New Start

You know if it wasn't for bad luck I would have no luck at all. Here I am soaked to the skin on the side of the road with a gas can in hand wondering how I am going to explain to my car insurance company that when I left my car was on the side of the road and when I returned it was a couple hundred yards away in a tree.

What the hell am I going to do now? Traffic on the road I was traveling was as nonexistent as cell service. It took me two hours to walk to the gas station which was getting ready to close for the day. And two and a half hours back lugging around a three gallon tank of gas. The weather is miserable; raining so hard that the drops stung when they hit any exposed skin. And with it being the middle of summer I had a lot of exposed skin! Now that the sun had set it was getting cooler and the wind had kicked up making the cold rain and wet clothes feel colder than what they normally would feel.

This was turning out to be the worst road trip ever. I couldn't call anyone. Because of the pouring rain and the lack of service I left my phone in the car. Couldn't change into any dry clothes, they were in the car. I am in the middle of nowhere and had no idea how far it would be to get to the next town. And my destination was still another eight hours away. Fuck me! Setting the gas can down by the tree trunk, not doing me any good after all, I took the only option left to me. I walked. There had to be a house or something near by. I hoped there was anyways.

It took a long while but I finally did come across a house. The light of the morning sun stained the horizon as I walked down the long drive. I knocked on the front door and after a couple of minutes an older man answers.

"I do apologize for disturbing you, I need some help," I said. "My name is Nick and I ran out of gas last night. I was on my way to a friends house in New Orleans. When I returned with a gas can my car wasn't where I left it. I found it in a tree not that far away though. All my clothes and my phone are in the car. I have no idea who to call or what to do."

The old man looked me up and down and opened his door wider. "Come on in, my name is Harold. I might have some dry clothes you can have and a phone you can use." I followed him into the house and he led me to the kitchen "Have a seat. I'll go see about those clothes and then we'll call the sheriff." I sat down at the table and looked around. With the exception of a couple of dishes in the sink the kitchen was spotless and well organized. Returning to the kitchen the man sets down a pile of folded clothes on the table. "Want some coffee?"

"Please and thank you. I don't have any means to repay you right now. I don't carry cash." I told the man.

"That's OK son. I don't want your money." He says setting a mug of coffee on the table in front of me. "There is a bathroom down the hall and on the left. Go get those dry clothes on and we'll call the sheriff's office. Hopefully Frank will know what to do."

Nodding I picked up the clothes from the table and went to the bathroom. Peeling off my wet clothes I wrung them out in the sink and started to dress. He provided me with a pair of jean shorts that were quite short. But they fit and were a definite improvement over what I had. The shirt was a white button up short sleeved piece that confused me for a second when I realized that the buttons were on the wrong side. It fit well also and I folded my soaked clothes before returning to the kitchen.

"Sorry about the clothes. They were my daughters but they are the only ones that I thought would fit you." the man told me. I could feel my cheeks get a little red. "Let's call Frank." he says ignoring my embarrassment as he picks up the phone. He dials a number from memory, "Hi Frank. This is Harold. I got a kid here who needs your help. Let me get him on the phone hold on."

Harold hands me the phone "Hi sir, my name is Nick and I have a slight problem..." I detailed what happened last night and he said he would be here in about an hour. I hang up the phone and return to the table. "Thank you Harold. He said he would be here in an hour or so."

"More like two son, Frank takes Oklahoma time to heart. Anyone in Oklahoma tells you they will be somewhere in a certain amount of time you can double it." Harold says with a chuckle. "You look tired, why don't you go lie down on the couch. I'll wake you when he gets here." I did just that and was asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

A nudge on my shoulder wakes me. I felt like I had just gotten to sleep but the light outside told me that is was closer to noon. I walk outside to greet the sheriff when he comes to a stop. "Is that your car I saw in the tree about four miles back?" he asked.

"Yes sir." I replied.

"Well come on, let's see about getting it out of there." He told me.

We get back to where my car is and Frank calls some people. "Son, I have seen a lot of weird things but this tops it. How the hell did you get your car up there?"

