The Girl in the Rain

Steffi came blundering into my thoughts one day while I was trying to keep myself together writing a very intense novel. At first I ignored her but she kept nagging at me for her story. Her muse had to be feminine as she continually changed her mind and I sat here deleting hours of typing because she wanted to go somewhere else again.

For the very first time ever I approached someone to edit what I had written mainly because Steffi refused to 'sing'. Craig Johnston turned 'Steffi' into 'The girl in the rain' with his invaluable criticism and spicy suggestions. Thank you Craig and may your own avenue of writing open up into a sunlit beach.

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The Girl In The Rain

Friday afternoon, as I sometimes did, I had volunteered to do a smallish delivery to a client. It gave me time out of the office and also allowed me the chance to have a personal chat to my clients who mostly knew me by name. Over time some have even become casual friends and as a whole it was good for business. This particular customer had a hardware store and small factory not far from my home so I considered it good financial wisdom. I save delivery cost and get the chance to flaunt some new products as well, all of this on my way home.

On a piece of country road skirting the city I ran into the thunderstorm the weather bureau had promised. What they had missed telling us was that a dam in heaven was overflowing and they had opened the sluices. Large drops and smallish hail bucketed down in a swirling deluge, driven by a strong wind and blocking out a lot of the sun's light. It was semi dark even though it was still a tad before three in the afternoon. The wipers unsuccessfully tried to clear a miniscule pinpoint of vision through the windscreen and I chuckled to myself when I realised I was whistling. A clear indication that I was nervous, but not without reason. Visibility was about zero and the truck ahead of me did not help either, kicking up an almost impenetrable curtain of swirling water to add to the deluge coming from above. It was also cold. Surprisingly so. The dash indicating an outside temperature of barely eight degrees above freezing. This on a late spring day?

The dim shape of a car loomed on the side of the road and I indifferently glanced that way as I passed. A car next to the road in weather like this was not a good sign and I casually wondered how it felt to be stranded in conditions like this when movement caught my eye. It was dim but it appeared as if a figure vainly tried to shield itself from a tsunami-like wash of dirty water kicked up by the truck's multitude of wheels and as I passed it I could just make out a woman with a dress pasted to her body and water literally splashing off her as the truck's wash hit her in full force. She looked forlorn and hopelessly miserable and I could think how cold she must have been. I assumed the car was hers but why was she not inside?

I stepped on the brakes and pulled off onto the shoulder. I had to back up for a considerable distance before I was with her again and I could see the uncertainty on her face before she struggled to the door of my SUV. I rolled down the window and she stuck her face in.

"Get in!" I yelled at her and after a moments' hesitation she yanked at the handle. She almost swam into the car and I quickly closed the window.

She sat there hyperventilating for a while before she stuttered a 'Thanks,' and for a few moments I watched as small rivulets of water ran from her body onto the seats. I leaned over and turned the AC to full heat as she sat there shivering. Her lips were blue and her rather long and volumous blonde hair was plastered to her head like a wig of cement.

"I'm Derek," I offered.

She nodded, rocked slightly and then at last shivered; "Steffi... Stef.... Steffi Burgess."

I nodded and caught myself scoping out the curve of her breasts. Not bad at all and with the wet and cold she was quite attractively visible. A thought struck me and I looked over at the back seat where numerous packs of working clothes lay. I leaned over and rummaged around until I found a pack containing a two piece overall of what I guessed would be about her size.

I grinned as I held it out to her. "Miss Burgess. I hereby solemnly swear not to peek but the only way we will prevent you from freezing to death will be for you to get out of your wet clothes and put this on."

She looked at me with raised eyebrows and then with a nervous smile she nodded. She took the packet and gently tried to open it with fingers that were obviously numb with cold. I grabbed it from her and ripped it open.

"It is a two piece overall. It may not be a boutique fit but it is dry and will be warm. My gentlemanly upbringing calls for me to get out of the car and walk away while you dress but that will leave me drenched as badly as you are, so I will wrap my jacket around my head to prevent me from accidentally taking a peek. You can drop your wet clothes on the floor. The car has rubber mats."

She tried to smile. "Thanks."

