The Summer Before he Left

Chapter 21: Drew

    I know I was harsh to Blair. I could tell be the look she gave me after I said the things I did that she was upset. But I only speak the truth. Nothing ever works out for us really, so I don't know how it will in the future either. For example we are stranded here, in a sketchy gas station parking lot. It's been thirty minutes and still no one has drove by or stopped to get gas, probably because it's two o'clock in the morning.

          For the time that we sat there we didn't say much to each other. She would try to tell me that I was the only one she wanted and how we could find a way for us to work out but I would just stick to what I said. Even though it was mean and she probably didn't want to hear that at all, I was just really mad about this whole situation and our bad luck. When she finally gave up on trying to convince me, we just sat there on the side walk, staring down the road waiting for any sign of a car.

           Finally, I see lights coming down the street. We both jump up as the blue sun fire comes closer. We wave our hands to try to get it to stop but it just started to speed up instead of slowing down. It approached us quickly and then went right on by us. I started sprinting off toward the car but it just drove even faster.

         "Asshole." said Blair when I was walking back over to her. She sat back down on the side walk looking helpless and like she had given up.

       "Someone will have to stop soon." I said trying to lift her spirits but it didn't seam to be working. "Here, let's play twenty questions or something to pass the time." 

        "Deal." She said sounding a little more optimistic. "You start." 

        The game made time move more quickly and the stress between us seamed to have lifted a bit while playing. On our 14th question we see headlights again. It looks like a black jeep. We start waving it over to us and luckily it pulled in to the gas station. I walked up to the drivers side and he rolled down the window. It was a dark haired guy who looked in his 40s.

        "It's a bit late for ya'll to be hangin' around a gas station don't ya think?" he asked us sarcastically. He had a draw to his voice that let us know he was clearly from the South.

        "Yeah, we have a problem and have been waiting for someone to stop and help us for about an hour now." I told him.

        "Ya need a ride home?" He asked.

          "No, we need someone to help us jump start my truck which is a couple blocks down.  And we are 45 minutes away from home."

          "Well, I  don't have no cables." He said concerned.

          "I do." I responded quickly. "I just need another car."

          "I would be happy to help ya'll out. You want a ride to your truck?" He looked and acted friendly enough to ride with, so Blair and I looked at each other in agreement and got in the back seat of the man's Jeep.

           "So are you headed somewhere? Or where are you going at 2 AM? If you don't mind me asking." I asked him.

           "I'm headed to Kansas City for a business trip and I decided to drive instead of fly this time. I live in Louisiana so it's a pretty good sized drive. By the way, the name's Mack."

          "I'm Blair." she said, and then she grabbed my hand.

          "I'm Drew." I said.

          "Pleasure to meet ya!" He was very friendly, Southern hospitality is great. "So what is ya'lls story? I mean how did ya end up at a gas station?"