Typing Up Loose Ends: Part One

by Red Monster

Lou Metzger was on the verge of a trance as he drove his 18-wheeler along the interstate. He knew this wasn't wise, that he couldn't afford to lose focus while driving such a large vehicle on a busy highway, but there was only so long he could drive before his eyes glazed over. The radio didn't help much; it was decent company at first, but in time it became merely monotonous. Fortunately, a flash of orange in the corner of his eye soon snapped Lou awake. It wasn't a road worker's vest or a fire; a person was walking along the highway wearing dingy, shapeless, worn-out sweatpants and a broadly striped shirt, both pieces at least three sizes too big for the wearer. The flicker of color that had caught Lou's attention was the mass of long, bright red dreadlocks swirling Medusa-like around this person's head in the stiff breeze. Was it a woman, or a man with very long hair? As Lou got closer, the figure turned its head to the side, and Lou saw a young woman's face in the middle of all that hair.

She didn't carry so much as a grocery bag; there was nothing on her except those ratty, ill-fitting clothes. Lou found it even stranger that she was walking alongside the road without paying much attention to the traffic; not standing by the curb with her thumb outstretched; just walking. "What in the blazes is this poor girl doing out here?" he thought.

Once he'd driven ahead of the girl, Lou pulled his truck onto the shoulder and stopped. He got out of the cab and walked toward the girl.

"Do you need a ride somewhere, Miss?" he asked.

"Yes, actually, I do," she said, in a clear Irish accent.

"To where?"

"I'm heading up to Snow Valley, Massachusetts."

"Well, I don't know just where that is, but I'm making a stop in Boston. Can I drop you off there?"

She cocked her head at him for a moment. "You know, it's not safe to pick up hitchhikers. Never know who you could be letting into your truck," she said after a pause.

Lou fought back the urge to roll his eyes and lecture this odd young woman on how to respond to a polite offer. "Young lady, how do you think you look right now?"

She looked down at herself and said, "I think I look like a vagabond, and they can be pretty dangerous."

"Well, I think you look helpless. Besides, don't you know it's not safe for a tiny thing like you to be walking along out here by herself, looking for a ride from a stranger? You never know who could drive up."

"I know how to defend myself if necessary," she said, with narrowed eyes.

"And so do I," he responded. "Now, would you like to ride up to Boston with me?" he asked, motioning towards his truck with a tanned, silver-haired arm.

"I would like that very much," she said, and walked up to the cab of Lou's truck.

"What's your name, Miss?" Lou asked, as he helped her into the cab.

"Theresa," she answered.

"Pleased to meet you, Theresa. My name's Lou."

"About where are we, Lou?" Theresa asked once they were back on the road.

"We're on I-95," Lou replied.

"No, I mean in what part of the States are we?"

"...we're around in central Virginia right now. What, you didn't know that?"

"No, but I do now."

"And you didn't make those dreadlocks on purpose, did you?" Lou asked.

"Oh my God," she said, taking a lock of horribly matted hair in her hand and inspecting it. "I have dreads now? That'll teach me to go days without so much as a mirror."

"So, you don't know where you are, you haven't combed your hair in a few days, and you must have left a panhandler naked to get those clothes. Have you eaten?"

"Not much," Theresa shrugged.

"We'll stop for lunch soon, then."

"I don't have any money," she said.

"I kinda figured that out myself," said Lou with a raised eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'll treat you to lunch."

"Thank you," said Theresa. "But, in all honesty, I'm not all that hungry."

"I don't believe that for a minute. Look, Theresa, as long as you're riding with me, I'll give you something to eat and a place to sleep. It's no trouble at all."

"Thank you, then," she said quietly, folding her hands into her lap.

"So, what's in Snow Valley, Massachusetts?" Lou asked after a lull.

"My father runs a school there. I'm going up to stay with him."

"Okay. Going to see your Dad, that's good. Does he know you're coming?"

"No. If I called him, he'd want to know where I'd been and what I'd been doing, and if I tried to tell him, he'd have a fit. I don't want him to have a fit until after I arrive," said Theresa with a smirk.

"Now, let's see," Lou began, counting off on his fingers. "You've been on your own for a few days, you've got nothing but the nasty old clothes on your back, haven't even been able to comb your hair, haven't eaten much, but I'm willing to bet you actually haven't eaten anything. Looks like you've been through something ugly."

"I have," she nodded gravely.

"Well, I know it's none of my business, so I won't ask," Lou assured her. "Just as long as none of it ends up in my truck, okay?"

"I can assure you, it won't." She went silent and looked at her hands. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, myself. But it's over now, that much is for sure.

"And I'm not a 'tiny thing'," she huffed. "I'm at least average height for a woman, and I'm not starving to death just yet."

"Okay, you're right," he conceded. "Those big clothes make you look like a runt, is all."

"It's okay. I appreciate the concern."

Lou also noticed that Theresa didn't smell like several days' worth of sweat and grime. There was a faint, slightly earthy aroma around her that wasn't offensive, but eerie. Lou wondered what that was, but also worried that the answer might have been something he wouldn't have liked.

"Have you ever seen the movie, Slums of Beverly Hills?" Theresa asked.

