Please Note: This is entirely Fiction, and all characters were 18 years or older.
*****
I was stretched out on my bed looking up at the ceiling watching the room light up as the storm raged on outside. I was counting the seconds until the thunder caught up. I love to listen to rain falling on the roof, wind in the trees, and the distant sound of thunder as I fall asleep. I never had problems falling asleep during a storm no matter how violent, threatening, or loud. But tonight was different. There was something at the edge of my mind keeping me awake. I felt ill at ease, something wrong, something that needed to be done. I had no idea what it could be and tried to reason my way through it when my cell phone broke into Rob Zombie's Dragula. Great, this cannot be good.
I rolled over and reached for the phone and answered it, "Hello?"
"Jimmy?" a familiar female voice asked, "This is Aunt Lauren. I hate to bother you so late, but I really do not know what to do."
I was suddenly worried. I had not talked to her in quite a few years. I had moved a couple of states away after college and never really kept in touch with family back home. I had tried, but it always felt like a one way street. "It's okay," I said reassuringly, "What's wrong?"
"Sissy, I mean Carol Ann was heading to visit a college out there in Iowa and well, she was late and tried to make it before having to stop somewhere for the night, but, well she broke down and is on the side of the road -"
She was getting frantic and I could hear the fear in her voice. "Aunt Lauren, where is she?" I asked.
"She's on I-80 about a mile from the Wilton exit where her car broke down," she said anxiously, "she was trying to make it to Iowa City. Is that even close to you?"
"Yes, fortunately it is. Okay, I am on my way. I'll call you if there is a problem."
"Thank you."
I grabbed my wind breaker which had a hood and was waterproof, my keys and a flashlight from the kitchen drawer. I headed out into the pouring rain, taking my pickup in the drive instead of my car. Even though both my headlights and the wipers were on high, they were nearly a failure in this weather. After the ten mile trip south on the two lane blacktop I crossed over I-80 and entered the on-ramp heading east. I drove past the Wilton exit and took the next exit which was about three miles further on and crossed over I-80 and headed back west. I had hoped I would have seen her car but I did not. Trying to see white lines marking the lanes through the battering rain it made for quite the distraction. I made progress slowly with my emergency flashers on as I drove down the emergency shoulder on the right. The rain began to ease somewhat but, it was still hard to see. I began to make out yellow lights flashing in the distance. I pulled up behind the car and saw that it had a deep lean to the right in the front.
I approached the driver's side window and hoped I hadn't frightened her and knocked on her window lightly. I could see her looking up at me as she cracked the window a bit and asked, "Uncle Jimmy?"
"Yes, well, not Uncle really. I think we are actually cousins, but . . . " I said looking into her eyes. Even in the dark, her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. "Roll up your window and let me check the car."
I walked around the car and turned the flashlight to the right front tire which I could see was nearly horizontal to the road. The tire was flat but it looked as if she had a broken ball joint. Either way her car was not going anywhere tonight. I knocked on the passenger window and she unlocked the door. I quickly slid into the passenger seat, just barely fitting.
"Your car can't be fixed here. I'll call a mechanic friend of mine. He has his own shop and a towing service. I'll have him pick your car up and take it to his shop. In the meantime I can take you to my house, or if you are uncomfortable with that I can take to you a nearby hotel, both are roughly the same distance from here. In the morning we will get you to the University," I explained. Even in the darkness of the car I could see she was soaked from the rain and trembling.
She looked at me and without hesitation said, "Your place will be perfect. Is there any reason I should be uncomfortable?"
"No," I laughed, "I should think not."
I had her grab her bags which consisted of a backpack and shoulder bag for her laptop. On the drive to my house I called Tim and told him what had happened, where her car was, and that the keys were under the front seat. I also asked if it was possible that he could make her car a priority to be fixed. He had a call he was on, but assured me he would get it off the side of the road and fixed as soon as possible. I looked over a couple of times as I discussed the car with Tim and from the faint light from the dash I could see her nipples poking out. I tried to look back to the road but I think she saw me.
"If you are cold I can turn on the heat," I said nervously. The last thing I needed was family back home thinking I was a pervert ogling a cousin I had not seen since she was . . . what three or four.
She said she was fine and resumed looking out the window to the east watching the speeding storms flash and boom along to new ears and fears.
"Uncle Jimmy," she reached out and touched my thigh getting my attention and then drawing her hand back, "is far to your house?"