Chapter 3/destination unknown
They left the bookstore and then were hit with the heat of the day. For a moment he stops and puts down his briefcase, then he stood there looking at her a moment before extending his hand to shake,
“I’m Simon,” he said
“Simon…?” she smiled and for half a beat hesitated before taking his hand to shake
“I don’t have Covid,” he says to fill in the awkwardness
She took his hand,
“Adair….”
“Is it?” he asked
But at first she does not get that it’s meant as a joke until she sees the humor in his eyes
“Oh ….! No! —I don’t either….have Covid,” she laughed
He then half turned toward the parking lot then back at her,
“my rental is parked over there—I—I can take you over there as I think it’s safer than walking….” he was referring to the five lane road in between which she had, earlier that morning, dashed across but that was before the rush hours of traffic that had since commenced and by now was teamed with suv’s, tractor trailers and semis all going top speed
She hesitated and looked from the road filled with traffic and then back at him. She seemed nervous now as if wondering why she was considering letting a stranger she just met offer to bring her to the place where hours before she had been left at by the towing company. But then, it occurred to her that the recent events of her life, much like what had come to be her own every day “normal”, was forcing her to take risks involving total strangers. In truth, there were not a lot of non-strangers in her life to depend on anymore for her ….and had not been for longer than she cared to think about.
Calculated risks….? she thought now as she studied him, her eyes focusing on the briefcase he picked up and the hand that gripped the briefcase handle. She thought of that R.E.M. song that went ‘when you greet a stranger…..look at her hands….’ and looked at his hands noticing his fingers, and noticing that the fingers were well shaped and the nails were clean and —then with a smile and a hesitant shrug, she followed him to the rental car.
When they reached the garage, Simon drove around to where the mechanics were working.
He was about to say something but she got out and quickly headed towards the building but Simon noticed a man walking directly towards her.
But what they stopped to talk beside left Simon standing there slightly agape. What surprised Simon was they were not stood by any every day normal kind of motor vehicle but were standing directly beside an old blue stripe Fleetwood RV motorhome.
It took a moment for this impression to settle into his comprehension as he had to get past the general size and the shock. And during that time he watched as the two spoke. The man who seemed to be the owner of the garage was more rotund than tall, with sparse hair on his head, but made up for with other exposed parts; of face, arms, and shoulders, left bare by the wife beater tank shirt he wore and the work trousers that only slightly covered other external more hairy parts.
As Simon neared the two he began to get the gist of the conversation having to do with a breakdown of the work that had thus been accomplished and an attempt to milk the situation by claiming the work might need more fine tuning.
When Simon reached Adair’s side she looked at Simon.
“Uh….” was all she said by way of explanation
“So this is your ‘ride’?” Simon seemed to have that English knack for the understatement
Adair blushed and glanced at the balding man then back at Simon.
“I’d say I might be ‘overcompensating’ but I’m not a guy,” Adair said as though in light conversation about where they might eat lunch —all with a straight face and without batting an eye.
That seemed to be the moment when everything changed between them. Because he laughed. But it was how he laughed and how quick on the uptake
Inside the office things became more unclear as Adair settled the bill with a phone call to a solicitor and then it was ten minutes later when they were out the door and her with the keys.
“So….” Simon looked at her with an odd but intrigued smile wondering if they should just say ‘goodbye’ and part ways.
Adair looked back at him wondering much the same.
At the same moment they both spoke
He started to say,
“do you need help with directions or—“
“Thank you for—oh!” she said
Then she said, in reply to what he started to say,
“you must be busy—and all—or—I mean—with…. your—your—uh—life….”
Which in reply, as he seemed too intrigued yet to walk away, he said in reply to that,
“not at all….”
“Oh! So—so….?” only now did she let herself properly look at him fully, taking in his face and eyes—they seemed to be green….the way he held his head looking at her and ….that he was that perfect height and leanness of which she was always most attracted to. And in that moment the strangeness between them instantly evaporated.
He half turned in the direction of the rental car parked a few feet from the RV then back at her,
“actually….I might need a lift as —I’m due to drop that off as I’m in my way to my next destination….”
“Your next destination?” she asked looking up at him curiously, “where are you going?”
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