Hit and Run

"Oh. So you were held up talking to someone?"

Suzanne understand the misunderstanding and laughed.

"No. I literally ran into someone."

Now she leaned across the table a little then whispered, "With my car!"

"Oh, my word! Is the other person okay?" a very concerned Heather asked as she covered her mouth with one hand.

"He's fine. But I was SO scared!"

She explained how she was already frazzled and on her way to drop off her son as someone ran out in front of her.

"You poor thing!" Heather said supportively. "I can't believe he wasn't hurt."

"I know! I thought I killed him! When I saw him sit up I still thought he must have a few broken bones or...internal bleeding...or brain damage or....something."

Heather then leaned over and quietly asked, "Is he...suing you?"

Suzanne looked up for a moment then said, "No. In fact, he was worried about ME!"

"What? How...I...I don't understand."

Suzanne explained the rest of what happened with Jeff as her friend listened with rapt interest.

"Let me guess. He's married. Or...he looks like the male version of me," Heather said with a laugh.

It was Suzanne's turn to be supportive, so she said, "Be nice! You look just fine."

"For a woman who's 55," her friend replied with another laugh.

Suzanne laughed, too, then said, "Actually, he's...very attractive."

Heather sat up straight and said, "Oh, do tell! Please!"

Her fellow employee gave her the lowdown on just how attractive Jeff was then said, "It's a moot point, though."

"Married, right? All the good ones are."

"No. He's single. And let's be honest. There's young and then there's...young. Jeff...young."

"Wait. Like...high school...young?"

Suzanne laughed at that then told Heather, "No. Not that young, but maybe college young. Or...grad school young."

"Under 30, right?"

"I didn't ask, but I'm sure he is. And even if he was 30, that's still 12 years. After the divorce I'm open to being...more open...but you have to draw the line somewhere, right?"

"I suppose," Heather said with what sounded a little like resignation and a sigh.

"Did that long sigh have any particular meaning?" Suzanne asked, hoping she wasn't being too nosy.

"It just reminded me of someone from my past. My very distant past."

It was obvious she wanted to elaborate, so Suzanne waited for her to talk were she so inclined.

"When I was 32, I was actually a fairly attractive woman, believe it or not," Heather said. "I was able to wear a size 6 back then. Comfortably!"

That was the size Suzanne still wore while Heather was closer to a 14. But then she'd had two children and was almost 50.

"Anyway, there was this guy."

"Oh?" Suzanne said, in a 'do tell' kind of way of her own.

"I'd only just met my husband, and we weren't serious when this 20-year old...guy...started flirting with me at a party."

"And?"

"And we, you know...."

"Really?"

"Really. And I saw him for a couple of months before Vince and I became exclusive."

"And?" Suzanne repeated.

"I can't tell you how often I've wondered what might have happened if, you know."

Heather sighed again then said, "Don't get me wrong. I love my husband dearly, and our kids mean everything to us. But, well...Vince is...comfortable. But...Danny...the uh, the boy I nearly fell in love with...was...."

"Exciting?"

"I was going to say 'hot', but okay. Yes, he was definitely exciting. But I suppose we have a rational brain for a reason."

"To make rational decisions," Suzanne said, filling in the obvious even as her happy feelings about having met Jeff began to fade as her own rational brain engaged and regained control of her runaway thoughts.

It wasn't as though she had any belief that they'd ever fall in love. It was just so nice to even think about something so...exciting. But Suzanne was a rational woman, and as she'd already said, she had to draw a line somewhere, and Jeff was well beyond--or rather...below--that line as far as age was concerned.

Heather returned to her chipper self and said, "Speaking of being late, we should probably get ready to go back to work."

Suzanne had lost all track of time and had that panicked feeling again for moment.

"Yes. I agree. And Heather? I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone to talk to."

"Ditto for me, too, Suzanne. I love talking with my husband, but there are things a girl just needs to be able to share with another girl, you know?"

Suzanne laughed politely, told her she agreed, and decided not to say anything about them not really being 'girls' anymore--especially now that her brief, mild, quasi-fantasy about the handsome, younger guy she'd nearly killed a few hours earlier, was over.

As they walked back to the office Suzanne said, "He gave me his phone number. Just in case."

