Cool Woman
Chapter #1:
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5'9" beautiful 'n' tall
Just one look I was a bad mess
'Cause that long woman had it all
The music hit me like the wind, which was whipping my chocolate brown hair, as I drove down an old road, surrounded by thick forest. Dark green leafed trees lined the road; they created a slight canopy. There were no street lights, only broken signs that were either bent or discolored into gray. The sunlight was the only light I had; it peaked through the canopy throwing flashes of light to illuminate parts of the road. It was three pm on a Sunday, and I was still four hours away from Sanford, Maine. I tapped my fingers, as I hummed and nodded to the beat of the music, on the handles of my red sports motorcycle, the machine purred underneath me as I rode. I was engrossed in the song as I nodded my head and bit my lip happily.
I saw her heading to the table
Well, a tall walking big black cat
Charlie said, "I hope that you're able, boy
'Cause I'm telling you she knows where it's at"
The sun beamed on my leather jacket and blue jeans; sweat trickled down my forehead underneath my helmet. 'You'll live' I thought to myself, 'you've been through worse.'
Then suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
A-jumping out of doors and tables
When I heard somebody shootin' a gun
My head began to sway a little too much. My tongue rubbed up against the roof of my mouth in search of water, but there was none there. Shapes began to blur before me. I shook my head violently to try to wake myself up; instead it knocked a few strands of my hair onto my upper exposed chest and they stuck. I was a living breathing sweat machine. I didn't want to take the risk of wiping out in the middle of nowhere. I scanned my surroundings for a rest stop; in the middle of nowhere.
Well the Da was pumping my left hand
And a-she was a-holding my right
Well I told her don't get scared
'Cause you're gonna be spared
I've gotta be forgivin' if I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5'9 beautiful tall
That's when I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a crooked sign that read, 'Earls Gas and Co.' Relief flooded my body as I relaxed my muscles. The peeling red paint of the building came into view and I could see white letters that amusingly spelled, 'Ear Gas and Co;' a gray smudge was in the place of the much-needed "S" over the doors of the rickety building. I smiled to myself as I observed that there were two cars parked in front of the old place. An old Pontiac Aztek sat in the space farthest to the left. 'Must be the cashiers,' I thought. But there was another car; a classic car. Most definitely a 67' or 68' Chevy-impala. The glistening of the car was like that of a flare of light. 'The owner must care about it.'
Yeah, with just one look I was a bad mess
'Cause that long cool woman had it all
Had it all
Had it all
The song had ended just in time. I parked my child, or motorcycle, right next to the classic. I admired it as I slipped my black duffle bag over my head slid off my seat with ease. I took my tight black helmet clean off before setting down my duffle bag by my motorcycle. The cold wind struck my face and opened my eyes to the brightness of the day which was almost blinding. I then yanked on the chord of my earphones. The two buds fell into my hand like falling stones before I shoved them into my back pocket with my phone. I shrugged my backpack off my shoulders and laid it down on the seat of my child. I stretched my short arms and legs, scrunching my eyes and nose as I did so. It was a nice day to wear my favorite hat so I unzipped my backpack and pulled it out of my bag before securing it on my head backwards, just the way I like it. The station didn't look well-kept, but it was less sketchy than the one a few hours back. I mentally hoped I wouldn't get the stink eye from the cashier again. 'I'm not a delinquent' I would want to yell at them, but it's hard to convince adults that teenagers that are traveling on their own aren't anything besides a criminal.
I slammed the door open with my side. It swung open and soon I was heading straight for the bathroom. My short strides made me sound like a scurrying rat. I slammed the screeching door shut and locked it with a click. Quickly, I splashed cold water onto my face. It felt like my dense skin was finally breathing again once the cool water reached it. After three more hurried splashes I dried myself off and quietly opened the door with a click and reentered the main part of the station. I leaned down and pulled my money out of my boot only to see I had 6 bucks left. I sighed as I passed the refrigerated area and grabbed two water bottles. I swiftly picked up a banana, from a basket nearby, on my way to the cashier. There it is. That's what I've been waiting for. The stink eye. And hers was vicious. Her dirty blond hair curled up on her shoulders. She wore the normal outfit. Nice shirt that fit her form and black pants, covered with an apron. She scanned me from head to toe with her shallow brown eyes and sneered. I sighed as I stared into her eyes challengingly while I gave her my goods. She punched something into the cash register with pointed fingers before turning back to me.
