The dark sky continued to rain down on him its icy rain and sleet. Clad in only a T-shirt, an open button-up shirt, jeans and tennis shoes Jonathan turned to face the now scarce south bound traffic on I-75.
He stuck out his thumb praying someone would have mercy on him. The cold had truly saturated his very being with its relentless glacial fingers. Knowing that if he didn't get help fairly soon he would freeze to death right there on the shoulder of the interstate.
A large blue Freightliner conventional growled to a stop on the paved shoulder just before him. The passenger door popped open and he raced to its side.
"Come on up outta the cold, boy." The driver yelled. "What the hell are you doing out here on a day like this? Didn't you're mamma teach you better?"
"My mother is dead, sir." The youth returned solemnly as he climbed into the cab.
"Well, no wonder..." The man seemed very irritated at his appearance. "You got no business out here on a day like this, son. You could catch your death."
"I got no where to go, sir." The youth admitted.
"Where the hell are you going then?" The man fussed as he ground the gears starting back onto the road.
"Just wherever." Jonathan returned.
"Hmp." The man expressed coldly. "I wouldn't be out on a day like this."
"No one will let me sit in the truckstops and all. They keep running me off." Jonathan defended.
"I'll be damned." The man seemed to sympathize a bit then.
"How can I repay you?" Jonathan asked shivering in his cold wet clothes.
"Ah..." the man waved him off with a bit of a smile. "Just knowing you ain't out there freezin' your ass off is enough for me." The man grinned at him then looked back to the road.
"I could do things for you?" Jonathan offered then.
"Yeah?" The man seemed interested. "Like what?"
"Fuel your truck for you? Wash it. Keep it neat and picked up. Sleep with you?" Jonathan knew he would do anything at this point. It would be no different than what he knew at home.
"What did you say?" The man's expression change dramatically.
"I said..."
The angry bite of the man's backhand forced his head against the back of the seat. He remained there feeling so very alone. So very confused he just had nothing left in him now. This was all he knew. It was all he had known all his life. When was it going to change? Who would save him from the abuse he kept getting from everyone he came in contact with?
The truck slowed to a stop on the shoulder once more. Reaching across him the man opened the passenger door. Grabbing the youth he tossed him out onto the ground. Slamming the door he began to roll not even caring that the lad's legs were in harm's way.
Jonathan rolled away from the trailer tandems just before they would have crushed his legs under their cruel weight. Sitting on the frozen grass he wept soundly for a short time wishing he had now let the damn thing end his life completely.
Getting up slowly he started southbound again. Not even trying to get a ride now. He just hoped he died soon. And he hoped it would be a quick death.
Not too far behind Bruce adjusted the volume on his CB hearing a snarling old voice complaining about the youth's forwardness.
"I ain't never..." he was saying in the background. "That damn kid offered me a fuckin' blow job."
"Did he give it to ya?" Some other driver asked then.
"Hell no! I threw 'im outta my truck. I ain't got time for trash like that." The man stated.
"My, my, my." Bruce shook his head slowly as he wished he were closer to crossing the Georgia State line. "Where is this poor kid?" He grabbed the mike asking over the air.
"I just threw 'im out at the 350 mile marker." The man returned.
"Damn." He said to himself as he geared down to keep from hitting his brakes.
The weather was treacherous and that child would freeze to death soon if someone didn't help him. It was a frigid twenty-three degrees out there. And that was before the wind-chill factor. In itself the wind was plunging the temperature outside to an incredibly cold nineteen below. The record cold in the state would soon kill the youth if he didn't get to him very quickly.
Reaching for a cigarette he lit it hoping he could reach him before anyone else would pick him up. Or that if they did he could relinquish the boy from the driver easily. Of course he kind of knew in the back of his mind that no one else would pick him up now that they knew what he would do if given the go ahead.
Slowly he maneuvered his big black Pete down the road. Now not far from the Georgia line he smiled knowing no one had gotten him yet. They were keeping him posted on the youth's where abouts over the radio unaware. Running his long thin fingers through his even longer thick sandy hair he couldn't help but think what the kid might be like beneath him.
"God damn!" Someone called out on the radio. "His damn hair is frozen. He's got ice stuck to his face!"
"Shit..." Bruce growled. "He'll freeze to death before I can get to him." He said out loud to no one.
"He just fell on his knees..." Another came over the squawk box. "He's gettin' up kinda slow there."
"Damn it!" Bruce geared down again.