"Jeff?"

"Uh-huh."

"Please tell me you're going to call him," Heather nearly pleaded as she grabbed her girlfriend's arm. "Please?"

"I really don't have any reason to."

"Um...don't you think you should at least check and see if he's doing okay?"

Another weaker spark of hope flared up in her brain's non-rational area and caused her to rethink things.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. You know, just to be sure."

"Call him!" Heather said immediately. "Call him then tell me everything he says, okay?"

Suzanne laughed and promised she would.

"And if you can, you know, maybe get a picture or two of this hot, younger man, I wouldn't mind looking at them."

Suzanne laughed loudly for the first time in recent memory as they got to the front door.

"You're terrible!"

"That's not what Danny said!"

Suzanne pretended to be shocked then laughed again.

"I'm gonna have to keep my eye on you, aren't I?"

Heather opened the door then said, "Unfortunately, at my age...."

She leaned closer then added, "And at my weight, no attractive guy his age is even going to notice I'm alive. But a girl can still dream!"

"Hey, you're doing it again!" Suzanne reminded her.

"What? Being honest?"

She held the door another second then said, "You, on the other hand...."

Heather gave her slender, well-proportioned new friend the once over like a guy would who was ogling a woman, and both of them laughed as they stepped inside and got ready to get back to work.

Todd's school had an aftercare program that allowed Suzanne to leave him there until 5pm. She got off at 4:30 and only needed ten minutes to get to the campus, so it was perfect for both of them. Or at least she hoped it would be okay for her son.

"How was your first day?" she asked when he got in the car.

"Okay."

The unenthusiastic response concerned his mom.

"Just okay?"

"I guess."

"Did someone say something?" his mom asked, a familiar feeling welling up inside of her.

"It's okay," her son replied unconvincingly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as nicely as she could.

"No. Not really."

Her heart hurt for her son, but she knew better than to keep digging. She also knew better than to try and get involved because he was old enough to be embarrassed at having his mother fight his battles for him. Still, it made her feel awful.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Will we ever see Jeff again?"

The question surprised his mom who thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't think so, honey. Why do you ask?"

"He was nice."

"Yes, he was nice, wasn't he?"

"Uh-huh."

"It that all?" she asked.

Todd was silent for several seconds then said, "Well, you and Dad aren't married anymore, so couldn't you go out with him?"

Now her heart was breaking for a different reason.

"Todd, Jeff is a lot younger than me."

"But he's a grownup just like you."

"Well, yes, but still, people don't, you know, date, unless they're closer in age. And a whole bunch of other things, too."

The sound of dejection made her feel even worse when Todd said, "Okay," again and didn't say another word on their way home.

She wanted to stop and buy him some ice cream, but she had just enough money to get by until payday, if nothing went wrong. And after paying for her lunch today, she felt guilty for having spent some of that money on herself. But she'd made a friend, so that helped her feel a little less like beating herself up--but only a little.

After dinner that evening, Suzanne did her best to entertain Todd and keep his mind off of whatever had happened at school. But she had another reason for doing so, and that was to keep her from looking at her phone and calling someone she had no reason to call.

"You do have a reason, remember?" one part of her mind insisted. "You need to make sure he really is okay."

Another part said, "Come on! You know exactly what you're doing. You have this ridiculous idea that Jeff will be thrilled to hear from you and suggest you get together again."

That same area of her brain then told her to grow up. So although she did look at her phone, and his number, just before going to bed, she set it down without calling him. An hour later she was still laying there wide awake and picked the phone up again.

It was now a little after 11 o'clock, and she had a strict rule about not calling after nine. So once again she laid it back down, but this time, she allowed her mind--all of it--to wander. And a few minutes later her left began to wander and made its way to somewhere it hadn't been in at least a month.

A few minutes after that, and a whole lot of imagination about a handsome, younger man, her entire body shuddered so hard she had to stifle a scream. A little of it made its way out, but it was muffled enough not to wake her son who'd been out for hours and who normally slept like a log.

