"What about cousins?"
"I don't hear from them as much. We email occasionally and I might see them when I visit. But I think the aunts and uncles all feel they have a parental void to fill in my life. It's weird that we're so spread out. We don't ever get together in one place."
She led me through the kitchen to the garage and turned on the light. She has a garage? I hadn’t noticed before because it was located in the back of the house, accessed only by a door in the kitchen. I was shocked at what I saw when the light came on.
There were several metal racks along the walls holding tools and boxes. It was much cleaner than the garage I had at my mom's house. But the shock came when my eyes stopped looking around the room and settled on the two cars sitting in front of me. "Did Aunt Lydia give you these too?'
"No. I bought these."
On the left was a Crown Victoria, mid 1990's model. I was sure it was a police car at one time. On the right, a 1996 Mercedes S320. How did a 25 year old female college student end up with these?
"Wow!" I said. "I'm impressed." I wanted her to elaborate but I didn't want to seem too nosy.
"Thanks! I told you I like a powerful car. "This one," she pointed at the Crown Victoria, "came from a police surplus auction several years ago. I got it pretty cheap."
"Yeah, I could tell it was a police car."
"Yep. I had it painted black. I thought about going with a different color but I kind of like how people look at the car. Painting it black makes them think maybe I'm with the FBI or something when they get a glimpse in their rearview." She half-laughed and turned to the Mercedes. "Now, this one I bought from a friend of a friend. I think I was the first person who found out he wanted to sell it. Bought it for five grand two years ago. I got lucky."
"Damn. You could probably sell it for more than that today."
"I know, but I love it. It's not for sale."
Well, at least there's something in her life she wants to keep. Wish it was me instead of the car.
"We're taking this one." She pointed at the Mercedes. "The Crown Vic needs a tune-up, I can tell. Poor thing." She patted the hood. "I'm usually more responsible."
"You know, I could tune it up. I'd love to work on it. Done it all my life."
"Really? I don't want to take up your time.... besides, you've already given me several tune ups haven't you?" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Such a bad joke." She laughed harder.
I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. "I think what I did before was unclog your plumbing.” I tried not to crack up at my own dorky sense of humor. "Come on, let me work on it."
"Mmmm... what do I need to do in return? Name your price." She licked her lips.
"We'll talk about it in the car."
"Oh yeah. Food." She got in the car and unlocked the passenger door for me. Soon we were pulling out of the garage onto the street behind her house.
"So, what's your price, Tyler?"
I didn't know what to say. I really did want to work on her car. I hadn’t thought about doing it in exchange for anything.
"Come on, Ty. Play with me. It turns me on to think about owing you....something," she growled, "in exchange for a tune up. Name your price."
"Look - we'll figure it out later. When do you want me to do it?"
"The question is - what can I do to repay the favor?" she asked.
"So, what about this Saturday? You wanted me to come over anyway, right?"
She looked at me, her plump lips pouting. "How long will it take? It took a really long time the last time I had it done."
"That's because you weren't dealing with a professional, sweetheart. I can do it much faster."
"Hmm… I'd rather not do it this Saturday though. I was sort of already looking forward to a whole day with you that won't involve car maintenance." She stopped. "Yum... I just thought about you being all dirty from working on the car. We could take a bath together." She moaned.
"Are you always this horny?" I asked.
"Actually, no. No, I'm not. But - come on! Car repairs? In exchange for sex? Taking a bath with you afterward? This doesn't turn you on?"
"I didn't say that. I just wondered if there's anything that doesn't turn you on." I reached over to stroke her inner thigh.
She looked at me for a second, then quickly turned back to the road. "Tyler," her sexy 'Tah-ler' appeared again, "you turn me on. I love the idea of owing you sex. Every time I drive that car I'll think about the work you put into it and what I gave you for it." She stopped talking as she made a right turn. "And I will enjoy every second of giving it to you. Whatever you want."
I was hard, instantly. "I can't wait to take you back to your bedroom tonight. That is the plan, right?"
"Yes, lover,” she said.
"All right then. So, when are we going to make this...exchange? I can do the tune up this Sunday afternoon."
"Sunday could work."
"When do I get my, uhhh… payment?" I asked.
"Whenever you want, Ty. What about a night next week? I'll give you two hours of anything you want.... well, maybe five hours..."
"Maybe ten hours? Can I make it twenty?"
Susie licked her lips and looked over at me for a second. "Yeah, maybe..... shit, if I wasn't so hungry I'd pull over right now and give you a down payment...."