"I didn't put it there that is certain! And I have no idea how it got there sir. Like I told you I ran out of gas and was on the side of the road. Went to get gas and when I got back that is where I found it. It was raining pretty hard and really windy that night. Maybe the storm chucked it up there!"

"We had a report of a tornado. They weren't too clear on the location. I would have expected to see more damage in the area though." Frank says to me as he scratching his ear.

People start showing up and after much deliberation the only means of getting the car out of the tree was to cut the branches holding it up. There wasn't a crane within two hundred miles that was big enough to do it. Nor anyone crazy or willing to climb up to attach chains to it to attach to a crane. Besides, most of the people there agreed that the car was deemed a loss anyways with the drivers side of the front end bashed in the way it was. By evening the car was a heap of metal on the back of a flat bed tow truck. I asked Frank to relay my thanks to Harold and I thanked him and everyone who came out to help.

The tow truck driver was a chatty guy by the name of Carl. He dropped me off at a motel and gave me his business card that had the address of where the car would be for the insurance company. I checked into a room and called my friend Diane first to let her know I was safe and then to tell her why I wasn't there. After a few wise cracks she agreed to come get me. She said she would leave in the morning. The insurance company laughed at me and wouldn't believe what I told them until I sent them the pictures. "I'm sorry Mr. McKinsey but that has to be the funniest thing I have seen in the five years I have worked here."

By the end of the call the insurance representative promised that a claims adjuster would be out to the salvage yard and get the paperwork started on the claim in the morning. I was starving and I really needed to get something in my stomach.

A diner across the street appeared to be open still so I headed over. "Hey sweetie why don't you come over here and wrap those long legs around me" some greasy looking guy in stained overalls says as I walk to the counter. A six pack of beer bottles littered the table.

I had forgotten that I was wearing Harold's daughter's clothes. I ignored the man and ordered a burger. In the ten minutes it took to get my food the drunk guy made at least six more attempts to charm me. He started to make one more but I cut him off. "Look sir I am not some girl you can take back to your trailer. It's been a really shitty couple of days. Kindly fuck off."

The man and the waitress roared with laughter. "You're the kid who got their car stuck in a tree aren't you" the waitress asked. "Don't mind Earl. He's harmless."

I ate and went back to my motel room. I called the front desk and set up a wakeup call. I needed to meet the insurance representative at the salvage yard. I stripped down to my underwear and was asleep within minutes.

I was genuinely impressed and thankful with how friendly and the willingness to help from the people of this town. When I asked the person at the front desk if there was a cab I could call to get out to the salvage yard I was told that there wasn't one. But they let me borrow their car. The insurance representative agreed that the car was a total loss and they would be cutting me a check. Just as I returned to the motel my phone rings. It was Diane telling me she was an hour out. She must have left really early in the morning to be nearly here already.

I checked out of the room and waited for her at the diner across the street. Like she claimed an hour later Diane pulled into the parking lot of the diner. Climbing down from the cab of her truck was always fun to watch. Diane only stood five foot three and her tires were nearly taller than her. Ok that is an exaggeration but not by much! She had a ladder that extended down for her to climb in and out of the beast. Why she liked driving that monster was beyond me. She says it's because of the flooding that happens during hurricane season. I think it's the only way she can see over people's head. Not that I have much room to talk shit. I am only three inches taller.

"So explain to me how you managed to get your car stuck in a tree?" Diane asks in way of greeting as she gives me a hug. Diane and I had been friends since our first year in college. I explained what happened and showed her the pictures while we waited on an early dinner. We were on the road and heading to her place shortly after.

New Orleans is a interesting city. Full of culture and one of my favorite places to visit. You couldn't pay me enough to live here though. Way too damn hot for my blood. Diane lived in a cute little two bedroom house on the complex of a church her family has owned for generations. The church was being renovated and turned into her private practice since no one in her family wanted to follow in her grandfathers footsteps and become a preacher. Both Diane and I are family medicine nurse practitioners and she wanted help with how to set up her clinic exam rooms. Partially why I was here.

