A Perfect Stranger

"That's brutal."

"Yep. But, I can't say I was torn up over it. I was hurt, for sure, but we were having a lot of trouble, so it was probably for the best. Anyway, I hired a detective, found out where she was and had her served. The divorce was uncontested. She didn't get a thing from me. Anyway, now I have Chance and Lucky, and the house to myself."

Then I asked, "So what are you going to do about your husband? You're going to have to get the police involved. I think it's only going to get worse."

"Yes, I know, but I've got to do something about my mother, first."

"Is there someplace she can go for a while."

"Yes, she has a sister in Virginia. I haven't contacted her yet, or even talked to mom about her leaving for a while. This all just happened. I only had him served four days ago. See, after Daniel hit me the last time, I left him. That was a couple weeks ago, and I went to stay with a friend, where I'm staying now, and she insisted I see a lawyer. I agreed; I'd had enough. After a few days, Daniel tracked me down and we had a confrontation. I was going to call the cops, then, but that's when he made his threat about hurting my mom. Anyhow, I'll call my aunt, tomorrow."

"Well, it's too bad he is being such a threat, and that he abused you."

"Yes, he always had a temper, but he wasn't always like this. He used to be different, but over time, he started changing. I think he might be doing some kind of drugs. The first time he hit me was when I asked about that very thing - you know, because of the changes I was seeing in him. He denied it, blew up, slapped me, trashed the kitchen and stormed out. It went downhill from there."

"So sorry," I said, "and you might be right about the drugs."

We talked for a while longer as we finished our drinks. By that time, Anita had calmed down.

"Travis, do you have to work, tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'll be leaving around 6:30."

"Oh...I was hoping you could take me to get my car in the morning. I need to get it and my things and find a hotel. I can't stay at Stacey's anymore. He'll come there again, and I don't want to endanger her."

I offered, "I can probably take a long lunch later in the day and come get you. You can just hang out here in the meantime."

"That's awfully kind of you, thank you."

"Oh, do you have a job you need to get to?" I thought to ask.

"No, I'm taking some sick days till I get my mom safe and this worked out."

"Okay, well, I don't want to be a bad host, but I have to be up at 5:30 in the morning. So I'll say goodnight. And if I don't see you in the morning, help yourself to everything, food, whatever; and I'll be back around noon to take you to get your car."

"Thank you so much, Travis. Thank you."

"No worries. I'll show you to your room, then I'm going to hit the sack."

After making sure she was set for the night, I went to bed. Chance jumped up and got in his usual spot. I petted him and thought about the events of the evening - the bizarre events! And about the pretty stranger sleeping down the hall.

II. HOUSE GUEST

Friday morning, I started with my usual morning breakfast - a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, then I went to the garage to see if my work truck would start. The battery was dead yesterday, so I had to drive my SUV. Turned out it was a good thing - if I'd been driving my truck, I would almost certainly have hit Anita as the truck doesn't exactly stop on a dime.

I had put the battery on a slow charger, yesterday, and it cranked right up, this morning. I was in the middle of transferring tools from my SUV to my pickup when my cell rang.

"Hey, boss...yeah, okay. I'll see you Monday." Another big thunderstorm was rolling in and we were cancelled for the day.

I went back in the house and waited for Anita to wake up. I made a pot of tea in anticipation and was enjoying a cup when she came padding into the kitchen in her bra and panties.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, and spun on her heel, dashing back to the bedroom.

Wow!

I was surprised and a bit flustered. Anita had a very nice body - perfect, in fact. Though petite, she had a lovely, if diminutive, hourglass-shape, and her butt was amazing. I was left breathless.

She came back out, dressed in her blouse and jeans.

"I thought you had left."

"Sorry, I was leaving when my boss called. We're rained out. I was waiting to make breakfast when you got up."

"Oh, well, thank you. Sorry about flashing you."

"Um, yeah, that really traumatized me," I grinned.

She smiled shyly.

"What would you like? I have eggs, bacon and such, or we can do French toast or pancakes..."

"Eggs will be fine, thank you, and I'll be happy to help."

"Well then, do you like your fried potatoes with bell peppers and onions?"

"Oh yes!" she smiled.

"Then let's start dicing."

After breakfast, she called her aunt, who was happy to put her sister up for however long was needed.

