31 Days of Halloween

Cross Country

Throwing clothes in a couple of suitcases, Sarah headed for the door. Tired of fighting and arguing, leaving would be best. Promise after promise had been made and broken, neither side giving in. Living in turmoil had become tedious and stressful.

"Please, Sarah, don't do this," Neil pleaded with her.

"Neil, I told you, I can't do it."

"No more fighting, please, I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry. Goodbye, Neil."

Closing the car door, she glanced out through the window with tears in her eyes. As she turned the key in the ignition, the motor sprang to life, the soft purr of power. Backing down the driveway, she needed to put as much distance as possible between herself and Neil. She loved him and knew if she didn't go now, she never would.

After making plans with her sister the two decided she would stay there until she was on her feet - the caveat - she had to drive to Chicago. Being late in the evening she would drive as far as she could. If she could make it as far as Reno, about a three-hour drive from San Francisco, it would show progress and have her out of California.

Driving through the mountains, she looked off to her right and could see the last bit of light sparkling across Donner Lake. Breathing a sigh of relief when she knew the Nevada border wasn't too much farther. Coasting down the mountain freeway, the Jeep started to sputter.

What the... she thought out loud, this can't be happening now. Reaching for her phone as the vehicle died and she rolled to a stop, she couldn't even make a call. No service. Parked on the shoulder of a broad curve, she turned her flashers on, rolled the windows up, leaving a small crack for ventilation and made sure the doors were locked. Here it was, almost entirely dark, no street lights, and she sat on the side of the road.

She held out hope that a CHP officer would drive by and check on her. On the verge of tears, she fought off the surge of panic which threatened to take over. Cars passed on a regular basis, and she thought to herself at least it's a busy thoroughfare and not one of the backroads. An hour passed, still, no one had stopped. Reclining the seat, she continued to hold on to hope that someone would eventually stop. A cop would have to drive through at some point during the night. Didn't they?

Lights reflecting in the rearview mirror caught her attention. Someone had pulled up behind her and stopped.

"Hey, you okay in there?" the man asked.

"Yeah, my car broke down, and there's no cell phone signal. Could you call a tow truck for me, please?"

"We can hook it up to my pick-up truck, and I'll get you down the mountain. You got a while before there's a service station and it's not safe out here on the freeway at night, young lady."

Glaring skeptically out the window at the burly man, dirty clothes, and hands, the long beard. She knew she shouldn't judge someone by appearances, but it was late at night, dark, and she was alone. She didn't want to get in the truck with a stranger, especially when no one knew where she was.

"That's okay, I can wait. If you could call a tow truck, that would be great. Don't want to inconvenience you," she tried to sound convincing.

"Will do ma'am, it's no inconvenience, but I get ya, probably wouldn't want my daughter to get in a vehicle with just anyone. I'll get down the hill and get a tow truck up here for ya," he said, a hint of a laugh filled his words.

It's not really funny, she thought. She thanked him, and he walked back to his truck. Pulling out into the lane, she watched as the taillights disappeared into the night. A short while later, she watched as the tow truck made a U-turn in the median and pulled up in front of her. Stepping out of the Jeep, she understood why the man who stopped before, laughed as he walked away. She also knew why he had been so dirty - he was the tow truck driver.