It was a late summer afternoon. As Tyler left work the sun shone brightly in the western sky. However, he noticed dark ominous clouds on the horizon and the scent of rain in the air. He dusted off his pants and shirt before jumping into his old '69 Ford truck. Driving out of the parking lot, he waved goodbye to his coworker, "have a good one Bob!" On the way out of town he stopped at a grocery store to grab a few things that he thought he might need for the weekend. He lived about 15 miles outside of town in a sparsely populated community on a small but nice spread of land; about fifteen acres. He hadn't done much with the property. It was mostly tree covered and had a small pond with and a creek that cut through the property.
As he drove down his long private driveway approaching his modest home, he could see his faithful dog Duke waiting on the porch to greet him with his tail just a wagging. Duke came running over as Tyler stepped out of the truck. The wind started picking up a bit.
"Looks like we're in for a storm tonight, Duke." while rubbing his head.
He was a retired Marine who lived alone. He also chose to settle down in North Dakota to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. He enjoyed living in the country and the solitude that it provided but he was lonely and wished he had someone to love and cherish.
Entering his house, the aroma of the beef stew in the slow cooker engulfed him and his mouth began to water. He took off his boots and placed them neatly in their usual place. He strolled across the living room to the kitchen where he found his dough had risen and was ready for the oven. After popping it in the oven, he hopped in the shower. Lathering up his hair and body he could feel the dirt of the day washing down the drain. After toweling off and putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, he turned on the TV just as the news was sounding a severe storm warning. He knew something was going to happen after seeing the clouds rolling in on his drive home. He rushed outside to secure anything loose that could be blown away and to lock up his work shed. Back inside he settled down to continue watching the news, knowing that his bread would be ready in about 15 minutes. Within minutes later he saw a flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder. Suddenly the familiar pitter-patter of rain drops began tapping on the roof. Within a few minutes the light rain turned into a torrential downpour.
Lightning was flashing and the thunder seemed endless as the storm started releasing its force. He went into the kitchen and took the bread out of the oven and set it aside so that it could cool off. He turned off the crock pot and prepared to eat dinner. He first walked over to his front windows and opened them to let in the cool evening air. He noticed headlights coming down the road about a half a mile from his house. He was intrigued because no one ever came down this road unless it was Paul or Grace Glover, his neighbors who lived about a mile up the road. But he knew they would not be out in weather like this. He stepped out onto his porch to take a closer look and through the steady rain he saw the headlights swerve side to side and then disappear completely. Worried by what he witnessed, he shot back inside, grabbed his phone and tried to call 911 but he could not get a signal. He threw on his boots and rain gear, grabbed his gun and Duke and jumped in the truck.
He turned left out of his driveway, back out onto the main road and drove to where he last saw the flicker of the headlights. He soon approached a disabled vehicle but all that he could see were taillights up in the air. As he pulled closer, he noticed the front end of the car down in the ditch, and it was severely damaged by some rocks. He stopped the truck, hopped out and cautiously approached the car. Tapping on the window, all he could make out was a silhouette slumped over the steering wheel. Knocking again he saw a slow movement. He decided to open the door slowly.
"Are you ok?" But no response. Shaking her gently he asked again, "Are you OK?" She moaned. He was relieved and gently laid her back onto her headrest to reveal a black woman with long braided hair. He was surprised because he rarely ever saw black people around town let alone out here on this country road. She had hit her head on the steering column and suffered a cut to her forehead. He draped the extra coat he had with him over her to protect her from the rain.
Helping her out of the car she was visibly shaken and weary. As he helped her to the truck, she was wobbly and stumbled quite a bit as the rain came down in sheets with flashes of lighting and thunder crashing all around them. After he got her into the truck he ran back to her car, grabbed her purse, and turned off the ignition. As he drove her back to his house, he kept reassuring her that everything would be okay.
Once they arrived back at the house, he helped her out of the other side of the truck, and they made their way up the steps to his porch and into his house. He lowered her onto the bench that he kept by the door to take off his boots. Brushing her braids off of her face, he got his first glimpse at her, and he realized that he was in the presence of an angel. He removed her shoes and the rain-soaked coat. Kicking off his boots and tossing his jacket aside he assisted her into the kitchen. Though she was still groggy, the aroma of the beef stew and fresh baked bread brought her to consciousness. Looking around she realized that she was in a strange white man's house in the middle of nowhere and got scared. When he started washing her wound and she slapped his hand away and snapped,
"Where am I?! Who are you?!" she demanded in a hostile tone.
"I'm Tyler. You're okay. You're safe, I promise I'm not going to hurt you. You had an accident about 1/2 a mile up the road and hit your head." he explained when suddenly, bam! A bolt of lightning hit just near the road and his power went out.
"Oh shit!" he yelled as she screamed.
They were in total darkness. In a calming voice he reassured her that she was safe, and he asked her for her name. "Yolanda, Yolanda Stewart," she replied.
"Okay Yolanda, I will be right back." He fled to his hallway and grabbed the flashlight out of the closet. Lighting his way back to the kitchen he asked,
"Other than your head Yolanda, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm alright." She sensed that he was a nice man and began to feel a sense of calm.
Handing her the flashlight he searched around the kitchen for candles. He found his stash and soon the house was lit with the warm glow of their flickering lights.
"I was just about to have some dinner. Would you like to join me?"
"Yeah, sure but I really need to get out of these wet clothes."
"Of course, Yolanda. Pardon me. The bathroom is the first door on the right."
Back in the kitchen, Tyler was busy preparing a table setting for his guest. He heard her start the shower. Meanwhile, she undressed and stepped into the warm inviting water. She stood with her back to the shower and leaned back allowing the droplets to cascade off her forehead, down her voluptuous body and dripping from her nipples. After her shower she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped across the hall into his bedroom. Standing in the doorway just enough to see him busy in the kitchen, she interrupted him:
"You got anything that I can put on while my clothes dry, Tyler?"
"Sure! Wear anything you can find in there." he responded with a tender smile.
She slid a door open and found a neatly appointed closet. As she searched for something comfortable to slip on, she noticed his uniforms hanging in the back against the wall. Still garnished with the medals he had been awarded and based on the number of stripes on his sleeves, he obviously had a lengthy career. She found a large button-down shirt that came down to her knees. "This will have to do." she thought to herself. Emerging from his room she found him waiting at the table where a modest but hot dinner by candlelight awaited her. He stood and said, "WOW!" as she came into view. Pulling out her chair she sat down.
"So, Yolanda tell me. What are you doing around these parts?" He asked confused.
"I'm supposed to be attending a weekend retreat somewhere out here, but I think I took a wrong turn." She explained.
"Ahhhh. A religious retreat?"