I pulled my jacket from the hook behind me and wrapped it around my head. I heard a nervous giggle and then felt the movements as she struggled out of her clothes in the confines of the car. A number of times she became quite vocal as she struggled and I laughed.

"Need a hand?"

A derisive, "You wish," was payment for my bad taste.

I suddenly received a blow to my upper jaw that made me howl as stars flashed and I nearly pulled the jacket from my head in surprise.

"I'm dreadfully sorry," I heard her plead. "I was struggling to get my arm through the sleeve and it suddenly came free. Are.... you ok?"

I mumbled and then chuckled. "My jaw isn't broken. I think."

I heard a splotch and assumed her wet clothes were on the floor. For a while the car still rocked as she moved around and at last I heard her softly say; "You may look now."

I did. Damn! Overalls are functional clothing but the way she filled out that set of blue was way too sexy.

"Done looking?" she asked and I caught a tinge of annoyance. "Shall I do a pirouette?"

I tore my eyes away but had to chuckle. "You invited me to look. I have no idea how you earn a living but if you do technical stuff I want to warn you not to wear overalls. It will be distracting."

Her lips were still blue with cold but she did smile. "Civil engineer."

I laughed. "If you guys designed better roads there would not have been such a dam of water in the road that truck hit as it passed you."

She shivered and took a deep breath. "That was not the first one."

I shook my head. "And no-one ever stopped?"

"No."

"How long were you stranded?"

She shrugged dismissively. "An hour?"

I sat there wondering how the human race had turned into a disgusting mass of selfishness. Was it because of stupid court cases that had good Samaritans fighting to stay out of prison for trying to help? Another thing that gave me reason to gnash my teeth was Women's Lib. How many women have been left stranded next to a road or even made to stand in a bus while heavily pregnant for the sake of the 'liberated' few?

The inside of the car was warming up nicely and I turned to her. "A few questions here. This thing behind us. Your car?"

"Yes."

"Broken down?"

She shook her head as she held her shivering hands in front of the vent blowing hot air. "It started with a flat tyre. I got that off the car and was struggling to get the spare on when the skies opened. It was scary right from the beginning as it was on the side of the traffic with cars sometimes passing so close to me that they could have hit me. When it rained it was terrifying but I got it done. Although I am not sure how tight the lug nuts are. My hands were numb."

I nodded. A modern woman able to change a wheel on a car is a rarity and I could not help looking at her with new respect. "And why are you outside the car?"

She sighed and then shook her head as if trying to erase a bad memory. "It's a new car and the buttons on the remote are different from my previous one. When I closed the trunk after throwing the flat tyre into it I noticed the wheel spanner still lying on the ground. I pressed a button, meaning to open the trunk but I locked the car instead."

"So?"

"I put my foot into a deep hole filled with water and as I fell the remote flew from my hand."

"And in this deluge you can't find it I suppose."

She gave a rueful smile as she shook her head. "It fell in the road and I heard it shatter as a car went over it. A few bits and pieces were all I could find."

I was incredulous. "You went into the road?"

She laughed. "The traffic was not all that bad all the time."

I started laughing. "The spare remote is in the car?"

I got a look that would have killed Goliath on the spot. "I am blonde, not stupid."

"So, where is it?"

"At my office and another set at my parents' house."

"Ah. So can we go and fetch it?"

She sighed and then laughed while shaking her head. "The office is locked for the weekend and my parents are visiting friends and won't be back until next Friday."

I chuckled. "So, this means I have to take you home."

She leaned forward and put her face in her hands. "This is becoming stupid."

"What?"

She pointed behind us. "Keys to my house."

"In the locked car," I laughed. "And the spare is at the office or parents."

"You learn quickly."

"So, what will it be? Family, Guesthouse, Hotel or shelter for the homeless?"

She sat back and stared out of the steamed up windscreen. "Hotel or Guesthouse would be fine. Preferably close to a mall... Oh shit!"

I packed up laughing. "Your handbag is in the car! No money and no phone!"

She stared at me. Now that she had started to thaw I noticed that she was easy on my eyes but her eyes right then had a helpless look in them. "I apologise for that piece of commoner's language. In seconds I moved from a Yuppy to a Dummy," she said ruefully. "Its incredible!"

