 mile stretch between our two towns so it should be a relatively quick drive. The highway was deserted and I felt so free and liberated. I was about halfway when I heard a weird sound. I turned off the a/c and the stereo and the sound got louder. Then there was smoke coming up from under the hood and I realised that I’d better stop the car. I pulled over and jumped out of the car and moved away from it. I grabbed my purse and got my cellphone out, but I couldn’t get a signal.
I was probably sitting there for half an hour with nobody coming past. Then I heard the sound of a motorbike in the distance. Finally! I stood next to my car and waved and the motorbike pulled over behind me. The guy took his helmet off and revealed a weathered face with a blonde beard and longish blonde hair with signs of grey. I figured him to be in his late 40s or early 50s. He looked a bit dangerous, but he smiled at me and walked up to me.
“Do you need help?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “There was smoke coming out of the car and now I don’t dare get into it again and I can’t get a signal for my cellphone.”
He yanked the hood up and looked underneath. He fiddled around a bit and then he told me to try and start the car, but the engine was truly dead.
“You better come back to my place. It’s just a couple of miles from here. You can call a tow truck from there.”
I hesitated. I didn’t know this guy, but chances were it was going to be hours before someone else came along and I’d already drank all the water I’d brought. I could be in serious trouble if I didn’t go with him. He gave me his helmet and I hopped on behind him. He instructed me to wrap my arms tightly around him and move my body along with his. I got a shock between my thighs when he started the bike, it felt unlike anything I’d ever experienced before and I was pleasantly surprised by my reaction.
I’d never before been this close to a man and he smelled of leather and sweat. My first reaction to him had been that he was a bit unattractive, but now I was starting to feel drawn to him. I enjoyed the feeling of his muscular body so close to mine.
It didn’t take us long to reach his place. He lived on a farm that looked a bit dusty and dilapidated. A guy came out of the barn when we pulled up.
“Great that you’re here Bob,” the motorbike guy said. “This young lady’s Taurus is stranded by the old creek. Can you tow it back here and see if you can fix it?”
“No problem boss,” the guy replied and set off.
The motorbike guy turned to me. “Bob’s the best mechanic around. He’ll probably have your car fixed within an hour. Do you want to use the phone?”
I called my friend and told her about my car breaking down. She promised to come and pick me up if the car couldn’t be fixed the same day. I turned around and faced the motorbike guy. He’d taken off his leather jacket and was wearing a sweat damp white t-shirt that showed off his muscular chest and his strong arms. He had a tattoo on one arm. I’d never seen a guy with a tattoo before.
“What’s that supposed to be?” I said and pointed at the tattoo.
“That’s something I got in the Special Forces. It’s kinda like a brotherhood thing.”
I immediately relaxed. This guy had been in the Special Forces. He was a true patriot like me and I would be perfectly safe in his company. He excused himself and came back seconds later with a pair of cut-offs instead of his leather pants.
“It’s too hot for leather gear today,” he smiled at me. “By the way, I’m Justin, what’s your name?”
“I’m Siobhan,” I replied and shook his hand. “Do you live here alone?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Ever since my ex-wife took the kids and split on me.”
“Oh,” was all I could think of saying. People didn’t get divorced in my circle.
“Can I get you a cool drink?” Justin asked. “A beer perhaps?”