For a two bedroom house this place was very spacious. Diane showed me to the room I would be staying in and we called it a day. She had to work tomorrow at the University Medical Center until her clinic was operational so she had to be up pretty early.

Man am I glad there are blackout curtains on the windows. I hadn't had the chance to sleep past dawn in a long while and I was going to enjoy it while I could. I crawled out of bed at nine and wandered my way to the kitchen. Diane left a note saying she would be home around six and to make myself at home.

I didn't want to sit around all day twiddling my thumbs so I took a shower and went for a walk. One good thing about big cities, public transportation. I got on a bus and headed to the French Quarter.

Don't get me wrong I like Bourbon Street. But I prefer to get my Cajun food fix away from that tourist trap. And I like to visit the voodoo shops away from there also. I always felt better after speaking with a priestess and getting a blessing. And with the way my luck was running lately I needed one.

I got a nice healthy bowl of jambalaya at my favorite place then went to visit a priestess I have gotten blessings from the last few times I had been in town.

Stepping into her temple was like stepping back in time. The temple was inside a grass hut in the backyard of her residence. Torches were spaced evenly along the walls providing an eerie light to the room. The floor was packed dirt with sigils scrawled in a large circle. And the ceiling was opened to the sky. The air smelled of incense and I could feel myself instantly relax. As I stepped into the circle she began her blessing. Her chanting lulled me and I closed my eyes enjoying the peace that I was after. How long I sat there entranced I could not say but when her chanting stopped I opened my eyes to see her mere inches away. Her intense stare felt like it was piercing my soul.

"You have continued to be plagued by a bad spirit Nicky. Are you ready for me to dispel it my child?" For the last couple of visits she had asked me that. "You must let me before it causes you harm. It has already tried by calling the storm."

She had been right on so many previous occasions that I didn't doubt her one bit. I nodded my assent and she began a new chant. "You will be forever changed by this Nicky. You will no longer be who you once were. Are you certain?" the priestess asked. I nodded once more and her chanting resumed. Stronger and louder she chanted.

The hair on my body felt like it was all standing on end, the air began to smell of ozone. The torches dimmed and as she screamed the final phrase of her chanting prayer I felt something rip from my groin and fly out the hole in the ceiling. Suddenly feeling dizzy I opened my eyes and saw sparkles floating all around. The priestess with tears streaming down her cheeks and a huge smile says "You're free Nicky, your beauty can now shine through."

The priestess excuses herself and tells me to rest until I am strong enough to leave. It took a little while for the dizziness to subside but when it did I felt immensely better. I took public transportation back to Diane's and got there just as she was pulling into the driveway. Climbing out of the cab she looks at me quizzically. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah why?" I ask.

"I don't know. Something feels different when I look at you." Diane says eyeing me with a curious expression. "Your energy feels different."

I tell her about my day and what happened at the temple. "Nick you need to be cautious with that." She said to me.

"I am. I have known Priestess Claire for years now. She has performed many blessings for me and I always feel better after our prayer session." I replied.

"OK, I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow. But have the next couple of weeks off. I'll be back in a sec, I need to get out of these scrubs." Diane says as she walks inside the house, disappearing into her room. I go to the kitchen to start fixing dinner. A few minutes later she comes out to the kitchen wearing a light blue silk nightgown. My pants immediately started feeling a little tight in the crotch. The woman is smoking hot with her auburn hair, green eyes, and the figure many woman are envious of. "What do you think about coming with me to the clinic after work and help me with designing the layout. After that we can go to Toni's for a drink."

"Sounds good to me" I tell her as I hand her a plate. We chat about work as we eat and afterwards I help clean up. "I'll finish up here, why don't you call it a night. You look exhausted."

"Think I will, I am exhausted. Thanks for dinner and helping with clean up" she says and heads to her room. Watching her walk to her room was sight to see. Such a nice shape to that rear end! And the way her hips sway back and forth when she walks, chefs kiss! I could follow behind and watch her all day! Problem though is she doesn't like guys for anything more than friends.

