Sophia Pt. 01

I stuck the flasher on the top of the car and Robin plugged it in. Up close it was so bright, that it was blinding. Good! I walked twenty five feet back and dropped my first flare.

I continued to trudge down the road, periodically shining my light in the ditch. About one hundred feet behind our SUV, sure enough there was a car in the ditch. But it had no lights on and looked to be partially buried in the mud. I shined my light on the driver's side window.

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Maria had been desperate to get back to her home, her sanctuary. She had a condo in the city but her retreat, her refuge was her home in the mountains. Originally she and her husband had found and bought it together. But over the years she had restored, remodeled it and made it her own. After the divorce there was no question, between the two of them, that she would get it out of the settlement. Their divorce had been quite amicable. Maria was still, in a sense, a business partner with her husband. Richard had a been a young financial genius, with little money. Maria a daughter of Brazilian immigrants, had been a successful dancer and model, and had a modest inheritance, as well. Richard had taken Maria's money and turned it, into a fortune of almost two hundred million dollars.

After the divorce, Maria had taken forty million to conservatively invest. She left the rest, entrusted with Richard. He could make more money for her, he so enjoyed making money. He also enjoyed young women. He had never cheated on Maria. But he had fallen out of love with her and Maria wasn't sure, if she had ever really loved Richard in the first place. He was charming, intelligent and loyal, but there was no deep loving warmth. They had sex together and were friends, but they never seemed to be a family. But while they were no longer, if ever, in love. They were still dear and the closest of friends. He did have one vice though, he always had to have the shiniest and best toys.

Maria guessed at thirty-two, she had lost most of her shine. But during the two years since the divorce, many men still thought she was shiny, she thought with a grin. There had even been more, than two proposals of marriage, but they had all reminded her of Richard in a way. The last one she had thought, might have been the real deal. Oh what a mistake she almost made. Better to find out now, but it hurt so much the way she did find out.

Maria had met Robert, a lawyer in town from the East Coast. He was a rising star. Tall, blonde and handsome. He had seemed so sincere and honest. Never been married. Maria and he, had even been taking about engagement. They were supposed to be traveling back to Boston to meet his entire family, where they would be formally engaged. She had even been ready to move from the West to the East Coast. Though she would desperately miss her home.

But suddenly his parents decided to make a trip to Seattle to meet Maria. Maria was overjoyed, that she would be able to show her prospective in-laws her town. When they got off the plane and met Maria. Robert's father John, was gracious and a gentleman. Robert's mother, Caroline was a nightmare. On first sight of Maria, she had a grim foreboding expression. Maria did her best. She had made reservations for them in the best of hotels. Introduced them to her closest friends. Took them out, on a day long cruise on her boat. All in all, she tried to show them her best.

But to no avail. Today, she took them to her favorite restaurant, for an early dinner. At the restaurant, she found out the truth about Robert.

She was coming back from the ladies room. She was just turning a corner, behind Robert and his mother, when she heard Robert and his mother talking.

"Robert, she seems a lovely girl, but don't you think that she is a little bit dark?"

Maria was shocked. What was that woman from, the Stone Age? She had run into racism before, but she could never understand how such people could be so brain dead and still be able to walk and talk.

"Well Mother you know I love you, but......"

"Here it comes," thought Maria. "Robert is going to tell his mother that he loves me and is going to marry me, despite her objections."

"Well Mother you know I love you, but if you look honestly and logically at the situation, you will see that this is brilliant opportunity for me. Maria is quite wealthy. I highly doubt, if we will have any children. So children of mixed race, shouldn't be a problem. If we do get divorced later on, then I should get quite a nice settlement. With that kind of money, I could set up a proper home for a new wife and family."

"Robert that is a good plan, but I'm so worried about my possible grandchildren being of....."

During the conversation, Robert's Father had been staring bug-eyed at his son and wife. "I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU TWO! I'm appalled at your behavior. You have no morals or decency at all. This meal is over. I'll pay for this dinner. After the lavish way, Maria has treated us, it would be a crime to have her pay for such lowlifes, as you two." John said furiously.