In less than two minutes after the mind-blowing orgasm she drifted off to sleep and slept like a log herself until her alarm went off at 6am. She smiled when she saw her phone next to the digital alarm clock by her bed, and for once, she didn't feel the least bit guilty about having pleasured herself. She knew there was never any reason to feel that way, but from as far back as she could remember, she'd always associated doing...that...with something shameful. She attributed it to her strict Catholic upbringing, but even so, she now knew that was absurd. And yet it was also true because guilt was what she nearly always felt whenever she 'diddled' herself. Just not this time.

After a hot shower and a cup of coffee, Suzanne felt as good as she could remember since moving to Medford. When Todd came down for breakfast at 7am, she had two pancakes on his plate with a cold glass of milk sitting next to it.

"Pancakes? Yes!" her son said as he said down and grabbed the syrup.

His mom poured herself a second cup of coffee then decided to take one more stab at the beast.

"Honey? Can you tell me what happened yesterday?"

"Danny Hale called me 'the odd man out'. That doesn't even make any sense!"

Todd hadn't yet heard the saying, and his mother didn't explain it to him.

"Don't let that bother you, okay? He's just being...childish."

"I know. It's okay," he replied before shoving two huge pieces into his mouth and chomping away.

As she dropped Todd off at school his mom wished him a good day, and he said the same thing back to her. She felt slightly better as she headed to work, but as she pulled into the parking lot, two uniformed policemen approached her.

"Suzanne Odd?" one of them said, stopping just in front of them.

"Yes?"

"Ma'am? You're under arrest for hit and run. You have the right to remain silent," the male officer said as female partner handcuffed her.

Heather was right behind her and saw what was going on and ran up to them.

"Suzanne? What's happening?"

One of the officers told her to stay back as Suzanne called out, "I'm being arrested for hit and run. Can you come to the police station?"

"Yes! I'll be right behind you!" her newest friend called back just as Suzanne disappeared into the police cruiser, her hands cuffed behind her back.

Thirty minutes later she'd been fingerprinted and booked and was sitting in a jail cell without her purse or her phone. The sense of frustration and confusion was too much, and after just a few minutes 'inside' she began crying, having no idea Heather was in the main office talking to the arresting officer.

"This is a mistake! The man she hit isn't pressing charges, and you need to call him!"

"We received a call from someone who witnessed the accident happen, and his version of events is very different. It took us 24 hours to track down the vehicle, but from what you just said, she did indeed run into this man."

"But he's okay. And she didn't...hit and run. She gave him a ride, and he told her he was fine and that he wouldn't press charges, so this is all a big mistake!"

"Then perhaps you can tell that to the judge when Ms...Odd...appears before him later today."

"Ms...Odd? Who's that?"

The police officer looked at her like she was loony.

"You're here to help your friend, and you don't even know her name?" he asked almost snidely.

"We...we just met. Yesterday. But I know what her...."

"Ma'am? Save it, okay?" the police told her.

"Can I see her? Can I at least talk to her?"

"This is a felony charge, so no, you can't see her. But you can talk to the officer right over there and find out when...Ms. Odd...your um...friend...is scheduled to appear in court. If she knows yet."

Heather spent the next few minutes on the phone. Her husband had a friend who was an attorney, and he agreed to represent Suzanne for the time being. This wasn't his area of expertise, but he could ask basic questions, and possibly help her out until she could retain proper counsel.

It was almost 3 o'clock before Suzanne showed up in the courtroom where Heather and the attorney, who'd already spoken with his client, were waiting. The attorney explained what happened to the judge and let her know that his client had this man's number.

"Your honor, if we could just give Mr. Randall a call, I'm sure this can all be cleared up."

The attorney for the state said she was fine with that, but insisted Ms. Odd remain in custody until this Mr. Randall could appear and verify that the defendant hadn't fled the scene.

The judge ordered Suzanne back to her cell while her attorney made the phone call. Suzanne hadn't made her phone call yet because she believed Heather was going to follow through.

"Your Honor? May I speak?" Suzanne asked just as a uniformed female officer grabbed her arm to take her back to her cell.

"Yes?" the judge asked.

"I haven't made my phone call yet, Your Honor. I was hoping I could call Mr. Randall myself. With the attorneys present if necessary."

"Is the State okay with that?" she asked the junior, assistant DA.

"Yes, Your Honor."

Two minutes later, Jeff answered the phone.

"Well, well. Run anyone else over?" he asked in a lighthearted tone.

