Running Into You

Chapter 1

Henry

I slowdown and pull into the turn lane that takes me on to County Road 93 or better known as Foster Highway that inevitably takes me to Foster. I press a button on the dash that in turn folds the top down on the convertible. It has plenty of time to get tucked away before the light stubbornly turns green. I drive the mandated 45 miles per hour for about two miles until I'm out of the city limits.

50...55...65...70...80. I'm at 80 miles per hour within 5 seconds.

The wind is whipping through my hair and the car is gliding like a knife through the air. At this speed I'll be in Foster within twenty minutes. That's if I don't get caught going 15 miles over the speed limit by a lone state trooper that could be better served on the interstate and usually is or, by all means, I get behind a tractor.  The trees are a blur of browns, oranges, and greens that line the highway almost the entire way except for old corn fields and new peanut fields that intersect on occasion. I reach the Foster city limit sign uneventfully and slow back down to 45 miles per hour. Unlike the area in-between the city and town it is ridden with cops. Within seconds I am at Foster High School the only school in Foster which houses 673 students from grades Pre-K to 12th.

There are two parking lots for the school. One behind the school and one in front of the school. The one behind the school is used by cafeteria employees and the athletic department. The one in the front of the school is used by administration, teachers and the few students that have cars. I pull into the parking lot in the back. The football field and baseball field sandwich a playground on the left while the cafeteria and band room are on the right and the weight room is tucked in-between all of this. Each building has a small section of asphalt to park on for the facility that works in that building. Minus the band room, Mr. Williams just pulls up in the grass or parks up front and walks to the back of the school. With the exception for the cafeteria workers there is no other facility here. The cafeteria parking lot is full. The smell of fried bacon and sausage is a telltale sign that they are legitimately hard at work.

Mmmm, bacon. My stomach growls reminding me that all I had for breakfast was a cup of coffee. I might head over there before first period. I drive past the cafeteria parking lot to get to the coaches parking spots along side the weight room. There are just enough spots for the four full time coaches and four part-time coaches the school has staffed. I pull into the spot on the end so my car is under one of the many large maple trees scattered all over campus.  I decided a while ago that the bird droppings are not as bad as getting in a hot car at the end of the day. The temperatures in south Georgia can easily get up in the hundreds and even in late September the days can be very warm. I press the button to bring the top back up. I look at my watch 7:05. First bell rings in 55 minutes. I can get in a decent run. I get out of my black Z4 Roadster. I personally could not afford the car on my teaching salary, but my dad thought it would be an appropriate gift for graduating college. As if paying for my education wasn't enough. There was a time I wouldn't have taken it, but that time has past and this car goes really fast and I like to go really fast. I have to say, Dad has learned exactly what kind of carrot to dangle in front of me. So when Mom asks if I'd find a job close to home and Dad brings home a Z4 sDrive35is, I don't look too far from home.

I hit the lock button on my key fob as I drop it in my shorts. I hear the beep as I walk off. I head towards the football field at a brisk walk, enjoying the cool morning air. It's early fall and I can smell a hint of it in the air. There is only a fence, but no locks I have to get through to get onto the field. As the football field comes into view I stop in my tracks mid-stride. There's a girl running on the track. Damn, there has never been anyone here before. It is almost an hour before school starts. Is she a student? Why would she be here so early? She is jogging towards me about to meet the turn that takes her around the field goal. She's wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses. She's a little taller than average and she's thin, but filled out in all the right places. I would have to guess late teens or early twenties. She's tan which is not unusual in this part of Georgia being so close to the beach. If she's in college it would explain why she's here so early. The nearest college is 25 miles from here in another town on the other side of the city. I'll admit, the track is safer than running in the street.