by Wanda Edmond
The sun rose high above head as he cruised his way back past the motel they had gotten her car back from. He eyed the area nervously but the biker group was nowhere in sight. He laughed under his helmet, remembering the looks on their faces when the usually shy and reserved Sarah drove her little Pinto over their motorcycles. He had seen a whole new side of her that made her even more attractive than she already was. But, as she had proven by leaving, she was still just a female. He concluded that all females, no matter how seemingly flawless and loving, would eventually break his heart. I will never allow another chick to get that close to me. He vowed as his bike sped along the darkening highway. His heart was heavy with the memory of what could have been his one true love. Soon he reached the bar where the two of them had their first love making up on lookout point. He parked the bike and walked inside, his head low, and his only goal for the night was to get drunk and wash away the memories of her. His friends were nowhere in sight as he entered, headed back out somewhere on their travels. Dan took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer, looking up at the photos of passersby that had visited the bar over the years. Suddenly he felt the sensation that someone was behind him, yet he remained facing forward. A low voice chimed in over the Jukebox.
“You’re in my seat boy.” The deep voice was threatening.
Dan rolled his eyes and continued to drink calmly. A good fight could help him vent some of his pent up frustrations. He ignored the threat and looked at the bar tender with a wicked smile. The man behind him tapped his shoulder roughly, forcing Dan to swing around. He looked up and glared into the eyes of a biker, standing over 6 feet in height with a long scar across his face. Behind him stood several of his henchmen, equally as brutal in appearance and glaring in his direction.
“Did you hear me boy?” The man sneered.
“Yeah, I heard you.” Dan rose, “But do I care is the question.”
With that cocky remark the man pushed Dan into the counter roughly, his elbow spilling drinks that ran down the edge. Dan’s heart raced with adrenaline, eager for a way to spill out his frustrations of losing his love. He gave another wicked grin and swung, catching the man on lower jaw and sending him backwards into his friends. Another burly man caught him before he fell, lifting him back onto his feet to face Dan once more. He swung again and the man ducked, barely missing another hard blow from his fist. He retaliated with a swift kick to Dan’s gut. He bent over a moment, wincing in pain, but the sting of his blow only fueled his anger. Dan pounced like a tiger on top of the man, sending the two onto the hardwood floor with a low thud. Others in the bar parted, making a circle around them as Dan landed fist after fist on the man’s face and head. Soon the man was lying still, unconscious…or perhaps not breathing? Fear overtook him and he leapt from atop the large man’s body, racing for the door. The cool air helped to sober him slightly as he kick started the bike and raced off, graveling flying out from his tire.
Chapter 3
Morning came too soon for Sarah as her alarm clock sounded off in her head, waking her from a great dream. She showered and dress, a new three piece suit that would have been far too daring for the old Sarah to wear. Its low cut V-line neck and short shirt screamed confidence. Rather than tie her hair back as she usually would, she brushed the ringlets straight, allowing it to flow down her backside. She was definitely dressed to kill and ready for her interview. At 8 she was out on the road again, using her hand written directions and a GPS to locate the small set of administration buildings at the edge of campus where her interview was to be held. One parking space left Sarah wedged her tiny Pinto into the space and cut the engine. She sat still a moment, taking several deep breaths. The pressure was on, with a lot riding on this moment in her life and she had begun to feel it as she hunted for the address. It was an intimating campus, with high-rise buildings stretching upwards towards the cloudless sky. Her heart raced with fear.
Inside she was greeted by a rather rude secretary that instructed her to take a seat beside the others. She glanced around at several younger candidates, all looking an equal ball of nerves. With a polite smile she sat beside them, clutching her folder in anticipation. Despite the situation around her, she couldn’t help but think of Dan, wondering where he was and if he had returned to the open road upon finding her gone. His words of encouragement were still ringing in her ears, though at the moment she didn’t feel very confident.
“Miss Mayfield?” An older gentleman called from the open doorway beside her desk. “Please follow me.”
She walked along the winding hallway into a smaller office at the far end and took her seat in front an old oak desk. The older gentleman sat down with a grunt and reviewed her application through his short spectacles. He breezed through the beginning education, 4 years at the University, honors graduate and then to her work experience where a frown began to form across his thin lips. Sarah could feel the heat rising off her flushed cheeks and her heart beating wildly in her chest. He cleared his throat.
“Well Miss Mayfield,” He began in a stern voice, “Your resume’ is impressive and your father spoke very highly of you. He and I go way back to our college days. But you’re slightly older than our other interviews today, and you have no recent experience after graduation in the field. What makes you the best candidate for this position?”
Sarah blanked. With all of what the man had just said, she struggled to find any reason she was any better than the younger, more experienced individuals nervously waiting down the hall. She stammered and glanced at the clock on the wall, ticking away the time she had to make an impression. Your blowing it Sarah, her conscious cried out harshly.
“Well,” Her voice cracked from nerves, “I’ve had the same position since high school with the local library and that shows dedication.”
“No Miss Mayfield,” He sighed, “That shows that you haven’t done much in the ways of exploration in your own life. You see, a researcher is naturally curious and always wanting to explore the possibilities. That reflects in their lives as well.”
