The Analyst

Remember, in all things, there is both good and bad. The positive and the negative. If you only see one, then you have not looked far enough and may be blinded by nothing less than yourself. Step back and look from someone else's perspective before you commit to anything. -the Analyst

******Covid has been a wondrous disease. It broke all of the norms and forced us to go in directions we never would have thought they could go. It made us step back and rethink things. It made the world stop and take notice like nothing in our lifetime.

This is one of the directions I ended up going. I pray that you will be kind as it is my first attempt at going down this path. The start of this story is right and it is mine. And what is mine I share freely here and here alone.

Thank you for taking time to read. Please rate, leave comments and criticism. They all have merit.

All characters in this story are over the age of 18. ***********

"Get out."

I blinked, not believing my ears and stared at her blankly.

"I said GET YOUR THINGS and GET OUT"

If you really want to understand something, you need to first understand where it all started. This is where it all started for me. My wife of 20 years was throwing me out.

Don't get me wrong, I totally deserved this. Years together had dulled us to each other. She stopped putting effort into our sex life and I stopped putting effort into her. I figured that enough times of being told she's not in the mood banked me sufficient relationship credit that I could take it and cash in on some extra-marital activity. A little flirting and grab-ass never hurt anyone right? I never went all the way except once. And that one was chasing me rather than me being the pursuer. I figured that being careful enough and quiet enough about it would minimize the chances of her finding out.

Obviously, I was wrong. It worked for a couple years. But then I got sloppy. I flirted with the wrong person. You know the type, internet ethot wannabe. Instagram filled with barely clothed pics. Twitter roughly the same. I'm wondering if she has the OnlyFans set up yet. She was sending signals, wanting the benefits of notoriety, money and popularity. She was not expecting someone to take the presentation at face value, not expecting to be pursued. I pursued.

Yes, she was friends with my daughter and less than half my age at a very healthy 19 years old. But she kept coming over, always a little too high or too drunk when she showed up. Getting a little friendly with the touches, never crossing the boundaries but definitely pushing them. Then spending the night. So one day, I made clear my desire to be the sugar daddy to her sugar baby insinuations.

Suddenly, I'm a pervert, a horrible person, something's wrong with me, and she can't believe that I would take her actions at face value. This of course led to the rest of the mess coming out during the proceeding fight and I need to be gone.

Generally, I can keep calm and break down just about anything thrown my way into base pieces. Examine them side by side, how they relate to each other, find the missing pieces and exploit the failure in logic. And I am fast. Like spooky fast. You know, faster than a speed reading nutcase, able to digest tall mountains of data in a single go.

For work, I get to enjoy the consistent train wreck everyday brings in transportation Contingency Control. There are two fun words that should adequately encompass my life: Contingency Control. Maintaining control of the situation when the ship catches fire, when little Timmy who was just chasing his ball falls down that well, when that tanker truck of pig slurry (liquid poo) flips sideways, gushes barrels into your radiator and the shit literally hits the fan.

It just doesn't faze me any more.

Bus driver decides they want to party more than sleep, so they end up driving off the overpass? Please...that's too easy

FedEx truck just hit an ice patch and took out a half dozen families? Next

Pilot has one too many before takeoff and ends up parking the plane in the Sunoco, setting everything on fire and charbroiling everyone before they can escape? I'm hungry for some barbecue now.

It drove my wife nuts how cool, calm, and collected I remained while picking apart her latest pet peeve.

But that woman has practiced pushing my buttons over the last two decades, and SHE's good at it too.

So I let her have it. Both barrels of confession right to the proverbial gut. Maybe I was just bored.

I think the resulting "Get Out" was both warranted as well as maybe a little late in coming.

So, out I went.