"I'll need to get my car and get my mom to the airport."

"Sure, I'll take you when you're ready."

"I'll just call Stacey and let her know I'm coming. She works out of her home and should be there."

"What about your husband?" I asked.

"He should be at work, so we should be okay."

I gave her my cell and she called, "Hi, Stacey...Yes, everything's fine. I wanted to let you know I'm coming to get my car...Yes, I'll explain everything when I get there...Yes, see you in a bit."

We drove to her friend's house and I dropped her off. I gave her my number and told her to call if she needed anything.

"Look, um, after you take care of your mom, if you need a place to stay till you can work something out, you're welcome at my place.

"Thank you. I appreciate that, and I may take you up on that offer. And thank you so much for your help. I don't know what I'd have done, or what would have happened if you hadn't come along and helped. And I don't know how I can ever repay you."

I put my vehicle in reverse, grinned and said, "Flash me again, sometime," and backed out.

She blushed and waved.

When I got home, I took Chance for a run before the storm arrived, then I decided to clean my truck out, straighten up my tools, and declutter the garage. About 11 a.m. the storm hit with a vengeance. Thunder boomed as lightning crashed, and the roof of the garage, which has no ceiling or insulation, sounded like a hundred drums as the rain beat down. It was for me a comforting sound. I love a good rain storm. Chance, not so much. He got in the seat of my truck and curled up for the duration.

I spent Saturday morning working in the yard, doing my winter maintenance - pruning bushes and such. Though most of the property is forested, I have a large expanse of lawn and quite a few planters that need maintained. By one o'clock, another storm was rolling in, so I went in and made lunch, then hit the shower. At four, I got a call from an unknown number. I let it go to voice mail.

"Hi, Travis, it's Anita. When you get this message, could you call me back. Thank you."

I called the number from the message, "Hi, Anita, it's Travis."

"Oh thank you for calling me back. I hate to bother you on a Saturday..."

"No bother, I was just doing some chores. What's up?"

"I just got back from Chattanooga, and taking my mother to the airport, and Stacey called. My husband is sitting down the street, watching her house, so I can't go there, and I haven't been to the police yet..."

"No problem, you can hole up here, but when are you going to the police?"

"I called my attorney Friday, and we're going to the courthouse on Monday to file a restraining order, and to file assault and kidnapping charges, but in the meantime, if it's not too much trouble..."

"No trouble at all. Do you remember how to get to my place?"

"Yes, I do. I should be there in about an hour. I have to run one errand first...Um, would you like me to bring something for dinner, pizza or chicken, or something?"

"Pizza sounds good."

"What would you like?"

"I'm not picky; surprise me," I replied.

"Okay, bye. And thank you, again."

"Well, Chance, your new friend is coming for a visit," I said to him. He perked his ears up and wagged his tail. Of course, that's his response to pretty much everything I say.

At 5:30, a gray, Honda Civic pulled up in front of my house. Chance growled.

I went to the door to greet Anita, "It's okay, Chance. It's a friend."

He gave a wag of his tail and quit growling, but stayed alert till he saw Anita, then his demeanor quickly changed to friendly. She had an extra-large pizza box and a small grocery bag.

"Hi, thanks for having me," she said as she set the pizza on the table.

"You need to quit thanking me. This is no problem for me. Smells good, what did you get?"

"Pepperoni, tomatoes and jalapenos. I know you like spicy hot, so I hope that's okay."

"Absolutely perfect. What would you like to drink - iced tea, diet Pepsi, ice water?"

"A diet Pepsi will be fine."

We sat down and dug in. She brought me up to date. Friday, she went and picked her mother up, got her packed, then they went back and stayed at Roberta's till she took her to the airport this morning. When her friend Stacey called and told her about her husband, she was heading back to pack some clothes and stuff, then go stay at Roberta's. But Roberta is older, in poor health, and has a very small place, so she decided to check with me first, and take advantage of my offer. Of course, she was unable to get any clothes or anything because of her husband. Before getting the pizza, she stopped and picked up a tooth brush and some basic girl stuff to tide her over.

"So, you're sure it's okay for me to stay the weekend?"

"Of course. I had no plans and I enjoy your company. And Chance likes you, so we're good," I smiled.