"I know. My stomach is growling nonstop.... you are something else, Miss Susie. So, what about a day over midterm break?" I was glad we were about to get a few extra days off.
"Oh." She paused, wincing. "I'll be gone. Wish I could though. We'll figure out something."
"Where are you going?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"Out of town."
"Visiting family?"
"No, just going away for a little bit. What about you?" she asked.
"Probably just staying here."
I noted her adeptness at changing a subject. Why won't she tell me where's she's going over break?
"So, you said your dad had an auto repair shop?" she asked.
"Yes. And he was a great mechanic," I’d already told her a little about it the night before. "But he was terrible at running a business. That's why I'm in business school now. I don't wanna make the same mistakes."
"Oh, so that's the business you're going into for yourself? I should've made that connection."
"Yes. It’s the only thing I wanna do."
"That's really cool. Most of the people in our major just want the big corporate American dream."
"Not me. I couldn't care less about that. I hate suits."
"Yeah, me too," she said. "Besides, you'd have to cut your hair. That would be tragic." She frowned.
"So you dig the hair, huh?"
"Mmmmm." She growled and gave me a quick glance.
"So what are your big plans after graduation?" I asked.
"I want to go on and get my Master's next year, and hopefully pass the CPA exam before I finish graduate school. I might try to get a real accounting job somewhere for a year or so to get my certification. Then I think I might go to cosmetology school."
"Really? Why would you go to all the trouble of getting your Master's and your CPA only to go back to school for something totally different? Do you want to go in business for yourself, too?"
"I've always loved hair and makeup. Actually, it's between that and aesthetics school. I'd love to know more about skin care."
"Wow, you're gonna have some huge student loans!" I said.
"Not necessarily," she said.
"Did your parents have a big life insurance policy or something?" I knew it was none of my business but the question slipped out before I could stop it. "Sorry to be so nosy. I can't help but notice you seem to have money and I never hear you talk about having a job."
"It's okay. My dad actually did have an insurance policy through the company he worked for. But a hundred thousand split between three kids doesn't go that far."
"Three kids? I thought you were an only child f
or some reason." I just assumed, since she'd never mentioned any siblings when she talked about her parents and Aunt Lydia.
"No. I have an older sister and a younger brother. We're not close."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. It's just how some families are. I was always the black sheep. I never felt like I belonged with the family I was born with. Seriously, I wonder if I was switched at birth. I don't even look like any of them. We haven't spoken in years. So you're close to your family?"
Dang, I wondered why she hadn't spoken to her only two siblings in years, especially with their parents being dead. She didn't seem very upset about it.
"Yeah. My little brother and sister are great,” I said. “So’s my mom. And we live around a lot of extended family." I didn't want to ruin my night by talking about my family. The truth was, as much as I loved my family, it was nice to be away from them. Especially Mom.
"I can't imagine that. We hardly knew our extended family. I got to know my aunts and uncles mostly after my parents died. I think it's cool that you're close to your family. I bet you have some major holiday parties coming up.”
"Yes. They're a big deal." I wondered if I could talk her into coming to my house for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Maybe she'll be my girlfriend by then. “And by the way, my dad's insurance policy is the reason I'm in school and not working. That's the one thing he did right. My brother and sister and I will at least have college paid for."
"That's nice. I feel bad for people who have to split their time between a full time job and full time school."
I hoped she would tell me why she didn't have to work, but she didn’t.
"Okay, we're here!" She made a left turn into a parking lot. "My stomach is about to eat itself. I've been craving these pancakes for days."
We pulled into a parking space at the front door. The walls of the truck stop were all glass. The diner looked practically empty.
She scanned the inside before opening her door. "Aww, crap." She sounded annoyed. "See those two guys in the corner back there?"
There were two hairy, heavyset older gentlemen sitting together at a table, laughing and appearing to have a great time. They wore flannel shirts and trucker hats.
"Uh huh," I replied.
"Their names are Boomer and Jim-Jim."
I started laughing so hard I almost hurt myself. How could she say those names with a straight face?
"Okay," I said, trying to calm down.
"I've known them for so long I forgot how funny it is. They hang out here a lot. Usually not at night." She looked inside the restaurant, her lips pursed. "Damn, if I didn't want those pancakes so bad.... anyway, something happened a couple months ago. Boomer was drunk and followed me out to my car and... well, I really don't want to talk about it. I'll just say, there was inappropriate touching. Somebody came out to my rescue."
"I'm so sorry." I felt bad for laughing.
