Hot steam poured from beneath the hood of the overheated station wagon as it crept to a stop on a deserted road. Cursing his bad luck, Alex sighed and rolled his eyes. So much for enjoying a drive through southern California on a beautiful summer day, he thought. The sky was, indeed, a beautiful blue, and cloudless. Perfect for a drive, or any other outdoor activity for that matter.
Alex had hoped, with it being the weekend, that he could relax and just drive for awhile and enjoy the sights in order to be rid of his stressful life as an intern at Milestone Incorporated, which was a Technology and Information company. Now, as the engine hissed like a den of snakes, his hopes for a peaceful and relaxing weekend was going up with the steam that was coming from his engine. His engine overheat signal was telling him what he already knew.
Alex looked through both his driver side and passenger window, but saw only desert and small cactus around him. He had an instant epiphany and grabbed his cellphone to call a tow truck for assistance, but this new hope was dashed when he saw zero bars on the display.
"Just my luck," he cursed, while getting out. It seemed it would be up to him to fix his car. As he walked to the back to see if he had water, or anything really to help, a nagging little voice in his head began to surface and echo louder with each step he took on the hot pavement.
'I should've traded it in months ago', he thought.
Alex just shook his head and opened the back window of the wagon. It was somewhat true that this could've been avoided had he traded the wagon in for something newer, but at the time he thought he could make it through and get by without. Now he was mentally kicking his own ass as he searched the back and found only a few spare blankets, an assortment of tools, and a half eaten granola bar, but no water.
Shutting the window and locking it with a exasperated sigh, Alex went back to the driver side and opened the door, leaned in, and put the car in drive so he could push it over to the side of the road. He winced as the sun reflected off the blacktop and into his baby blue eyes. His body was not the muscled type, though he was not skinny, but rather lean and as such it took considerable effort for him to push the car where he wanted it to be.
He put the gear into park, and turned on the brake lights so people wouldn't hit the car. He would have to leave it and go find someplace with water. It was a slight bit of fortune that he remembered a gas station, or some sort of business, a few miles back. Sweat had already begun to bead on his forehead, and gather under his arms, but he figured he could make it. Luckily, he had dressed light in tan khaki shorts, light blue shirt, and tennis shoes for the weekend.
Not wanting to add robbery to the list of bad things that could happen to him, Alex wisely took his wallet, his phone, and his car keys with him before locking all the doors. A cool breeze billowed by him as he began walking back the way he had come alongside the road. It felt good, and it replenished his spirit a bit as it blew through his dirty blonde hair.
Only a few miles.
After at least three dozen steps, Alex checked his watch. It was 6:16. He had been walking almost thirty minutes, but with the heat of the sun bearing on him and the exertion of walking such a long distance, it had already felt like an eternity. He wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake and should've stayed with the car. He was just about to heed his second thought when he spotted the gleam of a sign and the outline of a building not too far up ahead.
His spirits were bolstered by the sight that affirmed his belief that there was some help nearby. His feet quickened over the hot macadam, leading him toward the beacon of hope.
Sweat was dripping off of his arms, legs, and head by the time Alex had gotten close enough to his destination to see the sign clearly. A white box with bright blue letters inside it said: SLEEP TIGHT INN. COME RELAX WITH US! There was a small picture of a person's face with their eyes closed, dozing, on where it said "INN".
Relaxing, or just having a place to rest that was out of the heat, sounded perfect to Alex. Maybe he could also find a landline and call for roadside assistance if his luck held out. His feet crunched over gravel as he left the dirt side of the road and walked toward the parking lot of of the inn.
The building looked rather plain as Alex walked up to it. It was a dark brown building standing only three floors, but it looked like heaven to Alex. Windows on the upper two floors looked out, and gleamed. The sign was over a glass double front door. Beside the door on the left on the wall blazed a neon vacancy sign.
Alex trudged over the black asphalt, opened one of the glass doors and walked inside. Cold air conditioned air flooded over him as soon as he stepped in. He stood there, slouched, and dripping sweat on the soft azure blue carpet, just letting the air cool him off.
Immediately he noticed the reception area was small, with a reception desk no more than five feet from him. Behind the desk stood a very lovely looking woman wearing a severe red jacket over a white shirt and matching red skirt. Her hair was black as a raven and went past her shoulders.
Alex thought she was Mediterrenean, but wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that she was too lovely to be in a simple place like this. Before he could put his thoughts to words or even begin to will himself over to the desk, she spoke. Her lips were coloured the brightest red shade of lipstick.
"Oh, my. Look at you," she said. Her voice was soft, calm and soothing. Alex thought the way she spoke sounded like soft velvet over skin. Alex could just listen to that voice forever, he thought, as the woman came over to him, looking quite concerned. "Poor thing. Did you walk here?"
"Yeah, I did. My car broke down a few miles from here. Could I use your phone to call a tow truck?" Alex replied, his voice dry and hoarse from the heat. He saw that on the left breast of her jacket was a gold pin that read "Victoria", in black letters.
"Why yes. Of course," Victoria said, as she hurried back behind her desk and brought him a cordless phone. "Here you are, Sir. And welcome to the Sleeptight Inn. If you need a room, or perhaps some water; I would be happy to help you. My name is Victoria, by the way."
The soothing quality of her voice, coupled with her concerned manner and lovely smile, put Alex at ease immediately. "Nice to meet you, Victoria. I'm Alex. Alex Malwick.Yes, water would be very nice, thank you."
Alex spotted a pair of cushioned chairs against the far wall, He gestured weakly to the chairs, while taking the phone from her. "I'll just go sit over there and see if I can get a tow truck."
Victoria nodded, her green eyes gleaming brightly. "Yes, of course. I'll go get you some of our ice cold bottled water."
Alex moved as quickly as his tired leg muscles would allow. Once he got over to the chairs it was all he could do to just fall into the left one. The chairs were mostly made of durable plastic with beige cushions for seats. It was pretty comfortable, even when having to sit up straight. Alex pushed the button to talk on the phone and dialed the number of information to locate a local tow.
Things were seeming to be going his way, somewhat, when the lady on the other end gave him the number of a tow company. He thanked the operator, then hung up and dialed the number. Alex lazily looked around listening to the dial tone ring as he waited for someone to answer. The walls were a muted blue color, almost the same that had been used with their sign.
Victoria returned shortly after with two bottles of cold water. Alex took one, thanking her as someone picked up on the other end. He did not hesitate a second in unscrewing the cap of one bottle and tipping it back, taking generous swallows of the cold water within.
The water was quite delicious and crisp. It had a freshness only coming directly from a freezer would give. It seemed to be exactly what he needed. Alex felt relaxed, rejuvenated, and best of all he thought things seemed a bit clearer to him. 'Probably because I am not in the god awful heat,' he thought.