After I get the kitchen cleaned up I head to the room I am staying in. I was pretty tired myself. I was also feeling odd. Not bad odd, just odd. I couldn't explain why either so I figured I just needed to get some sleep. I must have been tired because I fell asleep almost as soon as my head touched the pillow.

I woke up pretty early for some reason. Padding my way into the kitchen in my boxer briefs I brewed a cup of coffee and made some toast. I still felt odd. The best I could describe the sensation was I felt like I was a bolt of energy. There was a buzz deep in my bones that seemed to pulsate.

I took a nice hot shower but that didn't help. Once I was dressed I went out and just wandered around hoping a walk would help it dissipate. There was a park close by and when the walk didn't work I tried to distract myself and do a little doodling. It had been a while since I had the time to do any art.

Diane called to say that her last patient had canceled and asked if I wanted her to swing by and pick me up. I was only a block away and told her that I would just meet her there. I walked back to her house and got there a few minutes before she did. It must be nice to live so close to work that its only a five to ten minute drive. My commute is only twelve miles but it often takes forty minutes because of traffic.

She waves me over to the entrance to the clinic and unlocks the doors. We go from room to room discussing her plans for what goes where. And I make sketches of different layouts that would utilize the space efficiently. The excitement in her voice and the gleam in her eye is all the thanks I need as she tells me over and over how appreciative she is for my help. We leave the clinic and after locking up we head to Toni's.

Toni's is a little dive bar that is predominantly visited by woman. Pride flags adorn the walls and the TV's throughout the establishment played woman sports programs. I really liked the place. It's a lively little place but not obnoxiously loud. Toni ensured that it stayed that way too. Toni is a tall blonde gal with a thick southern accent. She has an athletic build bordering on muscular and she was a force to be reckoned with if trouble broke out. As we walk in she rushes over to us and gives us a huge hug. Now Toni is a well endowed woman and as I said very tall. Toni crushed Diane's face into her ample bosom. Diane of course loved every second of it. Fanning her grinning face when Toni finally released her, greetings were voiced and drinks were ordered.

"How have you been Nick? When are you gonna stop pretending to be a guy and let me turn you into a fellow lesbian?" Toni said. I often wondered if she was being serious. She sounded like she was joking but it was often hard to tell.

"I know right! If he was a lesbian I would have snatched him up years ago." Diane said and laughed.

I had to chuckle. "I am a lesbian, just in a guys body! I'm doing good though. Been busy with work." I replied. I told Toni about my trip here. And how I was kind of stuck until I could get my car replaced.

Diane had already said she would help me find another car. Toni offered as well. "I love car shopping. Let me know when your going to go, would love to join you both." Toni said. We hung out at the bar for a couple of hours and stumbled our way home.

Sometime before the sun rose I woke up in a sweat. The deep buzz I was feeling in my bones had intensified. I got out of bed and went to the kitchen to get some water. After downing a full glass I splashed some water on my face and downed another. I didn't think I had that much to drink and I didn't feel hungover. Noticing the time I thought I would go back to bed and get a couple more hours of sleep. Unfortunately all I did was toss and turn, unable to get comfortable. I gave up when I heard Diane in the kitchen and smelled coffee.

I walk into the kitchen and tell her good morning. She mumbles a good morning in return with her attention firmly on the coffee maker. When it finishes brewing she turns and when she looks at me she gasps and drops her cup spilling her coffee all over the floor. "Nick? Holy shit!" she exclaims. "Go look in the mirror."

Perplexed I go to the bathroom and turn on the light. Looking in the mirror I am utterly confused. I kept my hair real short. Like people assuming I was in the Army short. Overnight it had grown three inches. That wasn't all. The goatee and mustache I had were gone. Like they never existed gone. I couldn't feel any stubble or anything. I rushed out of the bathroom wild eyed. "What the fuck? What is going on here?" I repeated over and over pacing.

"You aren't on any new medication or anything are you? Not that I could think of a single one that would do...that." she said waving a finger at me.