"No, why?" Lou replied.

"There's a scene early in the movie where Marisa Tomei is running away from drug rehab, and she's running down the road one night looking for a ride, but no one is stopping for her. So, she gets in front of a truck, opens up her robe to expose herself to the driver, and the truck stops dead in front of her. The driver opens up the door and welcomes her in."

"That sounds...interesting," Lou grimaced.

"But the reason I brought that up is because I'm thankful that I didn't have to do that," she finished, looking over to him.

"Theresa, if I saw you doing that, I'd stop my truck and pull you in faster than you can blink before you did anything stupid and hurt yourself."

She chuckled to herself, and Lou started to laugh, too. "There was once a day when I woulda gone for that, but now I have two daughters about your age, so if I found you standing on the highway showing off your hoo-hoo's, I'd think of how your daddy'd feel if he saw you doing that, and how I'd feel if it were one of my girls."

"I just turned twenty-four," said Theresa.

"Yeah, they're right around your age. Anne's twenty-three, and Sue's almost twenty-five. I've been married to their mother, Jane, for twenty-seven years now."

"Wow. Congratulations," Theresa nodded.

"Thanks. Have you got someone special to you?" he asked.

"Well, I have some friends in San Francisco, and they're special to me. If you mean do I have a boyfriend, I don't. Why, do you have a nephew looking to be fixed up?" she smirked.

"No," he laughed. "I was just making conversation."

"My friends are my special someones," she answered.

"That's real nice." Lou turned the truck onto an exit ramp, which was followed immediately by a small strip mall. "This is where we're gonna have lunch," he said, nodding towards a diner in the strip mall.

"Now, wait a minute," Lou said to Theresa as she started towards the diner after stepping out of the cab. "Before you go in there, I want you to get some new clothes," he said, taking some money out of his wallet and handing it to her.

"Lou, I don't want to take your money; it's enough that you're paying for my food," she said, handing the two 20's back to him.

"Theresa, you go in there and get yourself some decent clothes," he gestured towards the Ross store a few doors down from the diner. "I don't want these people thinking I'm traveling with some kind of bum."

"But you are traveling with a bum!" Theresa protested.

"Bull-hockey. If you were really a bum, you wouldn't have any trouble taking my money. Now, you go in there and get yourself some clothes that fit right. I'll be waiting right here, then we'll go to lunch."

Theresa crossed her arms and looked down for a moment. "Well, okay. If you insist," she finally said, and started towards the store.

"Also," Lou called after her. She turned around to look at him again. "If you get something to tie your hair back, people might think those dreads are cultural, and not just you without a comb."

"Okay," she said.

Lou was pleased when Theresa walked out of the Ross about fifteen minutes later in a soft, peach-colored knit peasant blouse and blue jeans, with the top half of her hair gathered into a low ponytail. She dropped a shopping bag full of something soft, presumably her old dirty clothes, into a trash can next to the store. "Now, do you have any idea how becoming you look right now?" he asked her, smiling, as she walked back to him.

"Thanks, Lou," she said. "Here's your change." She handed him what remained of the forty dollars he'd given her. "Now, can we get lunch?"

Many hours later, well after the sky had gone dark and Theresa started to feel sleepy, she spoke up.

"Lou, there's just one thing I wanna know," she said.

"Shoot."

"Why have you been so nice to me? Why do you bother? I mean, you've already gotten me two meals and some new clothes, and you trusted me enough to pick me up in the first place. Why do you give up so much money on me and put your safety on the line? I think we both know I won't be able to pay you back, and you're not getting lucky with me. So what's in it for you?"

"I like having someone to talk to while I drive, Theresa," he explained. "This is lonely work, driving for hours on end, all alone with your thoughts. They gave me a good truck, but that was about it. It's nice to have some company, and you're a sweet girl." He smiled and patted her knee.

"So, is my company really worth it?" she asked.

"Theresa, you haven't been any trouble at all."

"Where are we now?" she asked after a pause.

"Up in northeastern Pennsylvania, about to cross into New Jersey. The states'll get really tiny from here on up. Now, why don't you get some rest? I don't wanna drop you off half-asleep tomorrow afternoon," he suggested.

"Sure, I'd like to get some sleep, but what about you?"

"I'll park this thing somewhere pretty soon and take a nap myself, don't you worry."

The following afternoon, Lou arrived with Theresa at the warehouse of a gardening supplier in Boston.

"This is it, Theresa," he said, applying the truck's parking brake. "Unless you wanna put off the visit to your dad, and hang out with me until I come back through here after a stop in Buffalo."

"No, I'd better be on my way," she breathed while taking off her seat belt.

"Just how far away is Snow Valley? You sure you can make it there by yourself?"

"I'm not exactly sure how far, but I know how to find it. Don't worry, I'll be fine," she answered, with a sad smile on her face.

"Okay, now you take care. I just wanna know you'll make it from here to your dad in one piece," said Lou.

"I will." She scooted from her seat to his, and hugged him. "Thanks for the ride."

"Thanks for the company."

While unloading the gardening supplies from his trailer, Lou swore he saw a flash of dark blue and peach and flaming coppery red fly through the air above him.

[next part]

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