John got up from the table and quickly walked towards Maria. She was surprised, she hadn't realized that he had seen her. He grasped her two hands in his and looked gently into her eyes.

"Maria, I am so ashamed. I must have done a terrible job raising Robert, please forgive me. You would have made a wonderful daughter-in-law. But he isn't worthy of you. I just wish, I was twenty-five years younger. I would be courting you in a heart beat. Again my sincere apologies. Have a wonderful life. It was a joy to meet you." He turned back to Caroline and Robert, who were staring with shocked faces and open mouths.

"I'm going back to the hotel, find your own way back. I'll probably be getting a separate room and quite possibly, travel back to Boston by myself."

"John Darling, I wasn't being......." Caroline said desperately.

"I know what you are and I've hidden from it, too long. After this shocking display, I need time to think. Goodbye, Caroline. Robert, prove that you are a man, at least in this regards, and see that your mother, makes it safely back to the hotel. Goodbye Maria, take care." John walked off to see the manager about paying the bill.

Maria nodded her head, in reply to John and turned to the table. She picked up her purse with one hand and with the other she slapped Robert across the face. "Scum!" She said simply, and walked off.

It was only late afternoon, she had time to pack her car and get to her home in the mountains. She didn't even take time to change. Less than an hour later, she had her car loaded with the necessities. She had a cooler chest full of ice cream, two chocolate cakes and a sack full of DVDs of her favorite movies.

During the long drive, she listened to classical music to calm her nerves and thought about the disaster, she narrowly missed and the pain it caused.

"Am I going to spend the rest of my life alone? Why am I only attracting superficial losers? What do I want?........."

"Hell I know what I want. I want a knight in fucking, shining armor, to come along and sweep me of my feet. A man who will back me up with words and deeds. A man who will be loyal and never let me down. A man who will grow old with me and not abandon me, when I got a wrinkle or two. I WANT A HOUSE FULL OF KIDS!" She screamed with tears on her face.

She really should have been paying more attention to the road, what with the weather conditions. There was a flash of lighting, a deer bounding across the road, and Maria jerked the car to the right, and off the road. She felt the car nosing down, there was an impact and the airbag exploded in her face.

There were a few more seconds of the car sliding around and almost flipping over. When things settled down, Maria started to knock down the airbag. She was scared and in a bit of a panic. Her pounding on the airbag filled the car with a bit of dust, which caused her to start to cough and made her eyes water. The engine was still running, she wondered if she should turn it off. A moment later, with a groan, the engine died.

She looked around to assess her situation. The road was to her left, and was at least ten feet, over the roof of her car. To the right, the wall of the trench was at least six or seven feet high and her car was resting in the bottom. Maria tried her cell phone, but as she expected, no signal. She was wondering what to do, should she stay in the car?

Lights briefly swept over her car. "Did a car just pass on the road overhead," she thought? "Should I try to get out and make it to the road? I'm in dress for goodness sakes, it is cold, wet and muddy outside. I don't even have a proper coat for this weather." It was at that point, that her car lights died.

Now she started to panic. She had no flashlight in the car. The storm was fierce and she was all alone. "Calm down, Calm down, think about what to do, think, think....."

She saw powerful flashes of light going off in the ditch in front of her. She realized someone was periodically shining a light down from the road into the ditch. "Maybe someone saw my car crash and is looking for me?" She thought.

Suddenly a bright light from the road, was flooding her car. She looked up at the light, shielding her eyes. Just as suddenly the light turned the other way. From the movement of the light, it looked like someone was running back up the road.

"Where were they going? Come back here! Don't leave me alone. Maybe they went to get help?"

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A face looked back up at Don through the driver's side window. There was a huge amount of mud and debris against the doors on the driver's side, and the other side was wedged firmly against the embankment.

"Shit, shit shit...." Don lit and dropped his second flare, and then turned to run back to his car. "You dumb guy," he thought to himself. "Don't have a tow rope do you? Got all your other tools, but not a long chain or a rope. If you had one you could maybe reposition the car to get the driver out. Well, you've got a shovel and a crowbar. Maybe the power windows still work? If they don't, I can always break them."