Friends all knew this was coming, so I was at least able to crash on a couch while I looked for a place to stay. It seems that this pandemic has pushed people out of the high priced states and into my somewhat more affordable state. Apartments and houses are taking HUGE jumps in pricing. I was not lucky enough to find one. All the decent and reasonable apartments in the city were suddenly no longer reasonable, much to everyone's surprise. So the couch had to do for the moment

So while that took care of my housing needs, it left much to be desired in my social life. I've always been reclusive. I know it has to do with my desire to see, to understand, to analyze everything to the Nth degree. Parties are a nightmare for me. Too much to see and hear and too many personalities to pick apart. Small groups or one on one conversations are best. Give me 10 minutes with someone and I'll find the one obscure thing that we have in common and bridge that gap. Friendly always but very few friends.

Now, imagine having that Hellcat charged up and ready to roll. Imagine getting all ready to take it to the track and cut loose, only to find out that you were stuck with it on the testing rollers. All that power ready to blow someone away going nowhere. I was BORED.

One of my buddies was telling me how when he went out and drove for Uber. It put him in closed situations where he was able to let his mind run through things and really talk things over with people who he would never see again. He could be anyone, be anything. He just had to be confident that he knew what he was talking about and have just enough information about the topic to fool someone.

"it works about 70% of the time," he confessed when I asked him one day. "When it doesn't, its usually because they know more than me or I fuck it up and cross topics."

It would work with my 9 to 5, give me something to do in my free time besides the gym. So I signed up. Got the app, filled out the forms, the whole kit and kabodle. And out on the road I went

It was fun. It was balm to my soul and a boon to my mind. The driving gave me peace and I quickly became familiar enough with the routine that I was able to start being friendly with the riders.

And because of that escape from the boredom, I became more than that, it was glorious. Hell, it still is. And to hell I go, radio blasting the whole way, taking anyone who's interested.

It started out so innocently and with such good intentions. It always does. They say the road to hell is pave with good intentions. I aught to know. I paved it, damnit.

My first ride was just a guy going home from work. He was tired. Headphones in, head leaned back, just this side of sleeping.

The second was not much different. Nor was the third. She was off to see her boyfriend. And the fourth? A couple out to a night on the town.

And so the first hundred rides fell.

And the second. And the third.

It was all different and all the same. They would open the door, we would exchange glances, acknowledge how the ride was going to go with barely a glance needed to communicate. They would jump in buckle up, and off we'd go. Sometimes, we'd just hit it right off and be instant friends. Sometimes they'd obviously just want solitude, to be left alone with their headphones in and face buried in the phone. That was ok too. Sometimes they'd be alone but more often in groups of two or three.

The pandemic had everyone in face masks. This slowed conversation and made it difficult to communicate unless they sat in the front. My SUV was comfortable enough to hold 3 without a problem in back. But no one sat in the front unless there were 4 of them. It was the "socially responsible" thing to do.

No one until her. My very last Uber pickup.

I pulled up to the house and into the driveway. Backed in really. It made getting back onto the busy street easier. And it was a little safer being able to pull out and drive away quickly

I could use my backup camera to watch for her and have the car in drive, ready to go before they would have the door closed. Or I could bolt if the rider looked a little too out of sorts for my taste.

It was a beautiful day outside. Winter had just broke and spring was upon us like a warm blanket pulling temps up into the mid 50's. Blood moon the night before. I'm not all that superstitious (well I wasn't anyway) but even I took note of that one. There's just something about a full moon the color a tangerine that will get your attention. I was just kind of keeping eyes out for the crazies.

The front passenger door opened and she ducked in, kneeling on the seat rather than sitting. She reached across the center console, pulled off my mask and kissed me deeply.

It had been a while since anyone had done that to me, especially unbidden. It took me a second or two to realize what was going on before I kissed back. No sooner had I started kissing back than she pulled back and looked at me. That's a poor excuse for what she really did.

Slate blue eyes, not more than six inches from mine, delving into my inner depths. Searching for something.

And then she smiled.

"There you are! I've been waiting for you!"

I surreptitiously glanced at the app to make sure I had her name right.

