I hate working second shift. Normally I try to avoid it, but due to a lay off, I had been forced to take a job working in a convenience store on that dreaded shift. It had been a long eight hours, having to deal with the low-lifes who frequented this particular store. It was in a bad neighborhood and I was constantly having to deal with shoplifters, and people who would attempt any kind of con that they could to get something for nothing. To make matters worse, this evening, I had pissed off my co-worker because I refused to let her give the stores wares away to her friends. I was tired, pissed off and just ready to go home. I had no way of knowing that something would occur on my drive home that would put me in a much better mood.
I live about fifteen miles from the store and it normally takes about twenty minutes to get to my apartment, depending how I hit the lights in town. Half of my trip is in the city, but the last half is through a relatively desolate stretch of road. I was just reaching the point where the area changes from commercial to nothing, when I noticed a figure walking on the side of the road in front of me. I got a pretty good look as I passed and saw that it was a middle aged, woman in an old fashioned, past the knee dress.
About half a mile back I had passed what I knew to be a store front church and figured that this woman had probably left from there, having either had car trouble or was just so devoted that she had walked to church and was now walking home. I knew that she probably had a long walk ahead of her as the stretch of road she was heading onto had a very long piece to go before there were any signs of habitation.
It was sprinkling rain, and while it was a warm night, I just felt that I could not go on without going back and at least offering her a ride. believe me when I say that I did this for the most altruistic of reasons. I had gotten a good look at this woman and she was definitely not the hot, sexy fantasy hitch-hiker that we all hope to find someday. I just knew that I would hope that someone would offer a ride to my sister or mother if they were in such a predicament.
I did a U-turn in an old abandoned business parking lot and went back down the road past her and pulled a second U-turn. I hit the button that lowered my passenger side power window, as I pulled up alongside the woman. Upon close inspection, I was right, this woman was decidedly frumpy looking, just the type you would expect to see in a poor independent church. She was not ugly, but not pretty either. Just plain. The baggy print dress she was wearing was definitely unattractive. I leaned towards the window and spoke to her as she stopped next to my car.
"Have car trouble?" I asked.
"No. I just don't have a ride home." the lady replied.
"Well, I'm going this way, so if you want, I can give you a lift. No need to walk in the rain." I offered as nicely as I could in an attempt to let her know that I wasn't dangerous.
"Are you sure it won't be any trouble?" she asked.
"Not at all!" I smiled back cheerfully. "Hop on in."
She opened the passenger door and climbed in, taking obvious comfort at not being in the rain any longer.
"So where can I take you?" I asked.
"I live about four miles down Old Liberty Road." she replied. "Are you sure it's not out of your way?" I noticed that there seemed to be something a bit....wrong with her voice.
"Well, it is a little out of my way, but I don't mind. I just got off work and I'm heading home so I'm in no hurry." I assured her. "I couldn't leave you walking in the rain like that. I would hate to think of my sister being stuck like that and would hope someone would get her off the road this late at night, and out of the rain."
"Well, aren't you sweet!" she exclaimed, reaching over and putting her right hand on my shoulder. Once again I noticed that her voice seemed a bit off.
"So, how did you come to not have a ride?" I inquired.
"This is kind of embarrassing, but I went to a party with a friend and got into an argument with her and the other people there, so I just left and started walking home. I've been walking for about half an hour when you picked me up."
Now I knew what was wrong with her voice! She was drunk!. I had been totally wrong in my assumption that she had come from the church. Well, it didn't really matter. She still needed a ride home and I still felt justified in giving one to her.
"Well, I'm just glad I can help a lady in need." I said. I then felt her arm brush up against mine as she seemed to be leaning a bit towards my side of the car. I moved my arm more towards me, breaking the contact. A few seconds later, I felt her arms resting against mine once again. I was starting to get a little uncomfortable. This woman was obviously drunk and I hoped that she was not getting any ideas. It might be different if she were young and good looking, but she was at least twenty years older than my twenty-five and she did not have the looks that would normally turn me on.
We rode in silence for a few minutes, her arm still pressed into mine when I told her, "You'll have to show me where you live. I had already turned onto the road she had mentioned.
