Emma Layden pulled her black 1974 Mustang off the side of road and swore. The shitty four cylinder had blown something again and steam rolled out from under the hood.
She exited the car and stood overlooking the dusty and parched barren fields on the outskirts of town. Ezekiel had once been a thriving community of 30,000 plus souls. Almost one third of that number had moved away after the mine closed down and the flour mill shut.
Her phone battery had died on the way back from neighboring Emmetsville so there was no chance of calling for help. Grabbing her bag from the back, taking her house keys but leaving the ignition key, she kicked the driver's door closed. Anyone could steal the shitty car especially with the key, but secretly she hoped someone would. Swearing again, she started walking, thankful for the small mercy that the early fall day was fairly cool and that she'd worn flats to her job interview.
She had inherited the car after her father had died in the horrible mine accident that led to its closure. Things had been better then. Jobs were available, services in the town were good. She had just finished high school and, two weeks after her eighteenth birthday had married her childhood sweetheart.
Then the world changed. With her dad gone, she had inherited the car and a small sum of money. That very day, just after settlement had gone through, a large storm had swept through town and the weather had turned nasty. Her husband, Leon, was injured in a car accident. He'd claimed that lightening had struck the car but first responders said he'd been drunk. Most of the money they'd inherited got drained away in legal costs and medical bills. Then she'd lost her job.
Her father's faithful old Cadillac had blown it's engine two days before his death. The Mustang had been traded in at the local auto dealer and who had then on sold it for next to nothing to him. Given what had happened since then it was like the damn thing was cursed. Her life had been bereft of joy the moment that thing had entered her life.
Even her sex life was desolate. Leon's pelvic injuries had meant he was unable to engage in any real physicality involving him fucking or being fucked. This meant she had been limited to being eaten out or fingered by him, and he was not very good at either, which left her less than fully satisfied but her faithfulness to him had not been tested in the two years since this life change had occurred.
She had gone about a half mile when the hum of tires announced the approach of a vehicle. Turning, she saw a huge black Ram pickup with her Mustang hitched to its rear with a tow rope. The vehicle slowed, it's window coming down. The driver, a huge, extremely handsome man in a suit and sunglasses smiled at her. She was a petite young woman, and he seemed monstrously large looking down at her from his high cab. Someone on the radio inside was talking about Notre Dame football.
"This yours pretty lady?"
"Unfortunately yes, yes sir it is."
He turned the radio off and looked down at her again. "My apologies, I should have turned that off. I'm a big fan of Knute...Well now, how about you hop in and we get you home safe n sound?"
She looked at him suspiciously.
He smiled and laughed. "Let me guess, you don't accept rides from strange men in black pickups."
"That is something my father did drill into me as a youngster." She said, smiling but not moving.
"Not even if I promise to be a gentleman?"
She looked at the road ahead. "That would be chivalrous of you, but the road is clear, the day is nice and I'm a judo black belt."
He chuckled. "Black belt? Well I best watch myself. Look, I tell you what. You tell me where to leave your daddy's pony and I'll drop it off for you. I'll even get one of my workers to look under the hood later on if that's okay with you."
"It's my car."
He nodded, took off his sunglasses and added, "But it was HIS, before the collapse." His eyes seemed to draw her in.
"You knew my daddy?"
"I won't lie to you. I only met him once, but I saw him drive out of the car yard with it. He was nice to me that one time we spoke, years before he bought it, and others spoke well of him. My condolences on his passing, and I hope that time is healing that loss."
She looked down the road again, at him and again down the road, almost giving in. "You can leave it in the drive at 1722 Birch. I'm going to walk this one out."
'Need to de-stress? I hear you. Hard Times round here lately. Has it been tough on you?"
"You could say that."
He pulled at something on his dash and offered a crisp $10 note on his outstretched hand. "At least let me buy you a coffee as you get back into town."
She paused but then accepted the offer. "Thanks." Without further ado he put the pickup into gear and headed off, as did she.
Emma could see the poor excuse for a car as she trudged up the street. She'd stopped twice for coffee and once for a coke, her feet killed her and she was desperate to pee, so she entered right on in and up into the bathroom off their bedroom. She entered just as Leon ejaculated into the sink, his cell phone propped up on the bench top, a hardcore sex scene underway on it's screen.
"What the fuck Leon?"
"Jesus Emma!" He yelled, frantically trying to hide what he was doing, but only succeeding in spraying cum all over the place.
She pushed past him and made it to the toilet and a second later was gushing urine into the bowl. "You rat bastard. What the fuck are you doing, disrespecting me by whacking off to porn?"
"I was frustrated all right? I needed some relief!"
"You were frustrated? You selfish fuck! I jacked you off last night and you didn't even return the favor!"
He pointed to the window. "So what did you do or get, to get the car looked at? Did you fuck that mechanic who arrived and spent time under the hood or did you fuck the big guy who arrived with the car in tow?"
"You're insane!" she screamed. "I didn't fuck anyone....The car broke down. That guy towed it back. I never asked for help. He just offered it."
He looked at her with disbelief.
"Maybe I should have fucked him. Its not like I've been getting fucked by you. And I am frustrated!"
His anger grew. "You think this is my fault? You think I want to be unable to fuck you? Geez, thanks for the empathy."