The Rendezvous // Thomas Sangster

Lot Twenty-Seven

I should've seen this coming from miles away.

My truck is a red, rusty piece of garbage that smells like cigarette smoke and sweat. Its engine is ancient of days, and sometimes, when I can bear to look under the hood, there's an odd wire that sparks.

Now, I'm no mechanic, but when my engine starts emitting black smoke from the closed hood, I feel a strange sense of imperilment. Something about that occurrence just seems a bit worrisome to me.

I now stand on the side of the road, with my good, furry friend, Mr. Cranky-pants (AKA - my dog, Red), no cell reception and no apparent help for miles around.

I step quickly over to the front of my truck, muttering to myself, "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead....."

I pull the hood up, forcefully. A cloud of dark smoke erupts from the engine and raises into the sky. I cough, fanning the smoke away.

"Aaaaaand you're dead!" I groan, throwing my head back in despair.

I have many things on my bucket list, but being stuck on the side of the road without cell reception or any general knowledge of mechanical matters is not on that list.

Glancing at my truck, and the trailer that it tugs behind it, I debate in my head for several minutes about what would be the smartest thing to do. I pace back and forth along the side of the road, my mind racing a hundred miles an hour. The trailer may not be nice, but many of the things I care about are kept in that trailer. And it is my home - no matter how crappy it is. However, I can't stay out here forever. I don't even know where I am.

The smartest thing would be to wait on the side of the road and hope that someone will come save me, I think.

So, I wait on the side of the road. The forest that surrounds me is thin and the trees are tall and wiry. The leaves on the trees are turning a light yellow, and the sunlight that filters through the trees is golden - like the leaves. A light wind brushes by, making the otherwise pleasant morning slightly chilly.

The sun rises higher in the sky as morning turns to noon. The mid-day fall sun gently caresses my skin. Two cars have passed already, and I'm about to give up hope, when I hear another car heading in my direction.

Stepping closer to the road, I see a little silver car slowing down. Whoever is inside the car seems to be assessing the situation. Then he rolls his window down.

He has a young, round face, and kind, dark eyes, which creates an illusion of innocence, but my guess would be that he was in his mid-twenties. He looks at me, raising his eyebrows and causing a small crease in his forehead, "Do you need any help?"

Relief floods over me, "My truck broke down."

"I don't know anything about cars." He pauses and I feel my heart sink. However, he continues, "But I can take you, and even your dog if you'd like, to the mechanics. They have a tow truck and they'll take a look at your truck for free."

"That would be spectacular! Thank you so much." I say, gratefully, knowing that my options to get anywhere are limited.

I call Red forward and he follows obediently. After I help Red get in the backseat, where he flopped down almost immediately, I get in the passenger's seat, next to the man.

He looks over at me as he pulls his car forward, "What's your name?"

"Stephanie Bennet."

He nods, "Nice to meet you, Stephanie. I'm Ki Hong Lee."

I nod back to him, politely, "Nice to meet you, Ki Hong. And thank you again, for giving me a ride to town. I'm really grateful."

"It's no trouble. Never been here before is my guess?"