This one is for the
Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2022
. As always, your votes and comments would be much appreciated.
This is a fairly slow burn, and a little longer than I usually write. And I hope you enjoy it.
AVA
I wasn't sure I could hold on much longer. My hands felt like they were about ready to snap right off at the wrists.
Lugging four heavy bags of groceries with my purse slung over my back was not only enough to cut off the circulation in my hands, it was making me consider doing the unthinkable -- putting everything down on the grungy sidewalk, even for just a minute or two to give my poor aching arms a rest.
Standing in front of the little market in Causeway Bay, where I'd just bought what ever I thought I'd need to get me through my first typhoon, I was sending up silent prayers that I'd be able to find a taxi, because all I wanted now was to get home.
Aside from the grossness of the sidewalk, if a cab did come, I knew I had to have everything in hand, ready to hop in, or someone else would grab it. Clenching my jaw, I stiffened my spine and held onto my bags, while trying to ignore the fact that I was losing all sense of feeling in my hands. While also hoping that I'd find a way to get across the island.
Hong Kong, normally nothing but a sea of people was super busy tonight with everyone trying to get ahead of the storm.
I wouldn't say there was an actual sense of panic on the faces of everyone scrambling around. But they all looked pretty determined as they burst from their office buildings and shops like a dam breaking, all racing to get home as fast as they could.
Watching the shopkeepers roll down their metal security shutters, one after the other, I knew that soon the city would be pretty much shut down. It felt kind of eerie to see a city that never sleeps, practically rolling up the sidewalks, preparing for whatever was to come.
Ugh
. I looked up and rolled my eyes. Seriously? If it wasn't hot and humid enough to nearly melt me where I stood, now it was starting to rain. Big, fat annoying drops were plopping down on my head, making my wait even more miserable.
This was going to be some night. With a full-fledged typhoon about to descend on the city, I'd never felt more desperate to find a ride.
Suddenly, my heart leapt when I spied a red cab with its light on, coming in my direction. Hoping with everything I had that I'd be able to grab it, I stuck my foot out into the street and frantically waved it around so he'd see me, while also hoping I wouldn't land on my butt. Thank god he came to a stop, but unfortunately for me, not quite close enough.
Though I knew darn well he had to have seen me waving it down, some douchebag with thinning red hair pulled back in a hipster-style pony-tail, clad in a nauseatingly loud hot pink and green Hawaiian shirt, grabbed the back door handle, and roughly elbowed me out of the way. To add insult to injury, he flashed me a snide little smile as he had the audacity to slide his ass into
my
cab. If that wasn't enough, the bastard even rubbed it in with a little wave of his hand as the cab drove off, as the smug little twerp happily settled himself into the air-conditioned comfort of the backseat.
Tempted to scream, or throw one of the bags after him, considering how often this happened, I knew I had to force myself to just forget it and let it go.
Taking a few deep breaths, I knew I had to keep my cool, and just wait for the next one to come along. But with the entire city trying to get home, all at the same time, obviously my chances of finding an empty cab were getting slimmer by the minute.
Then I saw it, like a battered beacon of hope winding its way through rush hour traffic. An old, beat-up red taxi, the light on top shining, to let me know he was free. I managed to wave one of my hands holding the two lighter bags, and stuck my high-heeled foot out again for good measure, hoping to flag him down. And wonder of wonders, he actually stopped right in front of me!
But I couldn't believe it, when yet another hand reached out and opened the back door. By this point I was angry enough to swing a bag at him, until he stopped me in my tracks when he politely said, "Here, let me get that for you."
Relieved that he was just being kind, I bit back what I was about to call him that would have turned the air about ten different shades of blue. Instead, demurely nodding, I smiled and said, "Thanks."
Feeling a little guilty, I imagined, the same as I was, he was just trying to beat the storm and get home. About to slide my way into the cab, I told him, "I'm going along Tai Hang Road. If you want, we could share."
