I was a little over five hours out from my summer home on my drive to my winter residence in Sarasota when the GPS directed me to get on the Green River Parkway near Boling Green Kentucky. I remember It was overcast but a pleasant drive and I was amazed at how little traffic was on the road for a late Wednesday afternoon. Right as I crested the top of a hill, some movement far ahead to my right in the tall grass just outside the wooded tree line on the embankment caught my eye.
Suspecting that it might be a deer, I tapped the brake, disengaged the cruse and started to slow down while thinking to myself: "I just picked this thing up and I don't need dead deer all over the front it."
When I got within a few hundred yards I could tell it was a small person and within several hundred feet, I could see a slender young lady standing there. She was wearing tattered jeans and a shirt tide at the tail above a slight bare midriff and holding a cardboard sign. As I pulled up on the shoulder to stop, I saw that it read: "Kansas City."
I looked around to make sure that she wasn't some form of decoy teamed up with thugs to jack my new Escalade and when I was confident that she was alone, I powered down the window and asked: "Do you need some help ... Or a ride miss?"
She stepped right up to the open passenger window, looked at me with the bluest of eyes, checked out the interior and answered with the question: "Are you alone?"
Seeing her apprehension and detecting a little fear in her voice I answered: "Yes, but I'm safe."
She looked to her left down the length of my new SUV and almost jumped out of her skin. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a red tractor pulling a white trailer start to crest the hill several hundred yards behind us and she got right in. When I signaled to pull back onto the Parkway, I noticed it had pulled off at the exit right behind us and we drove away.
I said: "Look, my name is Peterswiftt and I think you may have gotten yourself turned around. Kansas is way north west of us and I'm headed due south.If you would like, I can get off at the next exit and drop you off on the northbound lane and that will get you back on the right track."
To my surprise she answered in the heaviest southern accent that I had ever heard: "It don't matter, if you don't mind I'll just ride with you a spell. I was looking for a couple or even a lady to ride with, but I'm already in and feel somewhat safe with you. This is a fine car Peter ... My name is Nay."
Trying to keep my eyes on the road, I glanced over and saw an attractive skinny young girl with dirty blond hair and a worried look on her face. I asked: "How old or you Nay?"
She answered a bit concerned over that question: "Why, dose that really matter too you?"
I answered: "Not to me, but it could to a trooper if you're underage and we get stopped crossing state lines."
She said: "I'm twenty one, I'll be twenty two in a couple of months ... I think." And she looked down and the Styrofoam carryout container that I had sitting on the floor in front of the center console caught her eye.
I asked: "Please tell me what's going on with you, are you in any danger or some kind of trouble?"
She sat quiet for a while staring at that takeout box and I said: "Look, I had a late lunch, that's half a French dip, I didn't eat off of it, it was cut in half when they served me. You are more than welcome to it, that is if you're hungry."
To my surprise she asked: "What's a French dip?"
A little suprised, I answered: "It's a sandwich, roast beef on a bun. Take a bite, you'll like it."
She fumbled with the container and finally got it open, held it in her lap and devoured every last crumb.
I said: "there's a soft sided cooler behind my seat with some bottled water in it, grab us each one. And when you sit back down," I told her: "You may want to buckle up." And I put my thumb under my seat belt at my chest and gestured."
A few seconds later she was buckled in her seat and had finished off both waters. After about another mile of silence, she came out and said: "I lived with my Gram since I was born, back in the Appalachia hills. She passed four days ago."
I said: "I'm sorry to hear that, my condolences."
She said: "It was her time. A lot of people came through our cabin for her wake. My cousin Charley is a trucker and he showed up the last day. After we put her in the ground, he offered to drive me to town to finalize papers making the old cabin and farm mine. On the way there, he tried to take advantage of me and when I fraught him off, he dumped me out on the side of the road and radioed other truckers. They've been passing me around for three days, but I didn't give in. I wouln't let them touch me.
Shocked at what I had just heard, not wanting to address it directly, I asked: "What about the papers and your place to live?"
She answered: "Hell, that was just his way to get me alone with him. Gram signed that old place over to me when Pop died. I should have known better, the bastard."
She looked and sounded upset, so to change the subject I said: "Something smells fishy."