Sarah thought back to her adventure on Route 66. That was daring, but surely her attack on a group of bikers wouldn’t gain any positive recognition in this situation. She struggled to come up with another, knowing the time she had to make a lasting impression was running short. The pressure was too much for her to bear.
“I’m an avid reader,” She sighed, scraping the bottom for some reason. “Everything from classic fiction to research journals, so I am well versed in a wealth of knowledge.”
“True,” He gave a rough smile, “But hands on experience and book knowledge are two very unique things.”
Sarah fell silent and glanced down at her shoes. She was dressed to kill and had held her head as high as possible, but her resume and her life didn’t have the guff to back it up. After a moment, and a disapproving scoff, he continued.
“Ok moving on then,” He seemed uninterested, “Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision. What was the decision and how to did you handle it?”
A voice from deep within answered the question in her mind. I had to leave what could have been the love of my life because he’s a womanizer. The voice growled. But she knew that wouldn’t be appropriate either.
“Everything about this interview was a difficult decision,” She finally gave up, knowing she had lost, “Quitting my job, driving across country, getting into bar fights over my stolen vehicle and even sitting here today.”
His face softened slightly, “In other words, taking a risk and exploring what was out there was a difficult decision.”
His truth rang through her like a barrel drum.
After several moments of silence had passed, he rose from his seat and she followed suit. He folded his hands together and gave her a half smile. “Your father and I go way back as I said, so I will consider your application. But you really do need to get out and see what life has waiting Miss Mayfield, regardless of what happens here today.”
The intervie
w drug on the same way for nearly a half hour and as Sarah shook his hand and made a hasty retreat she knew that she had blown her opportunity, even if the professor had promised to call with an answer before she left town. There was truth to his statements, and she reflected on her life up to this point. She hadn’t done anything after college with her education, expect join some alumni organizations based on her degree. It was true, until her trip down Route 66 she had done a lot of learning and yet, done nothing with it. Her fear of the unknown had kept her from exploring the possibilities of life. Back at the hotel she slumped down onto the bed, her long hair fanning out around her head, and began to cry. Her whole life had been a waist, always taking the safe and narrow path out of fear of failure. Yet she had failed in a sense. Failed herself in denying her own life the chance to find out what the world had to offer. She thought of Dan, and how he had lived his life always finding new places and adventures. Her sobs increased, thinking of how harshly she had judged him and the others she had met as doing nothing with their lives when in the end she was the one doing nothing.
Her cellphone buzzed on the bed beside her and her heart sank, it was the University professor’s secretary.
“Miss Mayfield?” Her voice was dry. “I’m sorry but the position has been filled.”
Sarah hung up with a saddened goodbye and the tears streamed down her face. Though she had already known upon leaving the offices that she wouldn’t get the job, the reality finally sunk in that she had blown her chance. Though the room was reserved until morning, Sarah packed her things and left, deciding to leave during the night rather than sit around and wait for morning. Her mind was spinning with thoughts. Since she had already quit her position at the library she now found that she was jobless and heading nowhere in particular, but the open road seemed a soothing option to sitting around a stuffy room. Sarah felt as if her heart would literally burst from its place in her chest, a well of embarrassment and even some anger towards herself for the choices she had made in her life began to overflow.
Past the palm trees and nighttime walkers she sped off down Route 66 in her lime green pinto, the tears still wet on her cheeks. She said goodbye to the California border and merged onto the main high way out of town as the clock on her radio read 11pm. Her mind fought a battle as she drove along, watching the headlights of truckers and bikes whirl by on the other side of the freeway. Should I go beg for my job back? She wondered sadly, ready to put this entire horrid experience behind her and just retreat back into her old life. A voice from deep within cried out to her. No! You have lost years to your steady ways, now it’s time to reach out and grasp the world. She nodded silently and cranked up the radio, unsure of where she was headed in life and eager to let the open road sooth her new wounds.
Chapter 4
As the miles passed, Sarah finds the return trip uneventful and full of time to think. Soon she finds herself at the seedy motel where her car was stolen and glares at the room as she passes. A few yards ahead she turns into the sheriff station and parks, slamming the car into gear and grinding the metal. Though Dan had told her the police would be able to do little for her case, it didn’t hurt to stop in and check, especially since she needed to inform them that she had located her vehicle already on her own. As she headed for the brightly lit double doors, Sarah pondered the story she would tell them of how it came to be back in her possession. I can’t tell them the truth that I ran over a pack of bikers’ prized possessions. Her mind concocted a story. Inside the dispatch woman looked up from her magazine and smiled.
“Can I help you ma’am?” She had a southern twang in her voice that told she was from the south, “Sherriff’s out on a call right now.”
“Oh.” Sarah’s voice showed the tired and worn feelings of her heart, “I needed to give an update on a case I started about a week ago. On my stolen car.”
“Ok I can take that,” She rose and walked to the counter, “What’s the update?”
“It’s no longer stolen.” Sarah watched as the Sherriff’s car pulled up in front of the double doors.
“How did that come about?” The dispatch woman raised an amused eyebrow.