"Really, it's okay. I'm not scarred for life or anything. But - I do need you to be my boyfriend during our time here tonight." She looked at me, pleading. Like it would really bother me?
"Sure!" I tried not to be too enthusiastic but I couldn't help it. It could be a test run. Maybe she'll get used to the idea.
We got out of the car. I quickly took her hand and we walked to the door. It was nice to feel like her protector.
The waitress greeted us enthusiastically. "Well, Susie Q! How are you doing, sweetheart?"
"I'm great, Sherry. I've missed you!" They hugged. "I was hoping you'd be here."
Sherry was an attractive woman for her age, with dark hair pulled up in a bun. She looked like she was in her early 40's or late 30’s. She wore an old-fashioned waitress dress with an apron, and a badge that said "Smile! Jesus loves you."
"I didn't think you'd come back here," Sherry whispered.
"No, it's okay. But I will be a little more careful from now on."
Sherry nodded in agreement. "So, just the two of you?"
"Yes."
She led us to our booth at least ten tables away from the unsavory gentlemen.
"So, what's your name, handsome?" Sherry asked as I sat down.
"Tyler." I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure's all mine." She winked. “What can I get you to drink?"
"Coffee, with a glass of ice," I said.
"Oh!" She looked at Susie and touched her on the shoulder. "No wonder! You've found the one, girl!" She and Susie grinned at each other. She left to get our drinks.
"What did she mean by that?" I asked.
"Iced coffee is what I always order no matter what time of year it is. And she always teases me about it."
"Wow, that's a coincidence. I had no idea my girlfriend and I had so much in common," I took her hand across the table and held it. I was determined to make the most of this.
"Yep. Perfect match." She squeezed my hand and looked down at the table at the menu. "So, get whatever you want. It's on me, okay? It was my idea to come here and you're doing me a big favor."
Damn, woman. You think this is a chore or something?
"I won't argue with you." I figured I was better off that way. "I want a huge cheeseburger. I'm so hungry."
"So you're ready? She's already on her way back."
Sherry appeared with a carafe of coffee and what looked like a big bucket of ice. She sat them both on the table, along with two large glasses.
"Thank you!" Susie smiled at Sherry. I loved how happy she seemed over such little things. She was no diva, this girl.
"Sure thing. So, you two ready?" Sherry took a pencil out of her pocket.
"Tyler?" Susie asked.
"Ummm... a cheeseburger...."
"Which one? We have quite a few." Sherry said.
Susie answered her after I stared intently at the menu for a few seconds too long. "You know what, Sherry? I think I may have to order for both of us. We don't have time to look at the menu. Our stomachs have been saying 'feed me' for too long."
"Oh, I see. Worked up an appetite did you?" Sherry cackled. Susie looked at me and blushed, then laughed with Sherry. I just shook my head and grinned, hoping I wasn't one in a long list of men Susie had brought in here who were also hungry after having sex with her for an hour and a half.
"I think Tyler would like this big bacon cheeseburger right here. With fries, perhaps?" She looked up at me every few seconds as she ordered, gauging my approval. "And also we'll have these fried mozzarella sticks. Anything else?"
"No, I think that's good," I answered. She picked exactly what I would've wanted. But I was so hungry I wanted everything.
"Okay, and I'll have the pancakes."
"Great!” Sherry said. “I'll make sure the kitchen isn't slackin’ off back there. It should be ready soon."
As Sherry walked away, I noticed one of the hairy guys looking at us.
"Weren't you gonna say hi, girl?" He yelled across the room.
"Hi!" Susie waved. "How are you?"
"All right I guess. Been better. How’re you? Who's the fella?"
"He's my boyfriend."
"Dang, I missed my chance." He got up and lumbered toward us, stopping several feet away. Then he stopped, glaring at me. "Boy, that's a fine piece of ass you got there." He pointed toward Susie. "And don't you forget it."
"I won't. Thanks." I didn't know what else to say. He turned and hobbled back to his table to sit with his friend.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "He doesn't really know that. It's all speculation."
I suppressed a laugh. "So, I'm guessing it was the other guy who assaulted you?"
"Yeah. He's not saying much. Good thing."
We focused our attention on the ice and coffee before us, adding lots of cream and sweetener.
"I'm so glad you like iced coffee!" she said. "People always comment and think I'm so weird."
"Yeah, me too. It's even worse because I'm a guy."
"Oooohh... yeah, I bet it is,” she said, wincing as she stirred her
coffee. Then she looked up at me. "I have the cutest boyfriend." She puckered her lips and kissed at me across the table.
Safe With Me, Special Edition Page 8