Don ran back to his car and pulled open the rear door.

"Megan, Robin, try your cells phones. See if you can get 911. There is someone back there."

"Do you need our help Dad?"

"No I think it is going to be okay, but just in case try and reach 911." While saying that Don grabbed his folding shovel, a crowbar and a small blue tarp. There was no way, he was going to let his girls out in this storm and do anything dangerous.

He slammed the gate closed and started to run back the other way.

Maria was relieved to see the light coming back towards her.

The man, dressed in a yellow rain suit, scrambled down the embankment. He slipped and slid down the muddy wall. His left arm was wrapped around some long tools. His right hand was carrying an extremely bright flashlight.

As Don looked at the woman, he wondered if she realized how much danger she was in? The ditch was filling up fast with rain water and her doors looked like they were wedged shut with mud and debris. He didn't even bother trying the doors. His boots were full of cold muddy water, that was an icy, painful shock. He did his best to ignore it.

"Do your windows still work?" He yelled to her.

"No," she yelled back and shook her head.

Don set his tools down and wedged the light into the embankment, so it's light shown down upon the car. He unfolded his shovel and started to work on the mud holding her car door shut. He was working up quite a sweat with all his labor, but his feet and ankles were freezing. A few times he had to put his shovel down and move a log or stone with either the crow bar or his bare hands. Don was wondering if he should just break the window. But he had never deliberately broken a car window before and was concerned that flying glass might injure the woman inside. He decided to try his best at clearing the door. If the water got knee high before he was done, he would change tactics and break the glass.

Maria felt her feet getting cold and wet. She looked down to see water covering the floorboards of her car. She jerked her legs up and onto the seat.

"There's water in here." She yelled in panic to the man outside.

"I know, just give me a minute or two. I think I've almost got it." He huffed that out while still working furiously.

The water was already covering the floorboards by and inch or two, and was rising rapidly. Maria was suddenly aware of what a dire situation she would have been in, if her rescuer had not shown up.

Don kept on working until he had all the obvious debris away from the driver's door. He also made sure that there was plenty of clearance for swinging the door open. It would do him little good, if he could only open the door and inch or two. He was almost ready to open the door, when he took another look at the driver. It was hard to tell with the rain and poor light, but she seemed to be wearing town clothes. Nothing suitable for the cold mountain air. She wasn't even wearing a coat.

"I'm going to open the door. Put your coat on first, it is really cold out here."

"I didn't bring a coat."

Don put down his shovel and picked up the tarp. He started to swing it about violently, to shake off any mud on the outside. He was also muttering to himself. "Just like a woman, never prepared. Never have a proper tools. Always want a man......."

"Are you saying something?" Maria yelled.

"I've got a little tarp here. It is a little bit wet, but it is a lot better then nothing. I'll open the door and give it to you. Wrap it around yourself. Got it?"

"How will I walk?"

"You won't, I'll carry you. It doesn't look like you've got proper shoes. The water is cold and getting deep."

Maria looked at her feet, all she had was a pair of high heels. "But...."

"We've got not time. Let's do this!" Don yanked open the door and thrust the tarp at Maria. She felt the unrestricted cold for the first time and quickly wrapped the tarp around her body. The man easily picked her up in his arms. The rain was so fierce that Maria covered her face with a corner of the tarp. Slowly, the man climbed the embankment to the road. Maria was terrified that they would slip and fall. But while he did move very slowly there was no hesitation in the man. His arms seemed strong and secure, like he could carry her for an entire day, without weakening. Finally, they made it to the flat of the road and Maria breathed a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, from all the flashing lights, Maria could tell they were at his car. She could hear a door open.

"Are they hurt?" Yelled a young girl.

"No, just didn't have a coat or good shoes." Answered the man.

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The woman in my arms wasn't very heavy at all, but my feet were so cold. Robin had opened the door for me, from the inside, and I set the woman on the rear passenger seat.

