The Stray

I had a reader ask me to write a story about someone taking in a woman in distress. I did my own take on that, with her being helped by another woman.

There isn't a lot of sex and all near the end. This is basically a lesbian love story.

Warning - there is violence.

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I was driving back from a business trip about a hundred miles from where I live. I'm Lori Parker, 24 and a consultant working on contract. I guess I could have flown, but by the time I get to the airport, go through all of the security checks and such, it takes longer than just driving, and seems to be more uncomfortable and expensive too.

It was getting near midnight and it had been raining intermittently, so I was driving cautiously. I was on a long stretch of country road with very little traffic when I saw a person walking beside the road in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, I don't pick up hitchhikers, for all the obvious reasons, and this person did not have a thumb out anyhow.

As I passed, it was clear that this was a young woman, plodding down the road. I thought about it, then turned around and went back. I must have been crazy, but there was something that made me pity her and want to help. I got back to where she was and she shied away from me. I rolled down my window so she could see that I was a woman, but she still seemed hesitant.

"I'm Lori, and you're at least ten miles from the nearest town."

"I'll be okay."

"At this rate, you'll be walking all night."

"I'm fine -- really."

"Let me give you a ride -- at least a little ways."

"You don't need to do that."

"Honestly, it isn't that safe alone in the middle of nowhere. I'm not going to mess with you, and I trust you won't hurt me."

"It's better if I just walk."

"With the rain, and at this hour, you're better off catching a ride with me."

"You don't know me, and I don't know you."

"Call a friend. Give them my description, my car's description, and my license plate."

"I don't have a phone."

"Then you can use mine."

"There's no one I can really call."

"In that case, you definitely need to accept my offer. You need some kind of friend."

"I'm soaked. I'll mess up your nice car."

"It'll clean up. Please, get in."

She still seemed very hesitant, and she was frankly soaked from the rain. But she came closer to my car, and I unlocked the door. She was indeed soaked but I knew my car seat would dry out, and it was pretty obvious that she needed some kind of help. She had a small knapsack, which couldn't have held more than a single change of clothes.

"So where are you headed?"

"Out. Away. Somewhere different."

"Running from, not to."

She stared at me, and I could see fear in her eyes. I wasn't trying to frighten her or make her uncomfortable, just make conversation, but I'd obviously struck a nerve. I had to figure out how to put her at ease. Looking at her, she appeared to be no more than 18 or 19 years old. It was terrible that someone that age should be so broken.

"Why you're traveling is your business. You don't have to tell me, though I'm more than willing to listen if you want to talk, and I'd never want to send anyone back to any situation that they feared or hated."

"I'm not comfortable talking about it."

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"You have no idea -- "

"Many people have suffered at the hands of others in many ways. It's terrible and it hurts, but sometimes you have to lance the boil for it to heal."

We traveled in silence. I didn't want to push her in any way but it was clear that not only was she hurting, and running from whatever or whoever hurt her, but she also had no refuge. She was on the run with no place to land. I had to decide how far I wanted to go to help her, and figure out how much she'd let me help her.

I had to hope that whatever hurt her had not made her want to hurt others as well. I'm not one for taking in strays, either animal or human. You can never tell how feral they are. Something told me she was a gentle soul but wounded and not yet started to heal. Could I simply dump her and let her fend for herself on the streets? In a sense that would be cruel.

I picked her up about 30 miles from where I lived, and given the weather and such meant almost an hour's drive. By the time we got to my place, the rain had gotten worse, and she had almost dried out again. I was concerned that if she lived on the streets, whatever had happened to her before would be mere prologue to what followed.

"Where were you going to stay?"

"I'll find something."

"You'll get soaked even worse, and there are no homeless shelters nearby."

"I'll get by."

"You're welcome to crash on my sofa. No strings attached. I'm not going to attack you, and you won't attack me."

"I couldn't do that."

"Why not? What have you got that's better?"

"You've been too kind, just giving me a ride as far as you did."

"I'm just trying to make sure you have a safe place to sleep tonight."