I shrugged. "I can draw money and then you can repay me whenever you get yourself into Yuppy status again."

She raised her eyebrows. "You'll do that?"

I shrugged. "I'm stupid that way."

"You'll never be rich."

"I'll be happy."

She was thoughtful but nodded. "I can do an EFT if it makes life easier."

"Your phone..."

"....is in the car!" she cried and we both laughed until tears ran down our cheeks.

I switched to defrost for the windscreen and as soon as it was clear I watched for oncoming traffic and moved into the road. "I have an errand to run. Once that is done we can decide what to do about this odd Friday afternoon."

"Want to drop me somewhere while you run your errand?"

I laughed again. "Yeah. Like at a coffee shop and then leave you there with no money."

"And no phone either," she screamed in laughter and I joined her.

"You realise that you are at my mercy?" I chuckled as we recovered.

She nodded. "The thought had occurred to me."

I nodded. "Scary isn't it?"

She pulled a face. "The fear of getting out of my wet clothes inside a car with a man I had never seen before in weather conditions that would have led to no-one stopping was paralysing, but I was so cold I was willing to chance it."

"You feel better?"

"Much."

"I mean the cold."

She nodded. "That too."

"Thanks."

Steffi gave me an odd look. "I am the thankful one Derek. I was really becoming desperate. There were a few instances where I thought about walking into the road and either force somebody to stop or run me over. Being so cold makes your mind fuzzy."

I shrugged and smiled at her. "It was a small miracle that I saw you. I saw your car but never expected to see anybody outside the car in rain like this. The fact that you moved at the right moment made me see you."

As it sometimes happens, a silence descended in the car. I carried on driving and as the silence dragged on I looked over at her. Her head was leaning against the B-pillar and she was fast asleep. I shook my head and concentrated on my driving. The rain was still bucketing down.

As I entered town I made a swift decision and turned to my house. Only when I drove into my garage did Steffi stir and jerked upright with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Where are we?" she asked with just enough panic in her voice to make me laugh.

"My house," I chuckled. "I am going to dump you here, run my errand and then come back. From there we can decide what we will do about your situation."

"Just like that?"

I shrugged. "If you have a better idea I may consider it but you seem tired and I think it may be from being so cold back there. I am in a bit of a hurry now and will be gone for about two hours or so. In the meantime you can have a shower if you like or you can crash in one of the rooms. You may even wash your clothes and have it dried."

She shook her head but got out of the car. She groped around to get her sodden clothes into a bundle and then stood there looking at me like a lost puppy. I think she tried to hide it but a piece of lace sticking out from the bundle made it clear that she was naked under that blue overall. It made sense of course but somehow the idea appealed to me.

As we walked into the house I pointed towards the laundry. "There is a washing machine and everything you may need in there. There is a small bathroom just next to the laundry but if you want to soak in a bath to increase your core temperature you may want to use my bathroom upstairs." I smiled and winked at her. "The door can lock, I think. There is a key."

She simply walked towards the laundry and I heard the wet clothes splotch into the machine. A moment later I heard her setting it up and she came into the kitchen with a wide smile. "I put some of your clothes in with mine. Hope you don't mind?"

I shrugged. "You're welcome. Just dry it and hang it when it's finished."

"Yes sir," she grinned while coming to military attention and I turned to leave.

"Have fun," I chuckled and pointed at the door. "If it will make you feel safer you can lock the door to the garage but once I leave and the garage closes, the house is secure."

She smiled and I pulled the door closed behind me only to barge inside again.

"Just a word of caution," I grinned. "I have cameras that monitor the interior of the house."

"And?"

"Don't walk around naked down here. Upstairs is fine."

She rolled her eyes and I chuckled as I pulled the door closed behind me.

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Steve grinned at me as I offloaded the remaining overalls and other protective gear he had ordered. "So, you had a damsel in distress?"

I chuckled. "Yes, and you have an overall short. Ok if I bring it around on Monday?"

"Sure thing. So, this young woman you found next to the road. The car still there?"

