The hot sun blasted down on my bare shoulders as I jogged along the empty country road. Arcs of sweat sprayed off my body with each laborious stride of my short legs. Inside my pink sports bra, my globular breasts struggled and rebounded energetically with each strike of my white running shoes. On either side of the road, rows of tall corn stalks stretched to the horizon.
I hadn't seen a car in thirty minutes, let alone another person. This was the longest run that I'd tried so far in my attempt to train for a marathon, leading me out of the city on a course I'd plotted through the scenic rolling farmland west of town. The open landscape was a welcome change from the city streets, but the isolation of the route was an ever-present thought. Summer heat rising off the pavement blurred and danced above the horizon as I approached the next rise. Through the haze I was barely certain I saw the car pulled off on the shoulder of the road until I was almost on top of it.
Hazard lights blinked the distress of the black Jeep Cherokee. The tailgate was open, as was the driver's side door, and a spare tire rested on the concrete below the rear bumper. As I drew up alongside, a tall, thin form unfolded itself from the reclined front seat, startling me.
"Hey!" He called to me. I backed away across the road as he stepped out of the car. He was tall and fit with blonde hair, wearing a white t-shirt, khaki shorts, and slip-on sneakers. "Hey, sorry to alarm you. I swear I need your help." My eyes narrowed, intently watching his hands as he leaned against the side of the car. He held out his hands in the air in front of him, showing he wasn't hiding anything. "I am so, SO relieved to see you! I blew two tires on the rail crossing a hundred feet back, and my cell phone is dead!" He reached into his pocket and held up the lifeless block of black glass in one hand and pointed to the flattened tires on the left side of the car with the other.
My heels touched the gravel shoulder on the far side of the road, and I scanned the landscape in both directions, taking in the desolate blacktop stretching in both directions. Sensing that I was still unconvinced, he continued his explanation.
"Okay, I know this looks sketchy, but as you see, I'm stuck for real. I haven't seen another car in the hour I've been sitting here. Can I just borrow your phone -- like you can place it on the ground and walk away and I'll come over and pick it up, I know this is a bad situation. I just need to call triple-A for a tow." I looked at the pair of flats on the left side of his car. After another scan of the scene for accomplices or weapons, I crossed the road to join him.
I handed him my phone, then wandered back to a safe bubble, still sweaty, as he dialed. I reached up to tighten the long auburn ponytail at the back of my head, then rested my hands on my blue compression-short-wrapped hips as I waited. He spoke into the receiver for a few moments, then hung up with a thin, tired smile and walked across the street towards me, holding the device out to me at arm's length.
"I'm Jeffrey, by the way." He passed off the phone, then extended his hand, softening his features into a friendly, non-threatening expression. Hesitating for a beat, I took his long-fingered hand in mine and shook.
"Sarah." I fanned the elastic fabric of my top. "So, did they say when they'll be out to tow you?" Plucking the pink strap of my sports bra, I tilted my head to my shoulder and wiped dripping sweat from my chin and jaw. His face dropped in disappointment.
"They, uh, said the tow truck will be out in like an hour or two. So, I guess..." He shrugged his shoulders powerlessly. I cringed, gritting my teeth as I looked again up and down the empty highway.
"Are you gonna be all right?" I hesitated a beat before recklessly continuing. "Do you, uh... do you want me to stick around? I could stay with you until the tow gets here..." His mouth dropped open wordlessly for a second at the unexpected offer.
"Oh, no way! I can't ask you to do that." I shook my head.
"You didn't ask; I offered. And what else are you gonna do, stranded out here without a phone? What if something happened? I would feel so guilty! So, my phone and I will hang out with you until you get picked up."
Jeffrey beamed in acceptance. "Well then, how about a bottle of water? I may not have a working phone, but I was on my way to a farm party and have a cooler full of water and snacks. Beer, too, but you probably aren't interested in that in the middle of a run." I grinned wide at his mention of the cooler.
"Snacks, you say? You know, Jeffrey, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." We walked over to the trunk of the Jeep.
He reached into the back of the trunk and pulled the cooler forward. After starting to lift the lid, he paused as he came up with a better idea. Grabbing a blanket from the rear of the Jeep, he lifted the cooler and walked around to shaded side of the vehicle that partially overlapped the grass between the road and the cornfield.
"It's really fucking hot out, so let's sit in as much shade as we've got, right?" I looked and the sun's angle cast the Jeep's shadow long across the gentle grass slope away from the road. Jeffrey returned to the back of the car, reached in, and retrieved a beach towel. "And... here. Cause you're, like, super fucking sweaty." He laughed as I stuck my tongue out at him, took the towel and patted it along my dripping arms, chest, and face.
Jeffrey spread the blanket on the shaded grass and we both settled in. I sat down and leaned back, propping myself up on my elbows, somewhat uncomfortably, still with the towel draped over my shoulders. He set the cooler down behind us against the side of the car, passed me a cold bottle of water, then sat on the blanket and grabbed a soda.