Sarah watched distantly as the two men pulled another from the backseat in handcuffs. It was difficult to see through the glare of lights on the glass, but she could just barely make out that the man in cuffs had on a leather jacket and his sandy blonde hair trailed down around his face. The man seemed wild and yet, he put up no fight as they dragged him from the backseat and towards the entrance. She instantly felt something familiar about him, a connection to him even though she couldn’t see his face. Her heart leapt in fear.
“Ma’am?” The dispatcher called back her attention.
“Oh sorry,” Sarah gave a nervous laugh. “I found it abandoned at a motel about 30 miles down the high way.”
“And everything was still in the vehicle?”
Sarah nodded as the two sheriffs opened the double doors and stepped inside. Her heart nearly stopped. It’s Dan. She muttered silently. Her mouth hung open as they passed and his eyes met hers. It was clear he had been in a fight from the black and blue around his left eye and lower jaw, and his split lip. As he passed her, he mouthed the words “help me” and disappeared behind the thick double doors to the containment area. Sarah was frantic inside, but kept her cool. She turned back to the unamused dispatch woman still writing up her report.
“Excuse me,” Sarah interrupted her, “The man they just took to the back is my step-brother Dan Mayfield. Can I talk to the sheriff and find out what he has done?”
She shrugged and walked towards the door to her office, calling out down the hallway.
“Sherriff,” She shouted in her southern twang, “This lady out here needs to talk to you, says she knows the guy you just pulled in.”
Moments later the sheriff reappear from the double doors with a frown. Sarah explained the entire story, of why she was in the station and who Dan was. He listened intently to her story, nodding his head occasionally as she rehashed the robbery and how Dan had helped her.
“Well ma’am,” He sighed, “We pulled him in after a resident said they saw him wandering around in the trails behind her house for two days. He’s drunk and filthy but other than some bruises from the fight he seems unharmed. But he’s wanted for questioning about a bar fight in another county over, put a guy in the hospital over there.”
“Well what are the charges?” She swallowed hard.
“No charges were pressed by the guy and he’s out now,” The sheriff shook his head, “But the county sheriff still wants to talk to him before I can release him. He’s headed over here now. If you can sit tight awhile, maybe go get a cup of coffee I will let him go to you afterwards.”
Sarah agreed and after a few more questions concerning her car, she headed over to the same seedy diner she had visited after the bikers stole her car and waited for word on Dan’s release. Trouble is still finding him. She sighed to herself and sipped the coffee. Half an hour later her phone buzzed, the Sherriff department called to let her know it was time to retrieve her bad boy from custody. She headed over to find a very quiet and sullen Dan waiting for her in the hallway. His eyes met hers once more and she could see the damage her exit had caused, the guilt flooding into her like a flood of emotions.
“What about his bike?” She called out to the woman again.
“Impound doesn’t open till 9 tomorrow morning, he will have to sit tight until then.” She hardly looked up from her typing.
Inside Sarah’s motel room he slunk down onto the bed. Dan hadn’t said two words to her the entire walk over to the room and sat motionless, staring at the filthy carpeting. She opened the bathroom door and switched on the light, grasping a towel, then walked over to him. Kneeling down she looked up into his crystal blue eyes, though the light she had once seen in them was absent. He continued to stare past her, not making eye contact.
“Why did you leave?” He spoke softly, his voice horse.
&nb
sp; “I thought you were just telling me those things as part of the experience,” She broke out with the truth right off the bat there was no sense in hiding it, “I thought that I would only hold you down, you know, cut off your wings so to speak. So I left before my heart couldn’t bear loosing you.”
“It wasn’t just pillow talk. I might be a trouble maker but I don’t lie, especially about something as serious as love.” He choked back a tear.
“Love?” Sarah backed away, her eyes widened from his words.
“Yes. Sarah Mayfield I love you.” He finally looked deeply into her eyes sending a chill up her spine. His eyes were deep and intense. “I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. And you crapped on my heart.”
“I’m so sorry Dan,” She felt the tears beginning to stream once again. “I can see that now. The damage my choices have caused. Can you forgive me?”
He lunged forward and fell to his knees beside her, grasping her tightly in his arms. He began to sob and Sarah inhaled his scent, which was all but covered by the smell of stale whiskey and mud. The lovers sat on the carpet in the center of the room awhile, holding one another and crying together. Sarah finally rose and took his strong hand, pulling him up to his legs. She looked into his eyes and mustered a smile.
“Come on.” She spoke softly and led him into the bathroom.
Once the shower was running, Sarah helped peel Dan from his filthy clothes which fell to the floor in a heap of material and mud. He stepped in to feel the coolness of water beading down his chiseled pecs and trickling to his navel. Sarah joined him, taking great care as she stepped in and planted a kiss on his stubble cheek. With a single hand she gently bathed him, rubbing the soap in circles around his strong shoulders and pecs. Down her hand trailed to his washboard stomach, feeling the heat of his tanned skin as she went. He closed his eyes, the feeling of her touch was so soothing and yet, he could feel his erection growing under the rush of water. Sarah’s heart raced in her naked chest, the feel of his skin raising her lust to new heights.