"I don't want to impose."

"It's no imposition. You need help and I want to help."

"I don't need anybody's help. I can't afford any more help."

"You may not want help, but I'm just offering a safe dry place to rest for the night."

I parked near my apartment and looked over at her. She looked like a rabbit that was trying to figure out the safest place to run. Pretty clearly, this girl had been through something that left her frightened of most anyone and suspicious of any offers. I wondered if there was any way to break through that shell of fear and suspicion.

I decided to ease into it. "When did you last eat?"

"I don't know. Earlier, I guess."

"Let me give you a sandwich and soda and you can figure out if you're comfortable spending the night here."

"I really shouldn't."

About that time, her stomach rumbled, which told me I was correct and that she hadn't eaten for a while. I coaxed her inside and told her she didn't have to stay, but at least could take the edge off her hunger. I made two roast beef sandwiches and got two cans of soda from the fridge. I let her watch while I made the sandwiches and then choose which she wanted.

She took one, and I cut my sandwich in half and began eating one half. I let her open her own drink, which she drank very quickly and she gobbled down her sandwich. I saw her eye my half a sandwich and told her I wasn't as hungry and she was welcome to it. She quickly ate it as well and I got her another can of soda from the fridge.

I asked her if she'd like anything more to eat, and she declined, and she drank her second soda more slowly. By the time she finished that, she was fidgeting and I told her she was welcome to use the bathroom to clean up or relieve herself. I pointed out where it was and she went there and shut and locked the door.

She spent quite a while in there and when she came out, it looked like she had at least washed her face and brushed her hair. With the rain and wind earlier, her hair had gotten to be quite a mess, but now she looked rather pretty, if still rather vulnerable. She still seemed rather uncertain and I figured she was still trying to decide whether to trust me.

"I told you my name was Lori, but you never told me your name."

"Alissa."

"Alissa -- that's pretty. Well, Alissa, I'm clearly not a guy who's going to sexually assault you. My offer of the sofa is still open. I can get you a blanket and pillow."

"My clothes are mostly dry, but still icky."

"Do you have a change of clothes?"

"No, afraid not."

"I can get you a long tee shirt, and I have a washer and drier over there. You can wear the tee to sleep in and clean your clothes."

I went in my bedroom and came out with a long tee, which I handed her. She took it though she looked as though she was afraid it would bite her. I told her she could change in the bathroom and do her clothes as she saw fit. I realized she probably didn't have another pair of panties. I went in and got a pair of mine from a few years back, when my hips were narrower, much like hers.

I knew mine would still be a little too large for her, but they should stay on and not fall off. Okay, I don't have super wide hips, and am not fat, but I was curvier than she was. I probably had 38" hips while hers were more like 35" or 36". She simply was younger and hadn't filled out quite as much. She took the panties and tee and went into the bathroom.

As she went, I told her she was welcome to shower as well. Based on the sound and the time she took, she did shower and put on what I gave her. I showed her where the detergent was and she began to wash the clothes she'd taken off. She looked like she was getting more comfortable, though still unsure of me and what my motivations were.

So what were my motivations? I like women, but I'm not going to pick up someone walking beside the road in order to sleep with her. In point of fact, I offered my couch, rather than offering to share my bed, even though I have a king size bed which is plenty big enough for two people, even if they aren't intimate. I didn't think I wanted to share my bed with a woman I knew so little about.

I got her a light blanket, since my apartment was fairly warm, along with one of my extra pillows. I'm not as bad as some I've seen, but still have more pillows than I'd need even if I was sharing my bed. I decided to sit and talk with her for a while before retiring. She wasn't quite as skittish as she had been, but still was far from comfortable.

"You don't need to do this, Lori."

"I'm not doing this because I need it -- I'm doing it because I think you need it."

"I'll get by -- somehow."

"Something terrible must have happened to make you take off with not much more than the clothes on your back."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to talk about it, but you might feel better if you do."

"What good does talking do?"

"It lets the negative feelings escape so you can start to heal."

