He lived thirty-three miles from town and the drive was all pleasant back roads. He knew it well. It wound on and on through old stands of alders and there were marshy places the birds loved. Sean was a relatively quiet person and enjoyed the many aspects of the natural world he lived in out here on the peninsula.
He had the only station that came in playing loudly and thanked the music gods once more that it was a rock station. Yah, he was a quiet man to observe, but he cranked his tunes. He had to put up with a little blending of genres from out of Seattle lately, but was willing to admit his tastes were expanding because of it.
Singing in his best falsetto along to "Laredo"... a recent song by an indie band he liked, he chuckled inside.
"Dude sings high!"
Suddenly he was swerving to miss a woman in the road on a curve he knew by heart.
"What the fuck?"
Did he just almost hit a person? And sure enough, she was in his rearview mirror, just walking half out in the road.
"Damn that was close."
And very weird. She didn't look exactly right, but it had happened so fast he couldn't put his finger on it. He had slowed down but she was already around the bend out of sight. Slowly he continued towards town wondering who she was and where she was going. What was someone like her doing out here? Was she ok?
"Oh Jeez, I need to get a life."
But he knew this was a half-assed promise he only made out of habit. If he really felt that way he would shave his beard and accept the offer from his uncle in Edmonds to get on board their new cabinet business. It was raging and they really wanted his special skills. So they kept saying.
As Sean got his supplies at the hardware store he was thinking about the woman on the road again. He even decided he really wasn't in a shopping mood so he got his essentials, paid and got back in his truck. Hell, he could skip gas, too.
Why was he acting like this? He knew he was deeply lonely (and seriously horny) but this was a ridiculous urge building in him. He told himself it was basic curiosity.
Besides, she was most likely to her destination by now, wherever that could possibly be out this far. There were very few drives leading off to private homes out here. And Sean had never met one of the other rare residents of this wild strip of land.
Trying to keep a sane attitude he turned on the radio again, thinking about what an odd squirrel he must be to not have anything better for music. No, he wasn't completely normal. Ha ha.
They were now sneaking a little rap into the mix but it was someone he had to admit he liked.
There she was.
Just like before, she came up fast as he came around another bend (it was a pretty curvy old road) and he slowed down to come up along side of her. Wearing just a light blouse over a thin skirt, she appeared to be without a purse, also.
He had to lean over to say out the passenger window, "Hello. Do you have far to go?"
She looked up from her marching and seemed to notice for the first time that a truck was next to her. (Not seeming too out of it, he thought.) She almost smiled. It was sort of an odd looking smile but she slowed down as he pulled up and stopped.
"Would you like a ride? Not a lot of traffic comes this far." Sean tried to look meek.
She was very beautiful now that he was close to her. Once again he had the feeling that there was something a little off, but what was it? She had clear eyes. She really hadn't been stumbling or anything, rather just sort of plodding on one foot in front of the other.
"Well, if you want to tell me where you're headed I can at least help you see if you're on the right road." Nice smile. (Is my beard too big? I don't know anybody out here, though...)
She still hadn't said even one word, but he turned off his truck. Then just as suddenly as the motor stopped, she opened the door and climbed up. Her eyes were quite blue and she didn't appear to be wearing makeup.
He had turned down the music and they just sat there as a light rain started to speckle the windshield.
"Thank you for stopping. I think I have been walking for a long time."
That sounded just an itty bit funny, right? Didn't she know for sure...
"Well, I almost hit you back there when I was on my way into town. It gave me a start and I guess I should have offered you a ride back then."
With a big sigh she said, "I'm sorry. I think I am lost."
"Well, where are you trying to get to?"
Pause...
"I don't.....know....."
(Ok. He was right about that earlier hunch, which was getting stronger.)
"So, do you know where you started out then?" perfectly normal, encouraging smile.
"I don't know," another sigh......smaller apologetic smile.
"Hmmm...I live a little farther down this way and we could go there and regroup, sorta. You need to get off the road, though. It's getting ready to pour."
"That would be ok. We could do that."
Sean really didn't know what he was doing, but whereas he should have been feeling perhaps spooked, he found a little exhilaration growing in him.
They turned onto his skinny road and drove through a green blur of ferns and soft undergrowth for three more miles. When they pulled into his yard, smoke was curling from the chimney. Snow white and the seven dwarves could have lived here.
Ditto on the inside, for he kept his four room cabin tight as a pin. It wasn't cluttered, but there were strong attractive pieces of furniture, quite a few plants and a gorgeous rug upon a butter soft hardwood floor. Despite all the trees around the house plenty of light came in through custom built floor to ceiling french pane windows.
His new visitor was walking slowly through the rooms like she was making it home, her fingers tracing the soft wood and fabrics.
"Do you mind if I take off my shoes? My feet are pretty sore."
"Of course not. I am going to make some green tea, unless you might like something stronger to warm you up."
He walked over to the stove and checked it.
"What is your name? I'm Sean, by the way."
