Chapter 4: Shared Solitude

"Do you have a name?" he asks.

"Yep," I say, popping the 'p'. "I'm just choosing not to tell you."

"So you lie down next to a complete stranger in the middle of the road, but you won't tell them your name."

"Yep." I pop the 'p' again.

"You really are a smartass."

There's another long pause.

"Do you want to talk about it?" This time I'm the one to break the silence.

"Talk about what?"

"Why you had such a shitty day."

"Why do you care?" His eyes are narrowed at me now. They look ruthless and mean. Why am I not afraid?

"I don't." If I could shrug my shoulders I would. But since I'm lying on the ground it really doesn't work out. "I just find that it helps to talk about it sometimes."

He doesn't answer me, just turns his head to look away and takes a deep breath. It's at least a five-minute break before he finally says something.

"Girl problems."

"Hmm?"

"Why I had such a shitty day… it's girl problems." His voice is soft and sad. It makes me want to roll over and wrap him in a tight hug.

Of course, I don't.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not."

Chirping crickets and croaking frogs are our background noise.

"What about you?" he asks. "Why did you have such a shitty month?"

"Boy problems," I respond. He laughs.

"You know what I think," he says.

"What?"

"Love sucks."

"I'd have to agree."

Our conversation drifts into silence, punctuated only by the sounds of the night. The weight of our shared sorrows hangs heavy in the air, yet somehow, lying here next to this stranger, I feel a sense of camaraderie that I haven't felt in a long time.

"I need to go, Stranger," I say. We've been talking for a while now and I'm beginning to get tired.

"Okay, Just-a-Girl," he says with a sigh. We still don't know each other's names. He calls me Just-a-Girl or smartass. I call him Stranger or road-kill. It's not conventional, but it works for us.

With a small smile, I push myself up off the ground, brushing the dirt off my clothes. "Well, it was nice meeting you... Stranger."

He chuckles, a soft sound that dances on the night breeze. "Likewise... smartass."

With that, I turn away and make my way back to the car, my mind buzzing with thoughts of the enigmatic stranger I had just encountered.

As I drive home, the events of the night replay in my mind, each moment etched into my memory like a scene from a movie. And as I pull into the driveway of our new home, I can't help but feel a sense of anticipation for what tomorrow may bring.