Determined now he gained a bit of speed trying to get to the youth before he collapsed in the icy grass. Crossing the line he now looked eagerly for the kid hoping he made it in time to save him from such a cruel death.
The miles seemed long and were indeed hazardous. But he continued on his way just to pick up this one shattered life. Watching the mile markers go slowly by he finally caught a glimpse of the haggard youth.
His long dark hair hanging down to his bottom was clumped in rods of ice. The top of his head was a solid frozen crown shining as he barely put one foot before the other. The plaid shirt and jeans he had on appeared soaked and frozen at best. He had a gym-bag thrown over his shoulder, which seemed to drag as low as his outlook on life.
Slowly he made his way onto the shoulder gearing down to bring the truck to a halt. The poor kid trudged onward not even aware that he had stopped. The man reached up laying on the air horn, which startled the youth profoundly. As the kid turned he saw the ghastly extent of the youth's demise.
His face was frozen in a sheet of ice. The bridge of his nose seemed to disappear beneath the clump that had settled there. His lips were plum blue. The eyelashes had frozen to his face so he couldn't close his eyes. The front of his T-shirt and the shoulders of his over-shirt were frozen to his body.
"Damn, kid. You need an open invitation?" He said as he pulled the airbrake, put the truck in neutral and stood. Reaching across the truck he opened the passenger door.
"Get your ass in here, Baby." The man called out.
Jonathan forced himself to move toward the door. It was all he could do to go just one more step.
He shivered visibly as he slipped on the icy step. Bruce reached down hoisting the youth's weakened body into the warm cab.
"Damn, Baby. You're dying." The man observed. "Come to the bunk. I'll help you outta those clothes." Bruce reached to the console turning up the heat. He led the youth to the back turning to face him.
"Come 'ere. I ain't goina hurtchya." The man was urgent to get the frozen wet clothes off the youth.
"Let's get these wet clothes off and get your body temperature up a bit." he tugged at the shirt causing the youth to wince. But the shirt came free and he tossed it onto the floor up front.
"Put your arms up." The man ordered beginning to rub the frozen parts of the T-shirt. He then gathered the tail of the shirt pulling it up over the youth's head. His hair clattered from the frozen rods of ice that still clung there.
"Come 'ere." The man pulled him to his body beginning to rub the youth's bottom, hips, thighs and even his privates. "Just thawin' the ice a bit so we can take these off." The man informed him when the youth looked up at him in wonder.
Bruce unsnapped the jeans then unzipping them carefully. He pushed them down over the youth's hips to his knees.
"Sit." he ordered urging him to do so on the bunk. Getting on one knee he removed the frozen tennis shoes and socks. Then removing the youth's jeans he tossed them on the floor up front with the rest of his clothes.
Grabbing a towel from a closet to his right he began to pat the youth's wet shivering body. Once he had completed that task he wrapped the teen's head with it.
"Lay down. I'm gonna lay down with ya. Get you warmed up." The man confessed.
Jonathan weakly moved onto the air mattress on top of the bunk mattress there. He rested on his back bringing his hands to his chest as his body quivered from the terrible cold he felt. His eyes followed the man's every move as he removed his shoes and socks then started toward him with a serious expression.
"Don't touch your face, kid." The man ordered gently as he hovered over him. "Just let the ice melt, okay." He tried to smile as he felt the cold coming off the kid's body.
Grabbing the comforter and blankets he came down atop the youth pulling the bedding over them both.
"There..." The man whispered into Jonathan's ear. He kissed the ear lightly for fear it might break off from the ice that had formed there.
"Baby, you're frozen solid. I might have to take you to a hospital somewhere." he worried openly.
"No..." Jonathan now whispered shakily with laryngitis.
"Don't you tell me 'no', kid. Damn it. Your sick already." The man knew it now when he heard the youth's voice.
"Please..." Jonathan tried harder to be heard. It only came out as a strained whisper.
"Hush, kid. Just hold onto me and get warm." The man stared down into the youth's face with concern.
Jonathan began to weep with the depth of his despondency. He looked away from the kind man wishing he were dead. Wishing the man would suddenly grasp his head in his hands and quickly wrench his neck bringing an end to all his suffering and pain. His body jerked with the force of his hurt. It seemed nothing could save him from the plight he had been handed.
"Hey, hey. Save those tears. You need to keep your fluids inside. You need 'em right now." The man used a finger to move his head by planting it in the towel not his skin. He made eye contact with the youth smiling gently at him. "Hold me, kid. I won't hurt you, I promise." The man assured him.