"That will be $7.35," She fake smiled through gritted teeth.
"Dammit," I whispered to myself.
Her fake smile quickly morphed into a frown once she realized my predicament.
"Forget about the banana," I waved it off. "Just the water."
She nodded but before she could take the banana away, she was stopped by a large hand that came from behind me. Resting between two fingers of the hand was a ten-dollar bill.
"I'll take care of it," the man behind me said.
I turned and was met by two, big, brown eyes and a bright smile. I smiled back contemplating if this was actually a nice guy or just some creep. His eyes radiated with sympathy but I wasn't going to trust him that easily.
"Thanks," I said with a tight smile.
"No problem," He responded.
I turned back to the cashier who had already taken his money. She gave me back my money and then processed the payment in the cash register.
"$2.65 dollars is your change," she said as she handed the abnormally tall man his money.
"She can keep it," he said pointing to me.
I smiled, again unsure of what to say. I think the cashier felt the same way because she too was smiling, but it wasn't genuine. She handed the money to me as I nodded and thanked her. I stuck the money, including my own, in my boot and moved towards the exit.
I was about to walk out the door when my pride caught me by the tail. I wasn't going to let this stranger think I was just some kid that needed money; I could take care of myself. It was one of my many flaws. I've always had bursts of the need to prove myself. Maybe it wasn't considered pride by others but whatever it was, it was important to me.
I turned on my heel and trudged right up to the tall, brown eyed man.
"I can't repay you fully for your kindness," I began as he turned to me. "But my conscience won't let me leave until I at least give you the change," I said as I reached into my boot to pull out the two $1 bills and 65 cents.
He stared at me in awe as a goofy smile danced back onto his face.
"I think you'll be needing that money more than us, kid," another man behind him said.
He was shorter than the other, green eyes and brown hair complemented his face. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the cashier drooling on the counter while her head rested on her hand, perched by her elbow. I mentally rolled my eyes and studied the two men. The tall one also had cocoa brown hair, but his was long and shaggy like a dog's. He wore a plaid buttoned downed shirt with a light brown-greenish jacket and jeans and he was holding some snacks and drinks. The other man, on the other hand, wore jeans and a plain shirt topped with a leather jacket. He was holding a container with a single slice of pie in it.
"Don't worry," I began. "I can get by with what I have."
I thrust the money into the taller one's face. He took it back, confused.
The surprised look plastered on the shorter one's face caused a smirk to creep up on mine. I walked back to my child with my head held up high and my banana and water in hand; I felt the sweet feeling of victory, or maybe hydration. I stuffed the fruit and bottle into my backpack after I took a few swigs. I hopped on and picked up my duffle before throwing its strap over my head. I listened for a few seconds, with my eyes closed, to her roaring engine. It was one of my favorite sounds. Swiftly, I strapped on my helmet and backed out of the space using my feet. I was about to turn out of the lot when I heard a voice.
"Hey," it said.
I sighed knowing it was most likely one of the two men. I whipped my head around to see it was the taller of the two calling out.
"Where you headed?" He asked.
I sighed as I was starting to believe that I had attracted a creep.
"Maine," I responded stupidly.
"Really? We are too," he said. "Why Maine?"
"I could be asking the same question," I bit back.
He chuckled, "Well, it was nice meeting you!"
"You too," I said, my inner politeness surfacing.
I turned onto the road thinking about the case ahead. A new case, another monster to hunt, and to kill. I still needed to get more research done and that pit stop didn't save me any time. But still, I wondered if I was going to see the two men at that gas station again. Sanford is way too big to just run into them, right?