The Incident

The Incident

Author's Note: I'm not sure how long this story's been languishing in a folder on my desktop, but I've plugged away at it for months. I decided to shorten my stories from about 20,000 words to somewhere closer to 10,000.

Character development is always my most important priority. Who are these people? What are they looking for? The rest is about getting acquainted which inevitably leads to marriage, and I think that trying to find some new way for two people to fall in love without saying the same things over and over again was the main reason I stopped writing. In a word, it was boring.

So...this story focuses on developing the characters and how they meet. The rest is left up to the reader's imagination.

In case you're wondering, no, I don't have my 'mojo' back. I'm just pecking away a little and a little there every now and then. As always, I hope you enjoy the story.

******

As she started it up she smiled. It wasn't a Rolls Royce but it was hers, and it was the first major purchase she'd made in the three years since her husband's untimely passing. She smiled again when she thought about him. She smiled for many reasons, but this time it was because she knew he'd hate her new car.

It was a mini-Cooper, and as much as she loved it, she knew Paul would have shook his head and made some kind of comment like, "Where's the rest of your car?"

Lacey Graham felt good and even laughed at the thought. In fact, she felt like she hadn't in so long she'd forgotten was it was like to have this easy, lighthearted approach to life. As she put it in gear she turned up the radio which was actually Sirius XM. She was born in 1981 but considered herself a child of the 90s and still loved the same music she had was she was in school.

Her new car was small as American cars went, but she loved its solid, sturdy feel and felt safe in it. The large windows gave her almost unlimited visibility, and it just had this...vibe...to it--a vibe that she really liked.

Once she got out of her development she turned onto the main road when a song she loved came on. She cranked it up a little higher and began singing along. It was from 1995 and called "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams.

The words hit her hard as she recalled life with Paul and never having had a single day where she didn't know he'd really loved her. That, in turn, reminded her of the son they had; a wonderful boy who's life ended all too soon just two years before his father's passing.

On a dare, he'd taken a pill from a girl he was crushing on. She was one of the prettiest girls in school, and she'd let their boy know she was interested in him. He'd never done drugs or even taken a drag off of a cigarette, but they were at a party, and she told him that if he 'joined her', something she later learned meant 'get high together' that things would um, go well for him later on, romantically speaking.

Unbeknownst to him the pill had been laced with Fentanyl, and less than 30 minutes later her baby boy, who was then just 16, was dead and laying on a bed beside the girl who'd also overdosed--both of their bodies in the Fentanyl death pose.

Just as she'd done with her husband's death, she'd run the facts of her son's passing through her mind thousands of times. No matter how she sliced it, nothing ever changed. Both of them were still gone, and there was nothing she could do to change it.

So instead, she changed the station to avoid the pain of the memories the song invoked and settled on something mellow on a station called "Yacht Rock Radio" that had a DJ who did a terrible impression of Thurston Howell, III, from "Gilligan's Island."

She'd taken a few deep breaths, blinked several times, and was feeling better again. The new car smell hit her, and to her pleasant surprise, she smiled again. For the first time ever she'd gone down memory lane and was able to mentally walk away without feeling overcome by sadness and melancholy. Yes, it still hit her hard, but she didn't collapse under its weight, and that made her wonder if there was any chance she could ever experience love like that again.

Her trip back in time ended when she needed to move into the right lane in order to exit. She was doing about 55mph as she checked the rearview and side mirrors then glanced over her shoulder before starting the merge. Seeing no one, she put on her blinker and slowly began to slide to her right. Out of nowhere a car appeared on the passenger side that was so close she could see every detail of the young driver's face as she stopped merging and prayed they didn't hit. Somehow the other car went right on by accelerating and heading toward her exit.

As she continued the merge, Lacey realized she was shaking.

She had no idea that the cars hadn't completely missed each other until she noticed that the passenger-side mirror was no longer usable. It had been bent toward the front of the car and was now useless to her. It was hinged, so it wasn't broken, but it had been hit, and when she saw that her anger roiled up then boiled over.