She said: "Mister, what I told you was God's truth."
And I laughed and said: "That's not what I meant. When's the last time you showered or had a change of clothes?"
She snapped back: "Look, these are what I left in, I didn't expect to be gone three damn days."
I apologetically told her: "Look, that's not healthy. There are two of my daughter's suitcases in the back full of clothes. When I stop for the night, you can get cleaned up and changed into whatever fits you the best."
Skeptical and real apprehensive, she asked: "Well where's your daughter anyhow?"
"Home, I would guess. She flew down yesterday. To make it more convenient for her and to avoid the extra charges per bag, I offered to drive them back with me. I normally fly but I just got this vehicle and I wanted to transport it to my home in Florida and you have no idea what I'm even talking about, do you?" I asked.
Trying to cover for not really understanding everything that I said, she asked: "What size is she?"
I answered: "I don't know, a four or a five, maybe a six." Then I covered my ignorance by saying: "I can tell you, she's about your size."
She asked: "That sure is kind of you, but won't she need her clothes."
I answered: "She has closets full of them and to be honest with you, she probably wouldn't even miss them. The bags will more than likely sit in my entrance foyer for weeks, before she takes them home. "
I turned on some soft music and as we drove on into the dusk and she started to doze off, I said: "There's some buttons on the right side of your seat, push the top one toward the back and let your seat back down a bit." And like a child with a new toy, she giggled when she found that it and did just that.
Two or so miles after that she was sound asleep. Trying to keep my eyes on the road, I kept looking over at her. This was unbelievable. She was gorgeous, perfectly proportioned everywhere. A striking face with beautiful lines down to the cutest slope of her nose. Perfect proportionate upswept breasts, a tiny flat waste and lovely long legs. Other than a tangle or two in her dirty blond hair she was blemish free everywhere that showed and I instantly thought to myself: "This could be trouble."
Five hours and a fuel and pit stop later she was still out. I topped off the tank, used the restroom, picked up a three pack of lady razors, a two pack of girly deodorant and a new toothbrush with tooth paste, some shower gel and I settled up. As I walked back to the car, I really expected to see her gone but she was just waking up.
She asked: "Where are we?"
Being set up for the perfect line, I couldn't resist and answered: "Well, we're not in Kansas anymore." And she just looked at me.
Surprised she didn't get it, I said: "Georgia, close to the Florida border, about fifteen minutes from where I'm going to stop for the night." Concerned about her way of the world, I asked: "How far have you ever been from home?"
"Up until just now ... Right here." She answered.
"Do you mean to tell me you were never away from home?" I asked a bit stunned.
"From the day I was born until my cousin tried to mess with me, I lived with my Gram." she answered
She kind of fidgeted and to my surprise, she asked: "Could you please wait for me while I go pee?"
I answered: "Take your time, I will be right here when you come back. The lady's room is to your left."
Soon after it was dark and we pulled in at my motel. I said: "I'll run in and get the key if you want to wait here, we'll take the bags in the room and you can get cleaned up and decide on what to wear and what you want to do."
She looked at me and just nodded.
I signed for the room, shagged the key card and we drove to a parking spot right outside the glass door to the hall. I showed her how to lift the handle and roll the suitcase and I grabbed the other one, stacked it and rolled it in with mine. When we stepped in the room I made sure to turn on the lights and I sat my daughters bags on the bed, unzipped one and handed her the paper sack with the toiletries that I bought at the convenience mart.
I said: Here's some shower gel and there is always shampoo in motel bathrooms. Pick out some clothes, take your time and get a good shower while I find somewhere for us to have dinner and I picked up the little events flyer on the desk.
About an hour and hundreds of gallons later, the door opened and some steam and then Nay, all wrapped in her towel came into the room.
Looking quite proud with herself she said: "I never had a shower bath before. The hot water comes right out of the wall tap with the cold. Sorry that I was so long but it took me a while to figure that one out." Then she asked: "Would you please turn and look away while I put something on?"
I responded: "No problem." And I swiveled the easy chair to face the television. I thought that she was gorgeous, a real Daisy May and the thought of seducing and fucking the shit out of her crossed my man mind. But I told myself that she was too young, that she had values and I promised myself that I wouldn't again view her like that and I put it out of my mind.