"Sounds like nonsense."

"It sounded like there was no one you were trying to go to. Parents? Brother? Sister? Aunt or uncle? Cousins?"

"My parents passed. Their parents passed. I'm an only child. My parents were only children."

"No family then?"

She snorted. "Nothing resembling a family."

"Why were you running?"

She sighed, leaned back, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "After my dad died, my mother remarried. When she died, her so called husband started acting a long way from fatherly toward me."

"Did he -- "

"Rape me? No, but he seemed to think if he was supporting me that he should get something more out of it."

"How old are you, Alissa?"

"I turned 18 just before I graduated high school last month."

"There was no one you could turn to? Friends? Teachers?"

"He had too many friends in town who worshipped the ground he walked on. No one wanted to cross him."

"So he wanted you to -- "

"Be a replacement for my mother -- in all ways. I didn't mind cooking and cleaning, but he wanted more."

"So you ran."

"I had to get away."

"You're safe here."

"I don't know if I'm safe anywhere."

I could see tears running down her face. She opened up her body just a little and I hugged her. She put her head on my shoulder and wept, with her body shaking from the grief. I stroked her back and her head while holding her. She clearly had been holding in too much for too long and was only now beginning to let it out.

Holding her, I felt some pangs of desire, but it would not have been right for me to take advantage of her grief in that way. She was trying to escape from someone who wanted to use her sexually and I had no intention of doing likewise. I held her and tried to comfort her as she wept out at least some of the grief she'd been holding.

I rocked her back and forth while holding her and it was some weird combination of maternal and sexual affection. Slowly, her crying began to wane and she held me tight as we held each other on the sofa. At least she had let some of her grief out. I hoped that meant she could begin to find some peace and some sense of who she was and who she wanted to be.

After a while, she lifted her head from my shoulder, which was damp from her tears. She looked at me and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -- "

"Nonsense. I think you needed that. You released some of the pain."

"Could you please keep holding me for a while?"

"Of course, Alissa."

"No one has held me like that since my mother died."

"That is sad."

"A few boys held me, but they wanted to do more than just hold me."

"Just relax. All I'm going to do is hold you."

We sat like that until we both began to get sleepy. I'd brought Alissa a blanket and pillow and so she had something to make herself comfortable on the sofa. I began to extract myself from her, only to have her look up at me.

"I wish you could keep holding me as we sleep."

"That wouldn't be wise. That would be getting to close to the kinds of intimacy those boys and your step father wanted."

"You're right. It just felt so comforting."

"You have a safe comfortable place to sleep."

"For now."

"We'll take tomorrow as it comes."

I kissed her on the forehead, and went in my bedroom. In one sense, I wouldn't have minded sleeping cuddled up next to her. I knew that could far too easily appear to be something it wasn't meant to be. I also knew, given that I like women, that it could be something that it shouldn't and which I suspected she didn't really want. I didn't help her in order to get her into my bed.

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I woke up the next morning and came out to find Alissa still asleep on the sofa. I went in the kitchen to get some breakfast. All at once, I saw her sit up quickly and look around like she wasn't sure where she was. She looked tense, but then relaxed and finally turned around and saw me in the kitchen. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I like a diet cola to get my caffeine, and was drinking that.

"Good morning, Alissa. Are you feeling a little better?"

"I'm definitely rested. Yesterday was rough."

"Would you like some breakfast? I tend to do muffins, fruit, and cheese in the morning, but I can share."

"I am hungry."

She came in the kitchen and got an English muffin, which I toasted and she put some jam on. She did nibble on some cheese and some of the cantaloupe that I had out. I kind of gathered this wasn't the kind of breakfast she was used to, but she was hungry and had another muffin and more fruit and cheese. I offered her a soda, which she accepted.

"So what are your plans?"

"I'm not sure. I guess just keep moving and try to stay out of sight."

"If you want to rest a little, you could stay here another night."

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"No imposition. And I'd like the company."

"Okay, then."