"Well, thank...sorry, I know you said to stop thanking you. I can't help it. I, um, didn't really have anywhere else I felt comfortable going. I can't stay at my mom's; I know Daniel will be checking there for me. And besides Stacey, I don't have any close friends here. We just moved here a few months ago. And even though you're a total stranger, you've been so nice..."

"I'm not exactly a total stranger; after all, I've seen you in your underwear," I joked.

She blushed, but laughed, "Yes, I'm trying to forget that...And I want to thank you for being a real gentleman, you know..."

"Of course, no problem."

"And I never asked, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not at the moment. My last girlfriend had a job where she worked weekends, and it became difficult for us to get together regularly, so that relationship kind of fizzled out."

"Okay, well, if you did, I didn't want to be in the way."

"Nope, it's just me and the critters."

"Speaking of critters, your dog is beautiful. Do you think I could pet him?"

"Of course, he would like that. Just call him."

"Hey Chance, come here, boy."

Without hesitation, Chance got up and went to Anita. She petted him and stroked his fur.

"He's warmed up to you. Even with some of my friends, he can be a little standoffish. I had a girlfriend for a short while that he didn't like, wouldn't go near her. Turned out, she was kind of a whack job. So, it turns out Chance is a pretty good judge of character."

She smiled. I watched the way she gently and affectionately petted Chance. I have found that I naturally get along better with animal lovers.

We spent the evening talking over a couple drinks, discussing her situation, our histories - getting to know each other.

"So you don't have any children?" Anita asked me.

"No, um, we never were comfortable with the idea of kids. I mean, I wanted children, but with our stormy relationship, it was probably best we didn't. What about you?"

"Well, we tried early on - for several years, but no luck. I got checked out, and the doctor said I was fine, that I was ovulating and should be able to have children. Daniel refused to get checked out, and insisted nothing was wrong with him. Because of my bad periods, I went on the pill, and that was that."

"How long were you married?" I asked.

"Just over ten years. You?"

"Seven years - one semi-blissful, and six miserable," I joked.

"Well," Anita continued, "our first few years were pretty good. I learned I had to be careful with Daniel - he has a temper. But about the time we were dealing with the infertility issue, our relationship started to change. We became less close, less of a couple, and things went along that way for a few more years. Then Daniel lost his job when a factory shut down, and we moved here where he got a job. That's when things really started to go south for us. After we moved here, he started acting different, being even more temperamental than usual, short-fused. And money was becoming a problem. He would go out drinking, and stay out late. I'm pretty sure now that he started doing drugs, maybe got mixed up with the wrong people."

"Well, I'm sorry things have worked out the way they did," I remarked.

We pretty much ended the evening on that, and went to bed.

Sunday, I did my house chores and laundry. Anita pitched in. It was all very domestic feeling. In the evening, I bundled up and grilled steaks on the rear deck. Anita baked the potatoes, steamed some broccoli and made a salad, and we had an enjoyable meal.

Monday, I left for work before she was up, but unless there was a change, she was going to stay at my place till her husband was dealt with. I didn't mind at all. I gave her a key and an alarm fob. You may be questioning my actions, but I was completely comfortable doing that. After all, Chance had given her his seal of approval.

Anita met with her lawyer and they filed the initial paperwork for the restraining order, but he said it would take a week or more to get the court order. Her lawyer and the police advised her not to go home if she had an option, as they felt she was rightly concerned about her husband doing something rash. So, she called and let me know it was going to be at least a week before the restraining order was enforced, and she was concerned about staying that long. I told her she could stay as long as she needed, but that I would have to pick up more food for the two of us. She volunteered to take care of the shopping.

The company she worked for said they could hold her job for two weeks, but after that, they would have to hire somebody else. As it worked out, she was able to return to work before that, as her husband had been served. Eventually, he pleaded down to anger management counseling for the assault and kidnapping charges. Since Anita had gotten in his vehicle of her own volition, and no one had witnessed the abuse, it would have been iffy getting a conviction for those offenses.

So, Anita went back to work, and moved back to her girlfriend's place. Chance, Lucky and I were alone again, and I can't say I didn't miss Anita. I had grown fond of her and really enjoyed her company.

III. FIRST DATE

A couple months later, I was pulling into my drive on a Friday night, when my cell rang. It was Anita.

