Kay thought this day would end up being the worst day of her life. Her mother finally kicked her out of their trailer, this time for good, after getting into a heated fight with one of her drunk boyfriends. She was in such a hurry to get out of there that she hardly had time to grab any of her things. All she had in the world were the clothes on her back and a backpack full of underwear, t-shirts, and make-up. She had almost no money either, just a few crumpled one dollar bills in the back pocket of her jean shorts.
That is why she was hitchhiking along the interstate that afternoon, praying to God that someone would stop before it got dark. She had no idea where she wanted to go, just that she needed to get far away from the life she was leaving behind. Just when she was beginning to think no one would stop for her, an old Jeep slowed to a stop just a few yards ahead of her. Thinking it could take off at any moment, Kay ran toward it with her tired legs.
"Sweetie, what is a girl like you doing hitchhiking out in the middle of nowhere?" said a middle aged woman seated in the passenger seat of the Jeep.
"You must be burning alive out here!" the man in the driver's seat exclaimed.
"I don't have any money for a bus ticket," Kay replied. "Where are y'all headed to?"
"Well we're going all the way to Seattle," said the woman.
Seattle, huh? Kay had never been out of her own town, let alone the state of Montana, but it sounded like her best hope of finding a fresh start.
"Do you mind giving me a ride?"
"Sure, but it's a twelve hour drive and we're not planning on stopping," the man stated, and that was perfectly fine with Kay.
She jumped into the back seat and settled in as they started driving.
"I can't pay you anything," she said nervously.
"That's fine, Honey. We're just happy to help a kid in need," the woman said. "I'm Susan, by the way, and this is my husband Greg."
"I'm Kay, and thank you so much for this. I'm not a kid, though, I just turned eighteen."
>>>>
Kay spent much of the drive watching wistfully out the window as she got farther and farther away from her terrible town and her horrible family. Tears filled her eyes on multiple occasions as she recalled how her mother would slap her and call her names and force her to sleep outside when she had a man over. She hated her mother and she hated her father, too, for abandoning her when she was young. She also cried out of happiness because of Susan and Greg. Kay quickly discovered what lovely people they were. They lived in Seattle and were on their way back from visiting Yellowstone. They were almost done seeing every national park, which Kay found very impressive, since she'd never been to any of them.
As they drove, Susan told Kay all about how she and Greg met while they were both hiking in the Teetons only to discover that they both lived in the same city more than a thousand miles away. They had been married for twenty years. They loved nature and they loved each other. Kay felt so warm being in the presence of two people who loved each other so much. She had never seen a love so true. Greg was hilarious too, in the dad-joke kind of way, but since Kay didn't have a father in her life, she loved his sense of humor.
At around 10pm, Kay fell asleep with her head against the window while soft rock played on a low volume from the car speakers. She didn't awaken until five the next morning when Greg pulled the Jeep into the driveway of a rather large, craftsman style home on a quaint suburban street.
"We have arrived!" Greg announced proudly. He shook Susan awake with a hand on her thigh.
"Thank you both so much for taking me all this way," Kay said sincerely.
"Honey, stop thanking us," Susan insisted with a groggy voice. "Come on in and have some breakfast. You must be starving. I know I am."
"Are you sure?"
"Where else are you going to go?" Greg asked rhetorically. They both knew Kay knew no one in Seattle and had absolutely no plan.
Kay stepped into their home with a look of awe. She had never seen a home so beautiful, with so much character, and with so many books.
"Greg is a Sociology professor," Susan said. "These are all his books." She turned to her husband. "Babe, why don't you go get some rest and I'll have breakfast with Kay."
"Sounds good," he replied, pulling her close and smooching her on the lips.
Now that they were standing in front of her, Kay finally got a good look at the two of them. They were both tall. Greg over six feet and Susan nearing it. Greg was an average looking man, probably in his late forties. His skin was tanned from the sun and his hair was dusty brown, long and thin on top with some balding at the crown. He had a bit of a gut under his t-shirt but his arms and legs were lean and muscular. Susan was stunning in a nontraditional way. She was curvaceous with thick hips and legs and large breasts that swung freely in her sun dress, but had a pronounced waist and flat stomach. She had sun bleached hair and wrinkles that showed her age, but her beaming personality made her seem ten years younger.
As for Kay, she had always been a waif of a girl. She was a mere five-foot-two with soft features, a thin frame, and B-cup breasts. She looked at Susan and saw all of the things she wished she had, but Susan looked at Kay like she was perfect.
"Sit with me," Susan said, motioning to the kitchen table. "Coffee or tea?"
"Juice?"
Susan laughed. "You're so cute," she cooed, reaching in the fridge for the carton of OJ.
Susan then fixed some eggs and toast for the two of them, which Kay scarfed down in two bites. It turned out she really was hungry. Susan laughed at this as well, but in a lighthearted way, like Kay was somehow fascinating.
"You and Greg are the nicest people I've ever met," Kay told her.
"Aww, thank you, sweetie," Susan said, but she seemed to have a sadness in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Susan?" Kay asked, genuinely concerned. She reached her hand out and placed it on Susan's, giving it a soft squeeze.
Susan smiled and shook her head. "Oh it's nothing for you to bother yourself about."
"Please tell me," Kay pleaded. "You've been so good to me. I can't stand you looking so sad."
"You're sweet," Susan said, reaching out to smooth down Kay's unkempt brunette hair. "It's just that, these trips Greg and I go on, where we visit all of the national parks. . . It's all really just to distract ourselves from this loneliness we feel in this house."
"Loneliness? But you two seem so in love with each other."
"We are. Oh, God do I love him. But, there is something missing for both of us. We've never had a child. We tried and tried for years after we got married. Heck, we're still trying now. But, unfortunately, my ability to conceive is so low that nothing has worked. And now we're nearing fifty years old. I fear that I'll never have a baby of my own."
Kay looked down, sadness and anger overcoming her. She couldn't understand how such horrible people as her parents could be allowed by God to have a child, but these beautiful people were forced to remain childless.
"It's gotten so bad that sometimes I wish that Greg would leave me and find another woman who will have his children. I can't stand knowing that I'm the reason he will never be a father."
"It's not your fault," Kay told her.