I had a laptop computer and opened it to start checking email and other things for the day. As I did, I saw a missing person's report for Alissa Martin, with a picture of her. It did confirm that she was 18 but said she had disappeared under suspicious circumstances, without getting into what those circumstances were. Alissa was still eating, and I waved her over to the computer.

"It looks to me like you might need to stay out of sight."

She looked at the screen, gasped, and I could see her ball her hands into fists. "That son of a bitch."

"I'm guessing your step father posted that."

"I don't want to even call him my step father. He's just the asshole my mother married."

"I have an idea."

I got on the phone and called a neighbor of mine. Carrie was a local police officer who lived in my apartment complex close to me. She was off duty that day, and I explained about Alissa and she rushed down to my flat. Alissa was leery of meeting Carrie, but I assured her that Carrie was a friend. I told Carrie she could get Alissa's story while I took a shower.

I assumed Carrie would rather talk to Alissa without me in the room. She knew me and we were friends, but she'd still want to make sure Alissa wouldn't be afraid to say things in my presence. I took my time showering and dressing before coming out to find them sitting together on the sofa. Alissa seemed happy, so I assumed everything had gone well.

Carrie spoke up. "I have a friend who is an officer in Middleton and I called her and explained about Alissa."

Middleton was a small town about fifty miles south of where we were. It was on a main road leading away from the town that Alissa had run from, based on the missing person's report. Alissa had obviously chosen instead to go along a less traveled route, which is where I found her.

"Julie is going to file some reports of seeing someone matching Alissa's description and heading further south."

"So that will point away from here, for anyone looking?"

"She's going to come up here after her shift to talk to Alissa. We may be able to attach some addenda to the missing persons report indicated she is believed to be fleeing an abusive situation."

"That should help."

About that time, there was a knock on the door. Carrie quickly got up and opened the door to let in another woman. Carrie introduced her as her friend Roxanna who was a hair stylist.

"We need to give this girl a makeover, so she is less recognizable."

Alissa had shoulder length dishwater blonde hair. Roxanna took Alissa into the bathroom while Carrie and I chatted. I got Carrie a soda to drink as we waited. It took half an hour but Alissa came out of the bathroom with an auburn pixie cut. Besides the difference in color and style, it framed her face differently, changing how she appeared.

"Alissa is gone. Now meet Lisa."

Carrie spoke up. "Even with the change in appearance, she needs to lay low for a couple of weeks."

"I don't know where I can do that."

Carrie looked at me, giving me that 'kind of look' so I spoke. "You can stay here for a couple of weeks until things settle down."

"Are you sure? You've already done so much."

"I don't want to see you sent back to that bastard."

"Thank you so much."

"You do need more than one set of clothes though." I turned to Carrie. "Is it okay to take her out long enough to buy her a few clothes?"

"Why don't the three of us go out together? It gives us better cover."

Roxanna needed to go, and I offered to pay her for what she'd done but she refused any payment, saying she did it to help a woman in distress. Alissa's clothes were clean and dry, so she changed out of the tee I'd given her into what she had in the way of clothes. We headed to a thrift store to keep it cheap, and bought her several skirts and dressier tops along with some flats.

The missing persons report had her in jeans and a tee with tennis shoes, so the thrift store was nice enough to let her change there, once we'd paid for everything. We hit a discount store and bought her several pair of panties and a couple bras, then hit a drug store to get some inexpensive cosmetics. By the time we were done, I'd spent less than $200 but had Alissa taken care of.

I drove the car as Carrie put makeup on Alissa, with eye shadow, base, blush, and lipstick. By the time she was done, Alissa truly looked like another person. We stopped for lunch and I'm sure no one in the place thought the woman with us was the reported missing person. Still, we didn't want to spend too much time in public, since someone might get a clue.

We headed back to my place and were joined by Carrie's friend Julie. She spent some time talking with Alissa and getting some details on how he had attempted to coerce her into sex. She said she'd make sure that got to other police departments that had gotten the missing persons report. Since Alissa was 18, she was free to move and live where she wanted.