Steaming, she followed the car onto the exit ramp then pulled in so close behind him the driver could barely tell there was someone behind him. When she saw him glance back she laid on the horn--the weak, little beep-beep horn most modern cars had. She didn't care, though. She just needed this...jerk...to realize what he'd done.

After 3-4 seconds of honking the driver finally looked in his rearview mirror a second time. She saw him sort of throw his arms up in a "what the hell's the matter with you" gesture. Lacey pointed furiously for him to pull over, but the driver kept going, and Lacey kept following and honking.

Finally, after another quarter mile or so the car that sort of hit her pulled into a parking lot and stopped. Lacey pulled in right behind him, and as she was shutting her car off she saw the other driver open his door. She did the same and got out just as he strode up to her door.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the other driver demanded to know as he looked down at her, his brow narrowed, his voice deep and angry.

"What's wrong with you?" she nearly screamed. "Are you blind?"

He was a younger man who looked to be in his 20s, but she was too angry to notice anything else.

"What?" came his reply, the emotion draining from his voice.

"What do you mean...what?" she demanded. "You hit my car you...assh...jerk!"

He had a genuinely puzzled look on his face as he quietly said more than asked, "I...I did?"

"Oh, don't even go there! You know you did! You whipped around me and passed me when I was trying to exit. You were so close I could see your face, so don't give me any of that bullsh...nonsense."

She finally realized she was out of control and felt a hint of shame as this was so unlike her it was a little scary.

The man's face softened along with his voice.

"Listen. I honestly didn't see you. I believe you, and if you say that happened, okay. And...I apologize."

Lacey drew a long, deep breath then exhaled slowly and loudly. Calming herself, she pointed to the mirror.

The younger man walked over to it, examined it from all sides, then carefully returned it to its previous position before returning to where he was albeit a couple of feet further away from the crazy lady.

"If I did that I'm very sorry," he told her, the tone of his voice changing to one of genuinely humility. "Fortunately there's no damage, and the paint isn't even scratched."

Before she could tell him it wasn't a big deal he said, "I take full responsibility and I really am sorry."

She heard his words, but for some reason all she noticed was that he was wearing a suit with the tie draped around his neck. She still hadn't noticed he was a very attractive young man, but the tie stuck out like a sore thumb.

The other driver was now waiting for her to say something, but when she didn't, he spoke again.

"It's no excuse, but I'm meeting with the director of Cyber...my boss...this morning. I left 30 minutes early so I could stop by a friend's house to um...."

He picked up both ends of the tie, looked right at her, then let go of them.

It all began to make sense now. She was right, and that almost made her smile.

"You...you don't know how to tie a tie, do you?" she said, her own voice softening as the first hint of a smile appeared.

"Pathetic, huh?" he replied with a wry smile.

"My son had trouble with that, too," she said as she thought back on the first time he wore one which was just six weeks before he died. Or rather...was killed. No. He'd been murdered, and no one would ever cause her to believe differently.

The government's 'war on drugs' had been a farce and an abysmal failure. Had it waged an actual war, or had it done what she preferred and made all drugs legal, this wouldn't have happened. She'd been a Libertarian since college, and while she didn't use drugs herself, she knew that legalization would nearly end accidental overdoses. Now, people took what they bought off of some street vendor/pusher, and took their chances. Were it legal, everyone would know the dosage and the purity would be ensured. People didn't take drugs to commit suicide, at least not in very many cases, and if they knew how much they were taking, overdoses would be rare. The tax benefits were a distant second on her list as she knew Democrats and Republicans would spend every dollar on new government programs or weapons systems.

That thought was but a flash in her mind as she again looked at his tie. Lacey moved closer then reached for the tie's ends.

"May I?" she asked. When he nodded she moved even closer.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper," she admitted as she adjusted the ends to the right length.

"I'm sorry I hit your car," the younger man said a little sheepishly. "I'm even more sorry I scared you."

"It was just the mirror, and as you said, it's fine."

