I was cold… shivering in my boots because I had dressed inappropriately for the weather. It was below freezing that night and I didn’t have on a single piece of practical clothing. All of it was for show. As an innocent twenty-two-year-old woman building her confidence, I wanted to show off to my family how much I had matured over the past few years. You know the saying, “dress to impress?” Well look how well that turned out. There was nobody at all I could see at that isolated old bus stop. It was just me, waiting for a bus that should have arrived two hours prior. I must have missed a crucial detail when going over my itinerary because there was definitely no bus on the way. I was starting to internally panic.
My fashion sense was really not doing me a lot of favors at that point. First off, I was wearing my cute, short, black, designer “fall” boots because I had rewarded myself with them for college graduation earlier this year. I had waited all summer to wear them. They were clearly all for looks because I could barely feel my toes. Then there were my laced, black stockings — useless — but of course I had to wear them. I must have looked particularly slutty donning a short, dark, denim miniskirt along with an ivory halter top. Luckily I had on my black, leather jacket, which was pulled tightly around my waist as I attempted to keep any amount of heat near my body.
So, why was I stuck at a dark, old bus station? I was on my way to visit my family in Eastern Washington for Thanksgiving. I was a country girl and had been living in Seattle for school, but when I was on my journey home I must have accidentally gotten off at the wrong stop. I was expecting to connect to the last bus on my way to Greenwater, Washington when I ended up in god-knows-where. My sister had just moved back out to my hometown of Nowhere Ville and everyone was going to be at her new place for the weekend. Why did she have to live like an Amish person in the middle of nowhere, forcing me to take three buses just to get there? But more importantly, why wasn’t I paying attention to where I was going and what I was wearing? Not wasting my phone battery on podcasts all day would have been helpful, too. All I wanted was to be independent, but all I had grown into was an arrogant and careless college girl.
It must have been two hours without seeing a single car pass by the stop. There was nothing but the night sky and a couple of street lights to keep me company. Then I remembered that coyotes lived in the area. I was scared. I wasn’t used to being this alone; I wasn’t used to having no place to charge my phone or get warm. Things were getting desperate, and while pleading with the universe I cried, “Please, someone, pull over and let me in at least for a few minutes. I’m so fucking cold!”
Silence. There was nothing. I thought I heard someone pulling around the corner, but it was just the wind reminding me that everything was going to get colder. I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and hoped a little more. Suddenly there were lights, and they were coming my way. “Thank Christ!” I shouted. They weren’t just any lights, but those of an 18-wheeler. I ran over and waved, “Hey! Please stop! Don’t leave!” The truck passed me and pulled over. I continued running over. As I got near the handle of the driver’s door, it opened. An older man looked down at me.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” I said, shivering.
“You don’t say. What’s the problem?” he asked
I explained the entire story as fast as I could, waiting for him to welcome me into his truck to get warm. But there was no welcome. There was just him sitting there and scratching his chin while pondering what I told him. As I waited for a response I got a better look at him. He was handsome and looked about mid-40s. His clothes were rugged and durable, all far more practical choices than my clothing. He looked quite comfortable in his truck, unlike myself who was helpless.
After what felt like forever, he responded, “So you need me to let you get warm and charge your phone? That way you can get a ride to see your family? I think I can help with that.” He smiled as I thanked him. I began to head towards the passenger side of his truck when he interrupted my excitement with something very unexpected. “Hang on just a second,” he said. “There’s a deal we have to make first. You’re taking time out of my work and I’ll probably end up running late.”
“Okay, and… you want money?” I was puzzled and annoyed. I really needed to get out of here and he hadn’t even invited me in.
“It gets lonely out here… I could use a little warmth, myself.”
My confusion quickly turned to shock. I didn’t know what to say. I had absolutely no tools to deal with this situation. After what felt like forever, I muttered, “W-what exactly do you mean?” My face became bright red.
“What do you think I mean?” he responded in a rather amused tone. “You know what I’m talking about. You better decide quick because I have places to be, and it looks like you’re also running out of time.”
“I-I just need to get warm,” I said as I tried to avoid the entire proposition.