I shrugged. "Yip. Nothing I can do right now anyway. Without the keys it may be damaged if it is towed away. If it stays there it may grow legs and run away. Catch twenty two."

Steve looked around his factory as he rubbed his chin. "Get her to phone her insurance. They have guys who do this type of thing for them and if they damage the car, it is not her fault and the insurance will have to pay for any repairs."

I shook my head. "Never thought of it."

"The advantage of knowing guys like me," he laughed and stood aside as I opened the car's door.

I waved goodbye and drove home. The rain had lost its anger but it was still falling quite hard and if anything, it was colder than earlier. As I walked into the house I was met with soft singing from my bathroom. It sounded great. She had a lovely voice.

I made myself some coffee and sat in the kitchen drinking it. Before long I heard the door to my bedroom open and the singing came down the stairs but stopped suddenly when she reached the bottom and saw me.

"You're back soon?" she queried and I laughed but did not even try to hide the fact that I was scoping her out. She looked damn sexy in overalls but with a towel wrapped around her and her hair in a curly mess around her face she looked more than edible.

"Couldn't stay away," I grinned and looked at my watch. "Just for the record, I was gone for more than two hours."

She gave me a funny look and went towards the laundry where I heard the tumble dryer being opened. She was busy for a few minutes and then she came out with our clothes, neatly folded.

"My dress is dry so I guess I can go and get dressed. Where can I put your clothes?"

"Just dump it on the bed, but before you go, do you have your insurance's number?"

"On my phone in the car, yes," she grinned. "Why?"

"We have to phone them so that they can have your car recovered."

She nodded and raised her eyebrows. "I was wondering about it. What will it cost?"

I shrugged. "Depends on your policy I guess but leaving it there is not a good idea. It may be wrecked by someone crashing into it or it can be stolen or stripped. Any one of those will be much more expensive than whatever it will cost to recover."

She sat down next to me. "Can we use your phone to look up their number and phone them?"

I gave her my phone and she went about finding a number on the internet, dialled it and then we sat there listening to that irritating voice telling us that the call is important to them. Yeah right! But at last Steffi had an operator's ear and after having had to explain the situation a million times, we had a reference number and a confirmation that a recovery truck will go out and take the car to a safe holding until she could get the spare keys.

I looked at my watch. "We have about an hour of daylight left. Want to try and find a place for the weekend?"

Steffi nodded and went up the stairs with our clothes and I sat there wondering what I should do about her until she came downstairs again. Back in her dress she looked quite presentable right down to her bare feet.

She caught my glance and chuckled. "My shoes are still sopping wet and it looks as if one of them may be falling to pieces soon. So, it is barefoot for me."

"Sit down," I invited as I got up to rinse my coffee mug. "I guess we can do a number of things, all of which need doing but maybe we should do some planning to do the important ones first."

"Like getting new shoes with no money," she giggled.

I just shrugged. "There is a mall not far from here. Shoes are not a problem."

"Then what is?"

"You need a place to stay and I think we should get that ball rolling. Boyfriend?"

She shook her head and for a moment I felt strangely glad but then she shattered it. "He's out of town for the weekend. Well actually, until Wednesday. Except for my parents who are on holiday, my nearest family is a couple of hour's drive away and the only friend I have that may be able to offer me a bed for the weekend has her in-laws staying with her while they do some renovations in their house."

I pursed my lips. "Guesthouse?"

"Sounds good."

I handed her my phone. "See what you can find. We can go to the mall for shoes and then I can drop you at whatever Guesthouse you choose."

"And use Uber for the weekend," she giggled. "Never done that."

"Adventurous travel," I laughed. "It is something like a Christmas cracker. You never know what you may get."

After a little searching she found a Guesthouse to her liking and reserved a room. We got into my car, drove to the mall and after a quick search she found shoes to her taste. To me that was surprising. My last girlfriend would have spent an hour going from shop to shop and possibly may have made me drive to another mall to find something she liked. I paid and got a thankful smile and a soft squeeze on my arm. I liked the feeling but disliked the idea that soon I would be dropping her at her Guesthouse and that would be that. She was pleasant company. I looked at her and saw her biting her lip.