He flashed a smile, looking relieved. "Sure, that would be great."
Glad to have a ride, he even took a couple of bags off my hands, so I could slide my way further across the back seat to make room for him.
Once he'd settled in, he gave the cabbie his address, which happened to be on Tai Hang Road. But after I'd informed the cabbie that I was going all the way out to Shek O on the west side of the island, I noticed he pulled a face as he looked back at me in the rear-view mirror. But when the cabbie pulled away from the curb without complaining, we both breathed a sigh of relief and settled back in our seats.
As we slowly wound our way out of Causeway Bay, noticing the way my seat mate was curiously eyeing my four heavy bags of groceries, probably wondering if I was a big eater, I thought I'd better explain. "I decided I'd better stock up, in case the typhoon goes on for a few days."
"Not a bad idea." Then he turned his head, looking across at me. "So, will this be your first typhoon?"
I felt like such a newbie, as I winced and nodded that it was. I'd only lived here for six months. And everyone in my office had warned me now that it was storm season, when a typhoon warning went up, that it was a good idea to take it seriously. Especially when it was about to go from a number 3 warning to an 8, like now. If the storm progressed, next it would be a 9 and then a 10, which meant it would be right over the city. Hopefully, with any luck, I'd be safe inside before that happened.
Looking out the side window, anxiously watching a cluster of pretty hearty looking banyan trees being battered around like twigs, I could see that the wind was already starting to wreak havoc on the island. Tipping my head back, looking up, the sky seemed to be growing darker by the second as the rain really began to pelt the cab, sounding like pebbles raining down on the roof.
Normally, the drive along Tai Hang Road was a really pretty drive, but tonight it felt kind of scary.
I guess noticing how worried I looked, the man beside me tried to reassure me. "I've been through a few of these. As long as you stay indoors away from any windows, you should be okay."
Not exactly what I wanted to hear. Considering my tiny, ancient apartment had a wall of windows facing the beach. Now I just hoped I could stay out of danger, even if it meant spending the night in the bathroom, probably sleeping in the tub. Providing of course I could get any sleep, with an actual typhoon raging outside.
We were crawling along Tai Hang Road at a snail's pace. The way the rain was coming down, I wondered how the cabbie could even see where he was going. I probably felt as tense as he did; white knuckling the steering wheel, with his neck craned forward, straining to see through the windshield, the wipers were barely keeping up, though they were going back and forth like mad.
Suddenly, we all jumped when a big tree branch crashed onto the road right in front of us. Luckily for us, the driver managed to slam the brakes on just in time. Muttering under his breath in Cantonese as he carefully steered around it, I got the distinct feeling that he was regretting picking us up.
When we finally pulled up at my seat-mate's building, as he handed him the fare, the driver turned and pointed his finger at me and muttered, "You go, too. I go home now. This storm is very bad."
Though he was leaving me stranded, I really couldn't blame him, since I knew I wouldn't want to be out driving on a night like this. With no choice but to get out of the cab, I was glad when Mr. Nice Guy took the bags out of my hands and yelled at me over his shoulder, "Come on," as the rain started to teem down in buckets. Doing my best to watch my footing in my high heels, I was shocked and more than a little unnerved at how fast the driveway was beginning to flood, hoping I wouldn't fall and drown before I even made it in the building.
Already soaked to the bone, I followed him into the lobby, shivering as the frigid air sent goosebumps racing across my wet skin. After he gave a quick nod hello to the guard at the desk, he turned his attention to me. "Aw, look at you, you're soaked. The way it's coming down out there, I doubt you'll be able to find another cab. But you're welcome to come up to my place and wait to see if there's a lull, before the storm gets any worse."
Turning my head, looking back outside, with how bad it was getting out there, and the way the wind was starting to howl, I didn't imagine there'd be any chance of a lull. Which made me realize that I didn't have much choice but to accept his offer.