"Hi, Anita, is everything okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh, yes, everything is fine. I'm calling to see how you're doing, and to see if maybe we could get together. I never got to show my appreciation for all your help. I would like to take you to dinner if you're interested."

"Of course, but you don't have to do that..."

"No, I would really like to."

"Okay, when do you have in mind?"

"This weekend, Saturday, if you're not busy."

"Sure, I'm free. Where would you like to meet?"

"Actually, I was thinking I could come pick you up. I'd like to see Chance."

"He'd love that. He really took a shine to you."

"Great, then how about I come over around five, tomorrow."

"Wonderful, I'll see you then."

I went in the house, feeling pretty elated. I even accidentally set my alarm off, forgetting to turn it off before I opened the door. Saturday, I cleaned and straightened up before Anita came. I was actually a little nervous. And I wondered if this could be considered a date. Honestly, I was quite taken with her, but under the circumstances, I hadn't done anything about it. With what she was going through, I didn't want to assume that her feelings for me were anything more than gratitude for the help I had given her.

I dressed up a little, which is to say I put on my best jeans and one of my nicest shirts, and I got out my good leather jacket that I rarely wear. I own a couple sports coats and slacks for special occasions, but didn't figure they were appropriate. There are very few restaurants in our area that people dress up for.

When Anita's Honda pulled up, I went out to meet her. Chance apparently recognized the car, because he got excited, and when Anita got out of her car, he immediately went down ahead of me to greet her. She dropped down and met him with a hug and he greeted her with a lick to the face - something he rarely does, even with me.

Hi, Chance, you big boy. Good to see you." As she stood, she greeted me, "Good to see you, too, Travis. You look good."

"Likewise, Anita, come on in, unless you're in a hurry..."

"No, not at all."

I was standing on the deck at the head of the steps, and when Anita came up, she gave me a hug. It felt nice, and she smelled lovely. We had only hugged one time in the past, when she moved out of my place. So the hug was unexpected. We went inside and I took her coat. When I did, it revealed that she was wearing a very nice-looking, dark heathered-blue pantsuit, with a pale-yellow blouse. Her long, blond hair had a body wave in it and fell around her shoulders, nicely framing her pretty face. I almost thought I should have dressed nicer.

"Wow, you look great, Anita. I feel underdressed."

"No, no, you look handsome, perfect. I like that shirt."

"Thanks. I made sure to put on clean clothes for this," I kidded.

She laughed, "Well, it's good to see you again, Travis," and leaned in and gave me a brief hug again.

After which, there was an awkward silence.

"Um, would you like a drink before we go?" I asked as she petted Chance, who was all wags and smiles.

"Oh, um, I'd love one; I'm pretty nervous. This is my first date...well, sort of date," she said shyly, "but I'm kind of a lightweight, so if you would consider driving..."

"I kind of thought of it as a date," I replied when I saw she was a little flustered.

"Yes, I guess it is. I mean, I haven't been out with anyone now that I'm officially single, so, I guess you are my first date," she smiled, nervously.

"Well, I'm honored," I said sincerely, "and I'd be happy to drive. What would you like to drink, a driver or a tequila sunrise, or a beer..."

"Well, I was thinking of taking you for Mexican, since I know that's your favorite, so how about a margarita. You make those so well."

"Sure thing. Margaritas coming up."

We headed to the kitchen and I mixed up a couple margaritas on the rocks. As I did, Anita went to the dining table and sat, with Chance by her chair getting more pets. I guess he had missed her as much as I had. Seeing her again, reminded me of just how much. I took the drinks over and joined her.

"So, catch me up. How have things been going?" I asked.

"Good, good. My mom is staying at my aunt's for a while longer, and I'm now staying at her place. When she gets back, I have to find my own place. Hers is too small for the two of us. How about you?"

"Just working. It's been a little slow with the weather, but I picked up a couple remodel jobs that were indoors, so I've kept busy. Other than work, I haven't been doing much. When it's warm enough, I'll get out and go hiking and camping, do some fishing."

"Yes, I'm ready for the cold weather to be over...So, um, you're not seeing anyone?"

"Nope. I went on a couple dates with a secretary that works for one of the contractor's I work with, but we didn't really hit it off. By the second date, we both figured out we didn't have too much in common. She's young, only 20, and we were just on different pages."