"Thank God for cell phones," she told herself aloud while she was waiting. And thank God for the least bit of cell reception out here, she thought after that. She blew her frustration out of her barely open lips, as she stood impatiently waiting for an Operator to come on the line.
She had known her old Ford truck was giving up the ghost for a while now, but as a retired school teacher, she didn't really have the money to replace it. And since she lived out here, 'in the boonies' as a friend from her last school had said, she needed this old truck (or something else) desperately. She couldn't afford to move (although she knew that she should). Transportation was the only remaining thread that she was living by.
Linda had been divorced and on her own for almost twenty years now. Her job had been her only lifeline for a while now, and when the school district severely cut back on teachers, she had been left high and dry. She had reluctantly took the early retirement that they offered her to say goodbye to 'higher education.'
"At least that deadbeat ex- of mine left me the house," she had told her best friend Charlene.
He had left her for a younger woman once her long blond hair began turning grey. He had stayed with her, even though she was infertile, as long as she was "cute and fuckable." Once she 'wasn't...'
"Yeah, right," Charlene had guffawed. "Better than having to fix it up and live in it himself!" Charlene really loved her best friend Linda, but had said many times over to her, "My dear, you have the worst luck in men I think I've ever seen."
"Why do you think I've never re-married?" Linda had asked rhetorically. Charlene had just given Linda that look and said nothing more.
It was not as if Linda was a bad looking woman. But now that she was in her sixties, she 'knew' that her boyfriend hunting days were behind her. Her long steel grey hair matched her slender, "not exactly well-endowed body" her ex-husband had chided her for.
Once upon a time however, she was 'quite the catch' as the old saying used to go. She was tall and slender, with her long blond hair down to her waist. She was often compared favorably to the singer Carly Simon then. That was after all, why her husband had married her in the first place.
But then when she had crossed the line into her forties, not only had she not 'produced any offspring' for him, but he began chiding her about maybe "get a boob job." That would enhance his interest in her. Which she had no interest in fulfilling that fantasy for.
So he left her. For a woman in her twenties that had "the kind of tits I'm looking for." By that point, Linda was exhausted from hearing his fantasies. She hadn't objected when he wanted a divorce. "Just leave me the house and land," she had told him.
Her lack of desire of 'finding a man' again had led into her teaching long hours to make up for that 'lack' in her life. Charlene, who was on the 'homely' side, had become her bulwark against loneliness over the years. Til the two friends slowly became the only friends that each other had.
"Come on," she said quietly to the non-existent operator, stamping her feet against the ever more chilling cold that was settling in around her. She hesitated to get back into the truck for fear of loosing the fragile thread of a cell signal that would strand her here overnight.
"Thank you for waiting," the female Voice finally said moments later when she finally got through. "What seems to be your problem?" This kindly voice asked.
"The lights just keep on getting dimmer, until the engine finally stopped," Linda said, shivering now.
"It's a good thing you still have some miles left on your plan," she was told. "Is there a mechanics shop that you'd like it to be towed to?"
"If the tow truck guy has a battery he can replace mine with so I can just get myself home, I'd appreciate it."
"I'm sure that he can help out with that," he Operator said. "Whereabouts are you located?"
Linda had reluctantly told her just where she was, about ten miles out in the middle of nowhere. She hoped that this tow driver wouldn't leaver her stranded because of where she was.
"That won't happen," the Operator assured her. "But because of your location, it could be a couple of hours before we have him arriving. Will you be ok in the meantime?"
Wrapping her coat around herself, she told her, "Tell him I'll probably be asleep in my truck, in case he needs to call me."
"Will do, mam."
Linda reluctantly hit the disconnect button, and shook herself with a "Brrrr," and got back in the cab.
--------------
She was startled by the loud knock on her window, causing her to jump and look around herself wildly.
When she calmed down, the voice of the man outside came through her shock.
"Sorry, Mam," he apologized. "You were kind of fast asleep."
She saw a younger man with long hair standing just outside. Nodding, she opened the door. "Your dispatcher explained what my problem was, yes?"
He nodded affirmative. "Why don't you go and get in my cab," he said. "Warm yourself up."
She nodded vigorously at this and sighed. "Let me know if it's hopeless," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.