There was silence in the conference room from which she was calling, and Suzanne didn't joke around back as the phone was on speaker.

"Jeff? I...I've been arrested. For hit and run. I'm at the jail, and...."

"What? What the hell are you talking about? You didn't...run. You helped me, for God's sake!"

"Mr. Randall?" the assistant DA said as she told him who she was. "Can you possibly come down here and swear to this? If we can verify what you just said, I'm happy to drop the charges, but until we have something in writing...an affidavit...Ms. Odd will need to remain in custody."

"Wait. Ms. Odd? I'm talking about Ms. Rivers. Mid-30's. Very attractive. She has a son named Todd."

The assistant DA looked at Suzanne who was still holding the phone.

"Jeff? Odd is my married name. I gave you my maiden name because...."

Jeff laughed then apologized.

"I'm sorry, Suzanne. This is too serious to laugh about, but once we have you out of jail, you will owe me an explanation," he said with that same light tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, too, Jeff. All of this is my fault, and I just...."

"None of this is your fault. None of it. I'll explain everything when I get there. Which will be in about...."

He looked at his watch and said, "Fifteen minutes. I'm about two and a half miles away, and it'll take me that long to run over there."

"Run?" the assistant DA asked.

"He's a runner," Suzanne offered. "That's how we...met. He was running when I, you know...."

"Mr. Randall? Just get here as soon as you can," the female attorney said.

"I'm on my way!" he told them as he ended the call and turned toward the police station.

Jeff arrived 14 minutes and 22 seconds later and needed just another 30 seconds for him to be able to breathe through his nose again and speak without effort after entering the building.

He told the officer at the front desk who he was, and after a quick intercom call, he was told to go ahead.

"Down the hall and to the right."

He knocked on the door but walked in without waiting. A half dozen heads turned his way, but the only one he noticed was the attractive woman wearing an orange jumpsuit. She still looked beautiful, but she looked small and fragile, and he had the sudden urge to hold her but knew that wouldn't be allowed. Even so, he smiled at her and quietly told her everything would be all right.

She smiled back, but Jeff didn't miss the tears welling up in her eyes as he introduced himself.

"Do you have ID with you?" the assistant DA asked.

Jeff always had his phone and driver's license with him and showed it to her.

"So what's your version of what happened?" the woman asked as she handed him back his ID.

"As you can see, I like to run," he began.

He looked at everyone in the room then looked only at Suzanne as he continued. As he did, she noticed the assistant DA giving Jeff's very fit body the once-over before giving it another longer, more-admiring look.

"Yesterday, I was doing a ten-mile course I haven't run for a month or so, and I was a little slow on my splits. Split times."

"I know what splits are, Mr. Randall," the state's attorney informed him with a smile that made Suzanne feel a momentary flash of anger borne of jealousy.

Jeff let her flirty tone go and finished up.

"I got to the sidewalk where this happened and thought I could beat Ms. Riv...Ms. Odd's car. I sped up and tried to sprint through the sidewalk, and the next thing I knew I was on the ground."

He paused then said, "I was fine. I just got knocked down. It took me a moment to get my bearings but by then, Ms...Suzanne...was standing next to me, asking me if I was all right."

He continued until the state's attorney said, "I've heard enough. It's obvious the defendant didn't flee the scene."

She turned toward the judge and requested all charges be dropped.

"So ordered," the judge said before asking for the next case, and just like that the nightmare was over.

The female attorney turned around, and without any kind of an apology to Suzanne, but making sure to smile at the man with the very 'cut' physique, left the room. Jeff had noticed Heather but had no idea who she was until he moved closer and sat down next to Suzanne once they were near a bench outside of the courtroom.

"Thank you," Suzanne told him as she tried to blink away the tears that been falling since she saw him.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he reached out to touch her arm yet again.

Knowing she was about to be released, the police officer didn't say anything to him about the physical contact.

"Yes. I'm okay. Now," she told him as she forced a smile.

When she did, she lost control and suddenly started 'boo-hooing' again, as Jeff's mother referred to it. Something compelled him to reach out for her, and when he did, she nearly fell into his arms as she continued to cry, either unaware of or not concerned with the still-wet tank top he was wearing.