Long way from home, it was coming up to Christmas time, only a week to go. I'd been away from home at work on an oil field for a whole month, away from my third wife of two years.
I think my job was the main reason why my previous marriages broke up, long stays away from home and her. I loved my job and it paid well. I was never going to give that up, hence onto my third marriage.
It was cold outside; inside was nice and warm with the heater on. I had to drive a long way to get back home and the snowy conditions did not help in making up time. In fact it slowed me down even further as it started to fall heavier and settled almost instantly.
The whole landscape was awash with clean crisp white snow, it did look beautiful, just not nice to be out there with it, traveling through it. I wanted to be home.
Ahead I could see the traffic had built up; I thought 'I'll never make it home tonight.' It was already five and the light had faded. And then a thought, probably just like people before me, I thought of diverting off the main road and taking the back roads.
Those were not so well lit; some had not been gritted so a lot of people may not use them, so maybe quicker. The road twisted and turned, I had a real job in keeping control, there were a few instances I had felt the truck slide away. I had to slow down even further - then a thought 'Not a good choice to leave the main road.'
Light faded even further, me wanting not to be there, the slippery conditions, all came to a shuddering halt as I lost control around a corner and ended up into a ditch. The truck's engine switched off. I could not get it started again.
I sat there and looked at my phone; it bleeped away saying low battery. Shit, I knew I should have put it on charge when I got in the truck. I thought for a moment, and the thought was that I could only make one call, possibly. Who should it be to, my wife or for a rescue truck?
The temperature in my truck had fallen sharply. I was cold, I had a blanket in the back and I put it on. I called my wife. I told her what had happened and roughly where I was. I told her not to bother sending anyone, as they would not get here anytime soon because of the weather. And before I got a chance to say anything else, the battery died.
I thought I'd stay there till I could find someone along the highway to help me.
I was getting colder; outside was even colder but I had to get out and find somewhere warm. I wrapped myself up and got out of the truck, I nearly fell into the ditch myself. I closed and locked up. I started to walk in the direction I was driving, as there was nothing in the direction I had come from.
My name is Hus; I'm an American born black man, forty five years of age. I'm a big man, in terms of stature and build; working on the rigs tends to do that to a person over the years.
I walked along the road hoping to see a place I could ask for help from. It was dark and the road I travelled down disappeared under the falling snow.
A faint light through the heavy falling snow just ahead, I thought I'd head for that. But it was off the road and seemed like only a very narrow path would take me closer to it. I took the path and trundled through about eight inches of snow. No other person, vehicle or animal had trodden the path before me. I looked back to where I had come from and the only foot prints I could just make out were mine. And even those were being quickly covered over.
I was so cold, I shook and shivered. My nose, ears and fingers were going numb. My face was so cold tears ran down my cheeks from the icy wind that blew into my eyes.
As I trawled threw, I kept my face low and bent towards the ground to hide it from the icy wind. I looked up on occasions just to check my route to the light ahead. My heart warmed as the light became clearer and closer. I grabbed the blanket tighter around me trying to fold it around my fingers to keep my hands warm.
I looked back up and the single light ahead was only a few feet away. I looked around and there was nothing else, for miles ahead were open fields looked real nice with the blanket of snow on them. But I didn't want to stop to admire the view just then, I wanted a warm shelter.
Few more laboured steps and I was at a gate, in fact there were two gates, although it looked like one cottage, there were two. I looked up at the cottage and I glanced up further to the roof. One of them had smoke which came out of a chimney. My decision was made; that's the one I'm going for.
I opened the gate; it scraped the snow away which had piled up behind it. I turned and closed it and walked to the front door. I knocked and stood back. I shivered and waited for half a minute or longer and still no answer. I knocked again, louder. I stood back and thought no one's home. Maybe I should try the other door.
I gave up and I walked about two paces back along the path towards the gate when I heard the door open. A voice said, "Can I help you?"
I turned and saw a lady standing in the door way, she said, "Please come in, it's cold out there."
I took very quick steps back towards the door, the lady stepped aside and said, "Please come in, come in."
I walked through and she closed the door and said, "You look cold, you've been out in that for a while I can tell. Go through there."
She pointed to an open door in the hallway and said, "There's a fire on, it will help you."
I walked briskly through and towards the fireplace which had a roaring fire ablaze. It was heaven oh it was just what I needed. I kept the blanket on for a while.
The lady came up behind me and said, "Stay there and warm up, would you like some tea or coffee?"
I turned my head slightly, just caught her in the corner of my eye and said, "Coffee please."
My hands shivered, I rubbed them together and held them to the fire. It felt so nice, so comforting. I rubbed my face with my warmed hands. I began to regain some control over my cold shivering body.
The fire place was big; it really did radiate a lot of heat out into the room. I looked around the room and saw pictures and artwork on the walls. A large sofa was a few feet away from the fire and a couple of armchairs. I was stood on a rug; and then I looked at my feet, shit, I had not taken my shoes off, completely forgot as I had rushed to be warmed by the fire.
I slowly took the blanket off me and threw it onto the sofa. I took my shoes off and placed them next to the fire place to dry out. I tried to pick up bits of mess I had trampled in and onto the rug; I threw it onto the fire.
The lady came back in and said, "Here you go, coffee, did you want any sugar or milk?"
I shook my head and said, "Thank you."
I wrapped my hands around the hot mug and drank.
The lady said, "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm Lou by the way."
I looked up and only just then had taken any notice of her, I said, "I'm Hus."
She was quite pretty, looked older than me by eight or ten years. Short blond hair, pale white skin tone and was taller than me by three or four inches, slender body. And she must have been ready for bed as she had a pink gown on.
She sat on the sofa and said, "Well Hus, what brings you so far out? I know it's far out from anywhere, I live here and my closest neighbouring house is three miles away."
I turned back towards the fire and said, "My truck broke down and I was looking for some help."
I could hear a chuckle in her voice as she said, "It just broke down then did it?"