"Megan, turn up the heat, full blast."

"Okay, Dad."

I still had my arms around the woman. I was just going to pull my arms out from under her when, I looked down at her face, for the first time with decent light, and............

Sophia Loren, I was looking at a beautiful gorgeous Sophia Loren. Maybe the skin color was a bit darker, but who would give a shit. I wanted to run around the car, like a cartoon wolf and bang my head against the door post. Scratch that, I know what to do. I'm going to take her back up in my arms and run to the top of the nearest mountain. Along the way, I was going to pick up a club. I would use the club to keep away all the other men, after my woman.

She would be there sitting on the ground with her legs outstretched. With her arms wrapped around and clutching my leg. I would be screaming at the men trying to climb our mountain. Crushing them with my club. "Get away you ASSHOLES. She's Mine! All Mine, Mine, MINE!"

"Dad, Dad, DADDY!"

"Huh, what?" I tore my eyes away from her face and looked up blankly."

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Asked Megan.

I took a deep breath. Oh yeah, my girls, my precious girls. No mountain for me. SHIT!

"I'm sorry honey, I'm just a little bit tired and cold." I looked down again at the woman, and braced myself. Oh, she looked so lovely. She was staring at me with wide eyes. No mountain, no mountain, remember Megan and Robin.

"Hello, I'm sorry if kind of phased out there for a second. My name is Don Hendricks and these two lovely ladies, are my daughters. The one in the front seat is Megan and next to you is Robin. Robin is the one, that saw your car. If she hadn't seen you, you might have been in a bit of trouble. Right now I need to get my tools, before that ditch fills with water. Do you have anything you need from the car? I expect it to be under water, before morning. So, if I don't get it now, it will probably be ruined."

"My name is Maria Wilson. Thank you for rescuing me. I really only need my purse. There are a few things in the trunk but you don't have to get them. It would be too much bother, after everything you've done."

"Better to get them now. Waste not, want not, as the saying goes. Are the keys still in the ignition?"

"Yes, but you don't have to."

"No problem." I took the tarp from her and left.

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Maria was carefully put on the rear seat of the SUV. She pulled the tarp away from her face and looked up, into his face. A complete look of shock washed across his face and then his arms tightened possessively about her. It was frightening. Then a look of longing came into his face, that seared her heart and touched her soul. He looked like a man, that was about to carry her off into the night. Luckily, the girls in the car, broke him out of whatever spell, he was under.

He took back his tarp and trudged back and forth from her car. Carrying things and making three trips in all. At one point, he suddenly pulled open Robin's door and thrust a tarp wrapped bundle onto her lap. The tarp was wet so she shrieked a bit. It turned out to be Maria's chocolate cakes and her DVDs. The girls ooohed, at how yummy they looked and Maria promised, one of the cakes to them. But while Don was working, they had time to talk.

Megan started to talk. "Can we call you Maria, or do you want us to call you Ms. Wilson?"

"Oh, Maria is fine."

"Maria, I saw how Daddy stared at you. I know it was a bit freaky. He's never done something like that before. He's the best, most honest, loyal man I know. I'm not just saying that because he is my father. So, you don't have to worry. I think it just surprised him to see how beautiful you are. But if we tell him what he did, he will get all embarrassed and he'll feel real bad, for making you uncomfortable."

"I think he's just lonely. He only really has Robin and I now. Some real bad things happened to him and he has hard time trusting people. Robin and I hurt him too. So please don't be too mad at him, okay?"

Megan's eyes had such a pleading look, that even if Maria was so inclined, and she wasn't, she couldn't be mad. "Don't worry Megan, I'm not mad. With the accident and everything, I'm just a little stressed out. I'm sure your dad is a wonderful person. He has to be, if he has two such girls as you, for daughters."

"Thanks Maria," spoke up Robin. "He's the best dad in the world. They hurt him so much, during the divorce and before. Everyone lied and he lost so much money. We just don't want him hurt anymore and there's nothing we can do, to make it better." Robin started to cry.