Nope, didn't recognize her. Photogenic memory (as my wife would say) lets me track everyone I've ever met by face if not by name. And someone as beautiful as this, I DEFINITELY would have remembered. This woman, this Toni3122, was not someone I'd ever even seen, let alone known well enough to garner that soul searing kiss.

"Ummm....are you sure I'm the right 'you' that you've been waiting for? Believe me when I say, my day just got a WHOLE lot better and I really want to be the right "you"....I'm just not..."

Her laugh was beautiful. A light-hearted giggle that touched my ears

"Of course I'm sure it's you!! How could I ever forget what you told me? I've been looking forward to this day for so long...I knew I had to be in just this place at just this time and wait to hit the button at just the right time to get you as my driver..."

Confusion settled in as I smiled wanly. One of those crazies I'd been worried about

She noticed my reticence and only smiled the more.

"See?" she said as she moved her watch and showed me her inner arm.

Dean 4.4.2021 1403, 1377 Honey Ct, Uber.

What the fuck? The date, the location, the platform were all right on. And then there was me. My name was on her wrist.

But the time....

That was about 10 min ago...right when I got the notification to come get her...HOW?!?!

The chances of this being accurate...

I stopped talking and started dissecting.

The pieces fit, obviously. But how did they work together? What brought them together? Who is this Toni? Where did she come from? I had only started driving two months ago, but tattoos fade over the years, and based on the fading...

She knew I would be right there at that exact location at that exact time YEARS before I knew she even existed.

Question after question started piling up in my head.

She smiled again and sat back on her haunches.

"You're going to want to cancel this ride and turn off the app if you want those answered," she giggled out as she straightened out her skirt, flipped to a proper seated position, and buckled in.

"Where are we going?" I managed to get out as my hand reached for the app and did as she asked.

"Just go to the place it said we were going, Holiday Park. We'll find what we need there."

"And what exactly is that?" I queried. ]

Her light laugh caressed my ears again. "You'll see soon enough. Don't get all hot and bothered about it."

I glanced sideways uncertainly at her. A little off balance, but hell. Timmy was still chasing his ball and not in the well. I could do this. "Ok, let's do it then." I smiled back.

"Don't worry, I won't let you simmer for too long," she lilted as she patted my leg.

I updated directions on my own mapping app then put the car into drive and pulled out. It was going to be a fairly short drive at just over ten minutes to the park. I figured I should make the most of it so I wasn't completely blind going in. I hate that feeling of being the last to know, especially with the answers so close...

So I started with my guest. Lovely is a word I use frequently to describe my day. It gives the sensation of peace and serenity, of kindness and joy. Lovely was good word to start with. Looking to be in her late twenties, she wore an old style frilled peasant top slung low and baring her shoulders. It was obvious she wore no bra as her nipples hardened under my gaze. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail with wisps tucked behind her ears. Multiple simple stud earrings adorned each ear. Toni touched them as she tucked a stray light brown hair back behind her ear, the rest pulled back in a pony tail.

The skirt she wore must have come from one of those consignment shops. It looked like it would be more fitting in a seventies movies about gypsies than today. It flowed comfortably over her legs, hiding them from view and keeping them warm. She wore bangles on her arms, metal and cloth, interrupted only by the watch hiding her secret message. Silver rings adorned each finger but no wedding band. Every item she wore pointed to a eastern European heritage, perhaps even a true gypsy from the old land and there was just a hint of an accent there.

But on her neck, she wore a choker of cloth with the message, "I am my lover's, and he is mine", part of a scripture from Proverbs. She touched it with one hand, gently rubbing her fingers over the letters while the other remained gently rubbing my leg.

"So, tell me a little about you" I started off.

She whispered, "It was for Mercy, but you thought it was right for me. And you would know where it came from. You told me that this was the first thing that would make you maybe not believe, but begin to"

I rocked back in my seat. Of course I knew the phrase, but hearing it was for Mercy? I heard that capitol M. I heard it as a name. I knew and loved the story. I had just reread it. An obscure reference to an obscure story on an obscure website? One of my favorites, a character named Mercy received one from her lover as a secret symbol of permanence for the relationship.