As she flipped one side across the other she began telling him about the wonderful morning she'd been having, something else she'd never done with a stranger before.

"And I blew that all apart," the man said with the kind of sympathy and understanding that touched her deeply.

She was pulling the knot into place when she realized she was still talking. Inexplicably, she continued opening up to him as she mentioned having lost both her husband and her son.

"I'm so very sorry. I...I feel terrible," he told her quietly as he, without any hint, put his arms around her and held her close.

Lacey found herself wanting to return the sentiment, but it was all so awkward she just hung on until he let go. When he did, she gave the tie's knot a final tug then centered it.

"All set," she told him, an actual smile appearing on her face.

"Thank you," he told her as she took a step back.

"My pleasure. Really. And I really am very sorry I lost my temper."

"Hey. You had every reason to."

She looked up into his eyes and saw they had a kind, gentle look to them, and that's when she noticed he was an exceptionally nice-looking young man. Evidently she was looking a little too long when he asked her if everything was okay.

"Oh. Yes. I...you um...you should probably get going. You don't want to be late."

He tilted his head a bit then realized he'd forgotten about the interview.

"Oh, shit!" he said before immediately apologizing for the salty language.

Lacey laughed and told him she'd heard worse. A lot worse.

"In fact, I've even said worse."

She laughed again and added, "A lot worse."

He laughed, too, then told her she was right as he really did need to get going. They stared at one another for another second or two before he briefly looked down. Without looking up again, he turned around and got back in his car.

She heard him start the engine, but then as suddenly as he'd gotten back in he got out again, and walked back over to her. She hadn't really been watching after he got in. In fact, she'd turned to get back into her own car. She'd just opened her door when she was suddenly aware that something around her had changed and stopped. When she turned he was only a foot or two behind her, and when she saw him she shrieked.

"No! Oh, my goodness. I scared you again," he said, an apologetic look on his face.

"No. It's okay. I was just, you know...."

She almost said, "Startled," but that was essentially 'scared' which she'd just said she wasn't.

He looked down for a moment then looked right at her.

"Listen. I know this is a little strange."

He hesitated then smiled.

"Okay, it's a lot strange, but I was wondering if I could maybe make it up to you...."

He lifted up the tie, smiled again, then continued by saying, "For the near miss on the road and...for tying my tie by, you know, by...maybe taking you to dinner sometime?"

Lacey's eyes opened as wide as saucers as did her mouth, neither of which she knew had happened.

"You...I...are you...."

"Yes. I'm asking you out. To dinner. Or we could just have a drink, if you'd prefer."

He failed to notice the stunned look on her face as he quickly glanced at his watch then pulled out his wallet.

"The number on the card is still good. I'll let you decide if you'd like to do either of those--or maybe something else--but I really do need to run."

He smiled at her again, and when he did, she felt yet one more thing she hadn't felt in ages.

"I really do hope you'll call," he said as he looked at her again for a second or two before turning back around.

Lacey held the card, and as she watched him once again get into his car she called out, "Just don't run...into anyone...okay?" proud of herself for her witty word play on his need to run.

He smiled as he sat down, promised he wouldn't, then pulled back out onto the road leaving her there feeling dazed and confused. This time, however, she very aware of the way she felt, and when it hit her it made her laugh.

"Dazed and confused. Just like the movie," she said out loud referencing a movie by that name from 1993 that she'd watched more than once, in no small part due to Matthew McConaughey starring as David Wooderson, a stoner who hadn't gotten on with his life after high school.

She looked at the card and saw the name, Joel Dixon, along with a phone number. From the information on it she deduced that he was involved in some kind of cyber security business which made her wonder what kind of job he had and who he was meeting with in Augusta, Georgia, her adopted hometown since marrying her late husband.

For the briefest of moments she didn't feel 42, and even after the moment passed she was soon feeling as good as before and maybe even a little better. It had been quite some time she'd been flirted with, and the last time she'd been asked out before Paul was....

She didn't want to think about that right now. Suffice it to say it had been a very long time ago.