"It's for you, from you. Just as I am for you, from you. And know that I am yours and you will be mine" she trembled out.

I heard the tremor. A hint of fear, of uncertainty. Not of what she knew. A hint of uncertainty about me.

My defenses immediately up, looking for the next clue as to what the hell was happening here. "I've never met you before yet you claim to have something for me and from me? Lets start again, shall we?"

Her breathing hitched as she started.

"I guess that the beginning for you needs to start with the beginning for me. And that IS the best place after all. Isn't it?"

The Angel

"I guess I should start by telling you my name is Antonina. In my dreams of you, you have always called me your Angel. You told me how ironic it was that for your Angel to save you, you had to save her first.

"When I was 10, my family was struggling to survive. Our life was not what it once was. My parents we constantly fighting as there was no work in our town. They were having troubles keeping food on the table and the clan nearest us had food to spare. The leader had a boy about 8 years older , a horrible mean spirited boy who liked cutting off cat's tails and tying firecrackers to dog's balls, but he needed to be wed, to settle him down they said. Our parents had struck a bargain, giving my family campers and money to eat. Their bargain called for us to be wed on my 17^th birthday, else my parents pay back all that was lent plus interest.

"I first met you 10 years ago. Or rather you first spoke to me 10 years ago." Toni's eyes lost focus and her voice took on a dreamlike quality. "It was the morning before my 17^th birthday.

"I had seen the boy grow into a man. I had seen the lechery in his eyes and how he could barely wait for something other than animals to practice on. I had no desire for him and my family knew it.

My angel smiled wistfully....

"I lay barely half awake that morning as the sun crested the hills and fell at the end of the hammock I slept in.

"'Good morning Antonina', a voice said, as clear as I'm talking to you. It was sweet and smooth and sent waves of pleasure throughout. 'Today is the day I take you from Sergio and make you mine.'

"The words were like warm embers in my mind yet I could scarcely believe them.

"How?, was all I could fathom out.

"'When you wake, you will have the information to put Sergio in jail, though it comes at great risk and great pain to you,'

"If this is what you truly desire, then simply remember.

"'Now, wake and go free yourself. I will speak to you again tonight.' And just like that I was wide awake, remembering everything. I wept bitterly, knowing what was about to happen but also knowing that this was the only future I could bear. I spoke to my father and mother, explaining to them my dream and all that would come. My father believed me about Sergio but claimed the risk was worth it.

"My mother and I drove with him to see the Constabulary. Mother and I stood back, watching as my father revealed the information about Sergio. We followed them to the hollow, to the place where Sergio held his trophies. A simple nod confirming there was no way for this to be tied to anyone else, and I was free. Just like that, I was free. And my father's death warrant was signed.

"Sergio was arrested that day.

"Later that night, Sergio's family snuck into our camp and set fire to everything. My mother and I had not stayed at camp, as I knew we would not. Father had been stubborn and remained in his bed, as I knew he would.

"We left the next morning, fleeing to the United States. I purchased the lottery ticket and won the monies that were to be our new beginning. We purchased the house where we both now live, waiting for the one who would make all of this possible. You"

Toni turned and looked at me, her eyes wet with tears and a smile still on her face, hope in her voice.

"After hearing your voice for the first time, I knew that it would be the only one to light my path. I saw the future in my own past and knew what must be done.

We pulled into the entrance to the park. Toni pointed the way to a parking spot near the middle.

"Now, come. Mother is waiting for you"

Dubious, I exited the car and followed her down the path.

Anya

A short walk brought us to a shelter. While normally open, it had a "RESERVED" sign posted with today's date and what looked like quilts hung to make temporary walls. Smoke from the chimney indicated that someone had stoked a fire and was using it to create an inviting location. '

We stepped through the curtains and found her mother bent over, tending a stew hung campfire style over the blazing logs.

She was dressed similar to her daughter, hair pulled back in a tight bun.