She got back into the Mini-Cooper then set the card in a coin tray.

"Okay. So...where was I?" she asked herself as she moved the card to a cup holder just behind the gearshift.

The sun was out, the sky was a bright blue, and for the middle of September it was about as good as things got weather wise as she pulled back into traffic, the 'incident' still fresh in her mind. She relived the highlights as she drove, and later that night she recalled it all in vivid detail as she sat in her favorite chair while staring at the handsome younger man's business card.

"Yeah, right," she finally told herself after spending a good 30 minutes replaying the morning's memories in her mind again. "You're...42...and he still looks like...."

She almost said Matthew McConaughey, but Joel wasn't that good looking. In her mind, no one was, not even her beloved Paul, but he was definitely very cute. He was also ridiculously young, and this wasn't some feel-good movie.

Even so, as she lay in bed a few hours later she did something she'd only done three or four times in all the months she'd been a single woman. It wasn't that she was some kind of prude who never did that. It was more that she just couldn't 'go there' unless she was desperate because no fantasy could compete with what she'd had. This time, however, things were different. And as the fantasy developed she realized they were very different.

The shuddering that came with the end result was so intense it left her crying out in ecstasy and breathing so hard she was gasping for air. When she caught her breath she laughed. Loudly.

Lacey briefly thought about the mental images of the man who'd kinda, sorta hit her that morning and sighed. Also loudly. Then reality set in again, and the last thought she had before falling asleep was from another movie called "Clueless."

"As if!"

When she awoke the following morning Lacey felt slightly embarrassed. Not for having...done it...but for allowing herself to even fantasize about something so bizarrely impossible. The embarrassment only lasted a few seconds and was replaced by a very different feeling; a feeling that this 'incident' was a turning point in her life.

She'd never stop loving Paul, but it showed her that she was finally at the point that she was ready to try again. The thought of finding another love felt nice, but the thought of going through the part of doing the finding made her feel like going back to bed and pulling the covers over her head. Instead, she dropped a pod in her coffee maker, added some water and turned it on as she got ready to face another day.

Just a few miles away, Joel Dixon was doing the same thing. In fact, the night before, he'd also done the same thing as the very attractive, older woman he'd 'bumped into' that morning. He was in between girlfriends and hadn't much time to think about it. He'd been extremely busy of late, and it had been nearly a month since he'd had any kind of...release. And while this woman was clearly older than him, she was extremely attractive and the thought of being with her caused a huge explosion of sorts.

For the last three years he'd worked as a government employee at that US Army's Cyber Command in Athens. He was fresh out of MIT with a master's degree in computer science and anxious to do what he loved most. The problem was that his most-loved thing wasn't legal in most places. There wasn't a degree program for hacking, a skill he'd honed to perfection at MIT, but Joel was extremely proficient at it and could hack into virtually any system on earth.

He could have worked at any number of locations around the country, but he'd lived in Athens since his sophomore year of high school and loved the town. It also provided him a venue to legally practice his craft, and although the pay wasn't great, he would be paid for doing what he loved.

His parents still lived there. So had his sister until just recently when she got an apartment of her own. In spite of his desire to be independent, there was a serious financial side to his research, and living at home had been a natural fit for him. He was able to live rent-free and had saved a bundle of money. Joel wasn't a freeloader and had insisted on paying rent, but his mother and father both insisted that wasn't going to happen, so he ended up moving back home and into his fairly sizable old room.

He spent eight hours a day at work and was paid overtime for any time over his normal shift then another 6-8 hours at home working on a project of his own. That didn't leave a lot of time for the occasional girl in his life, and he knew that was the primary reason none of them stuck around very long. But that was actually a blessing in disguise as he'd had no intention of settling down any time soon. What he did have was a dream, and nothing was going to stop him from achieving it.

During his time at Cyber Command, Joel had become a key player at the Army's new home for hacking, cyberdefense, and information security. He was at an highly advanced level when he began, and in the intervening months he'd become so good that he'd been sent TDY (temporary duty) to several locations. Among them were the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA.