Once again, I want to thank blackrandI1958 for inviting me to participate in this event. I hope you enjoy the story and as always, please vote and leave a comment. Thank you.

I swerved to the left as soon as my headlights warned me of something in the road but I still heard the terrifying thud of something hitting the side of my car. I stopped immediately and ran around to the passenger’s side.

My heart stopped and my body froze as I stood there staring at a woman lying in the street. I could see blood on the side of her face. Finally, regaining some sense of lucidity, I pulled out my phone and started to dial nine-one-one when I heard her groan then start crying. I couldn’t see that well in the dark but she sounded young. She started to stir...

“Don’t move,” I said, “you could have internal injuries. I’m calling an ambulance.”

“No, please mister, don’t.”

I looked at her, “What do you mean, don’t. I have to, you could be badly hurt.”

“I’m okay, really, mister. Please don’t call.”

“If you’re worried about the cost, don’t be, I have insurance.”

“Please, mister, please don’t call anybody, I ... I’ll be okay, honest,” she said as the waif of a young lady started getting up.

I hadn’t completed dialing yet but still had the phone in my hand as I bent down to help her up. “What are you doing wandering around the streets this time of night? Where are you going?”

“I ... I’m not sure. I was on my way to see my Aunt and Uncle but I got lost.”

“Where do they live? I’ll drive you there.”

She tried to stand but limped when she tried to put pressure on her right foot. “This is ridiculous. If you don’t want an ambulance I’ll take you myself but you need to go to the hospital.”

“NO, PLEASE, Mister, I’ll be all right, honest.”

“That foot could be broken,” I insisted.

“I’d know if it was broken. I just twisted it when I fell.”

I sighed in frustration. Her over-the-top reactions suggested she was in some kind of trouble, probably with the law but It was obvious she wasn’t going to be doing much walking, for a while anyway. I got a better look at the cut on her forehead; It didn’t look as bad as I originally thought. “Does your aunt and uncle know you’re coming; are they waiting for you?” She shook her head no.

“All Right, look, it’s almost two in the morning, I’m sure your aunt and uncle are sound asleep. I’ll take you to my place. We’ll wrap your ankle and take care of that cut on your head. You can sleep in my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch. In the morning, I’ll fix you a big breakfast and drive you to your aunt and uncle’s.”

She looked scared. “You’ll be fine,” I said, trying to reassure her. “I’m tired, I don’t want to drive any more than I have to tonight and I sure can’t leave you here in the middle of nowhere. “Come on,” I said while opening the passenger side door, “I’ll help you in.” I looked around for a suitcase but found nothing, not even a backpack. “Don’t you have any other clothes? Is that it, just what you’re wearing?”

She looked down like she was ashamed. “I ... I got robbed, they took everything I had.”

Whether she was running from the law or not, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “Come on, let’s get you home so you can take the weight off that ankle and get comfortable.”

Reluctantly, she got inside with my help. I walked around in front of the headlights and sat in the driver’s seat. “What’s your name?”

“Megan.”

I stuck my hand out, “Hi, Megan, my name’s John, John Orsman.” She shook my hand but didn’t say anything. I was sure she was still nervous. She was quiet as a church mouse until I started to pull into a parking lot.

“Why are we stopping here,” she asked in a slightly panicky voice.

“It’s an all-night pharmacy. I have to get something to wrap that ankle with and some bandages for that cut. I won’t be long, just relax.”

On the way back to the car, the parking lot lights were bright enough, that I could see she had her eyes closed. She opened them immediately when she heard the car door open. I slid in and put the package on the seat next to me. “I have enough medical supplies in that bag to qualify me as a first responder, now if I only knew how to use them,” I said with a smile. She looked over and gave me just a hint of a smile in return.

By the time we got to my condo, it was two-thirty. Of course, there were no lights on except the street lights but they did nothing to illuminate the front of my place. She looked around and I could tell she was getting nervous again.

“I just bought this place,” I told her, trying to make her feel more comfortable. “I’ve only lived here for about three months. I don’t have a lot of furniture yet but I have the essentials, a couch, a TV, and a bed.”

“You’re sleeping on the couch thought, right? That’s what you said.”

“Yes, I’m sleeping on the couch. Please, try to relax, honest, I’m not going to hurt you; I’m one of the good guys.” She still didn’t look very convinced.

I helped support her while she hobbled to my front door. Once inside, I helped her into the bedroom and turned down the bed with one hand while helping her keep her balance with the other. She lay down and I propped my pillows up against the wall so she could sit up.

I gently took her right shoe and sock off so I could see the ankle. “It’s starting to swell. I sure hope you’re right about it not being broken. If it is, you could wind up limping for the rest of your life. I still think I should take you to the emergency.”

“John, I’ve had broken bones before; I know what it feels like and I’m sure it’s not broken.”

“All right, I’ll take your word for it. I sure hope I’m doing the right thing.”

“It’ll be fine by tomorrow and I’ll get out of your hair.”

“I’m going to get some ice for it; just relax, I’ll be right back.” All I had in the freezer were a few frozen dinners. I put two of them on her ankle then ran some warm water in a cereal bowl and got a washcloth to clean her head wound. I still had some antiseptic soap left over from the Covid outbreak so I used it and put a couple butterfly bandaids on the cut when I was done.

“Okay, that’s about the best I can do. The master bathroom is right there. Let me know if you need help getting there and back. I don’t work tomorrow so if you wake up before I do just stay in bed. I’ll check on you before I make breakfast to make sure you’re all right.”

“Thanks, John, I really do appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

“No problem, I do it for all the people I run down on the road.” I actually got a chuckle out of her with that one. “I have to get some stuff out of my car so don’t get scared when you hear the front door open and close a couple of times.”

“Okay, thanks again.”

A couple weeks prior, I was driving around in the country looking for things to photograph; that’s what I did for a living. I found an old dilapidated barn that was perfect for some experimental night photography I wanted to try. That’s why I happened to be driving home at two o’clock in the morning.

I’d never heard of any break-ins in my neighborhood but I never liked leaving my camera gear in the car overnight ... just in case. It took me two trips to get it all inside. Normally, I’d take it down to the basement but I was so tired, I just left it on the floor at the foot of the couch.

I didn’t have any more pillows so I lay down with my head on the arm of the couch. Thank goodness it was padded. I’d been running on high-test adrenaline since the accident and hadn’t thought about how pretty my border was until I closed my eyes and remembered dressing her cut. She wasn’t beautiful, she wouldn’t win a beauty contest against Hedy Lamarr or Liz Taylor but she had a wholesome, ‘girl next door’ look and a warm smile. I slipped off to sleep thinking about shooting her portrait.

It was almost eight o’clock when I woke up. I peeked into the bedroom and saw Megan was still sound asleep. Only half awake yet, I stumbled into the bathroom to take a leak and then to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I sat at the kitchen table and was already on my second cup; I didn’t want to wake her up but I was getting hungry.

After finishing my coffee, I went to check on Megan again. The bed was empty and the door to the master bath was closed. She evidently didn’t take me up on my offer to help her to and from the bathroom. She was obviously very independent.

I walked out to the living room and picked up my camera bags to put away when Megan appeared in the bedroom doorway. “What’s all that?”

“Good morning, Megan. It’s my camera gear, I was out shooting pictures last night. Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, great.”

“How’s the ankle?”

“Better but it still hurts.”

“Why don’t you get back in bed and I’ll bring you some breakfast. How do you like your eggs?”

“Ah, over easy?”

“Do you like coffee?”

“Yeah, just a little cream and sugar?”

“You got it,” I said with a nod, “I’ll put my gear away and start on it. In the meantime, get back to bed. You need to give that ankle as much rest as you can before I drive you to your aunt and uncles.”

Without saying another word, she turned and hobbled back to bed. Watching her limp gave me an idea. I brought my camera equipment down to the basement and went through some stuff I hadn’t used in a while. I found what I was looking for a rigged it with a small bracket designed to hold a reflector. I carried it with me when I brought Megan her breakfast.

“You have a cane?”

“Well, not really but I think it’ll do. It’s actually a monopod ... like a tripod but with only one leg. You put a camera on top and it’s supposed to help you stay steady when shooting pictures. I haven’t used it in ages. The handle is a bracket I use to hold reflectors or portable backdrops. It’s not perfect but I thought it might help you take some weight off that ankle when you walk.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem, anything else you need?”

“I ... ah ... would it be okay if I take a hot bath?”

“Yeah, of course; I wasn’t going to say anything but you do smell a little rank. What about your clothes? If you leave them out here, I can stick them in the washer for you. I’m not sure they’ll be dry by the time you get out but I have a robe you can wear until they’re ready.”

Like the night before, she looked like she didn’t trust me. “Can I see the robe?” she asked. I went to the closet and pulled my full-length, terry cloth robe out to show her. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“What’s your angle? I mean I ... last night I really thought you were going to make me have sex with you once we got here, but so far you’ve been a perfect gentleman. What gives, what do you want in return for all this?”

It was hard not to take her question personally and get angry but I figured she’s obviously had a hard time of things. “You thought I’d make you have sex and came with me anyway?”

“Well, I didn’t have much choice, did I; besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to trade sex for something I needed.”

It probably shouldn’t have, but her statement shocked me. I mean, I know there are homeless people out there trading sex as a way of life but I’d never had one in my house before. My next question just popped out. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Bullshit, you don’t look more than sixteen,” I replied.

She looked me in the face and knew I didn’t believe her. “Okay, I’m nineteen ... honest.”

I still didn’t believe her. “Got an ID on you?”

“Does it look like I have ID on me? How old are you?”

I don’t know why I even answered but I did, “Twenty-six, want to see my ID?”

“No, I believe you.” She looked sad. “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you mad. I’d still like to take that hot bath, then I’ll get out of your hair.”

She most obviously had a hard life and I was ashamed of myself for making her feel uncomfortable. “Of course, you can take a hot bath and my offer to wash your clothes still stands. When you’re feeling better, I’ll drive you to your aunt and uncle’s.” She gave me half a smile and nodded her head in approval. I was walking out of the bedroom when I looked back and saw her struggling to get out of bed. It occurred to me that she’d have a tough time running the water for her bath. “Relax,” I told her, “I’ll draw your bath for you. How hot do you want the water?”

She looked relieved. “Ah, well, not scalding hot but hot enough to soak my ankle for a while.”

“You got it,” I said, heading for the bathroom. As I started running the water, I thought of something. I let the water run until I had a good six inches of nice hot water ready then added my surprise before joining Megan back in the bedroom.

“Okay, it’s all ready for you. I added some scented bath oil. There’s also some women’s make-up in the top drawer to the right of the sink. I’m not sure what’s there but you’re welcome to it.”

She had almost a shocked expression so I thought I’d better explain. “I had a girlfriend who was going to move in here with me but we had a fight so she never did. She left a few things behind though.”

“Oh, I ... I was starting to wonder about you,” she said with a smile. It was nice to see she had a sense of humor.

“I’ll give you twenty minutes to get in the tub and shut the door, if you want me to wash your clothes just leave them on the bed.” I left and closed the bedroom door behind me.

Twenty minutes later I knocked on the bathroom door. “How’re you doing in there? Were you able to get into the tub?”

“Yeah, this is heavenly, thanks. I left my clothes out there. I’ve got your robe in here with me.”

“Yeah, I saw your clothes, no problem, I’ll get them in the washer right now. You take as long as you need in there.” I gathered up the clothes on the bed and stuck them in the washer, hoping for the best. Everything was threadbare and looked as if it was ready to fall apart. I wondered if after she soaked it, her ankle would be in shape to go with me to the Salvation Army Store. I wasn’t rich but I could afford to buy her forty or fifty dollars worth of duds.

I had to do a double-take when she opened the door and limped into the living room using my makeshift cane. She was wearing a little lipstick and used some of my former girlfriend’s eye shadow. She also must have found my hair dryer and used it to dry and style her hair. The clothes she was wearing the night before were very loose fitting, and of course, wrapped in my robe, I couldn’t see her figure but she had a very pretty face.

“Well, you clean up nice,” I said with a smile. “How’s the ankle?”

“Much better today,” she said, returning my smile. “Thanks, I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I ... I know I’m a burden so I’ll get out of your hair. I ... I wonder if I can keep this thing?” She asked, lifting the monopod slash cane. “It helps.”

“What do you mean, ‘get out of my hair?’ I’m going to drive you to your aunt and uncle’s, remember?”

She chuckled, “I don’t have any aunt or uncle. I said that hoping you wouldn’t hurt me if you thought I had some family.”

Up until that moment, I never thought of myself as being naïve but that took me completely by surprise. I did a quick calculation in my brain. As nervous as she was, thinking I was going to demand sex, pretty much ruled out her being a prostitute and she didn’t look like a drug user... “So, where the hell were you headed at that time of night then, you got a boyfriend around here somewhere?”

“Look,” she said with a sigh, “I’m homeless, okay? I eat out of garbage cans and sleep in places where I won’t get raped. When I get hassled, I move on. That’s what I was doing last night—moving on.”

The woman was really messing with my brain. I couldn’t even imagine living the life she was talking about. “So, what are your plans for moving on from here?”

She chuckled, “I don’t have any plans.”

“Then why don’t you stay for a while?” I saw what was becoming a familiar look of suspicion again. “Don’t ... don’t give me that look again; I would have thought by now you’d know you can trust me.”

“I ... I’m sorry ... it’s just that... “ she let her words just kind of die out but I knew what she wanted to say.

“Yeah, I know, you’ve been taken advantage of more times than not and it’s hard for you to trust anyone. I can’t blame you, but honest, all I want to do is help.” She smiled and gave me a small nod. “Can I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you live like this? You’re obviously an intelligent person. Have you ever just tried getting a job and making a life for yourself?”

“The kind of jobs I qualify for don’t pay enough to live on. I don’t even have a high school diploma. Any kind of decent place to work wants people who’ve gone to college.”

“Not necessarily, I work for a guy who has a portrait studio in the mall. I could ask around and see if anyone needs a sales girl.”

“I’d need clothes for a job like that. I have a little money but I don’t think it’d be enough for anything fancy.”

“I can contribute some. We have a Salvation Army store not far from here. There’s also a Goodwill and three or four resale shops. I’m sure we can find you something. Come on.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, why, what else do you have to do?”

“Ah, nothing I guess.”

We first went to the Salvation Army Store; they were the closest but didn’t have anything suitable. We hit the Goodwill next. She found a nice skirt that looked good on her and it was only eight dollars. I offered to pay for it but she said she had the money.

As she waited in line to pay, I could see her keeping an eye on me. Now I was suspicious. It looked like she was trying to sneak something past me so I maneuvered around where I could see her but she couldn’t find me. When she got to the register to pay, I saw what she was trying to hide; she pulled a stack of bills from her pocket that had to be three or four hundred dollars at least. I didn’t say anything at the time but I was determined to get to the bottom of things. If she was going to stay in my house she was going to be honest with me, damn it.

We went to three more resale shops where she bought another skirt, three tops, a pretty dress, a pair of women’s slacks, and a pair of comfortable shoes. She paid for it all herself. Everything, all together, was about eighty bucks.

By the time we were done, it was dinner time so I stopped off at a pizza place on the way home.

Since seeing that wad of cash she was carrying, I was trying to decide how to confront her in a way I could get to the truth. I decided on the direct approach. I was going to have a stern conversation with her as soon as we got home, but...

“Who’s She?” They both yelled as we walked into my living room. Leaning against the door frame of my bedroom, wearing only one of my white dress shirts, open all the way down, and a pair of white cotton panties, was my ex-girlfriend. She knew that look drove me crazy. “Cassie, what are you doing here?”

“Answer my question first, who’s she?”

“Well, not that it’s any of your business but, Cassie, meet Megan; Megan, this is Cassie, my former girlfriend.” I turned my attention to my ex. “I remember now, I didn’t find my key after you left, now I know why.”

She ignored my comment. “Is she your new girlfriend?”

“No, she’s down on her luck right now so I’m helping her out.”

“Yeah, I just bet you are.” The implication was just what Megan was afraid of, that I’d help her in exchange for sex.

“You never did take the time to know me, did you, Cassie? If you had, you’d have known I’d never go for you screwing other guys. We were supposed to be exclusive; shit, I was going to buy you an engagement ring after you moved in here.”

“It can still happen, John. I wasn’t screwing other guys; it was one guy, one mistake. I had too much to drink and didn’t even know what I was doing until I woke up the next morning.”

“Ah, hah; did you know Keith was there that night?”

“Keith ... Keith Jordan?”

“Ah, hah; he saw the whole thing. First of all, what were you doing in a pick-up bar by yourself?”

“I ... I was waiting for a girlfriend but she didn’t show.”

“How would you know? According to Keith, that guy bought you a drink and you left with him before you even finished it.”

“Maybe he put a date rape drug in my drink.”

“Come on, Cassie, you didn’t drink enough of it to be drugged. Face it, the guy was good-looking, had a good line of bullshit, and you didn’t think you’d get caught. The next time you cheat on a boyfriend remember to look around the bar and see if any of his buddies are there.”

“All right, I was stupid but everyone deserves a second chance.” When she didn’t get a response right away, she thought she was getting to me. “Look, why don’t we just start dating again for a little while, then...”

“Sorry, Cassie, I’m not interested.”

“Why not? We were good together.”

“Yes, we were, right up until you so casually opened your legs for another guy. We’re done, Cassie; you can cry and moan, and swear and pout all you want, but it won’t make a bit of difference. Now go get dressed and make sure you leave the key when you go this time.”

Megan and I sat on the couch until Cassie was dressed. To make sure I had my key, I literally took it from her hand. As she walked to the front door, she looked at Megan, “Find yourself a nice guy, honey, one who’s not such a prick.” And then she was gone, for good I hoped.

We had been together for almost two years before she broke my heart. Afterward, I looked back at our relationship and had strong suspicions it wasn’t the first time she’d cheated on me, it was just the first time she was caught.

I was already in a bad mood from seeing how much money Megan had, finding Cassie here did nothing to improve it. I took a few deep breaths and worked on calming down before talking to Megan. I didn’t want to chase her away, only find out the truth. “I could use some coffee, what about you?”

“Okay,” she replied with a smile.

We walked into the kitchen and started making it. “She’s very beautiful.”

“As they say, it’s only skin deep,” I replied. “I don’t want to talk about Cassie, I want to talk about you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you; I never did buy that story about you walking on a dark road at two in the morning just to get to the next town, and your strong reaction when I said I was going to call for an ambulance made me believe you were running from someone or something, most likely the cops. Now, you can either be honest with me and tell me where you got all that money, or I can hand you over to the police and let them deal with you ... which will it be?”

“She was right, you are a prick.”

“All right,” I said while pulling my phone from my pocket, “the police it is.”

“No, wait ... please.” I looked at her. Her eyes were clouding over and she was near panic.

“Then tell me ... and no bullshit this time.”

She was starting to cry. “You’re ... you’re going to kick me out when I tell you,” she mumbled.

“Try me.”

“Okay, you’re right, I stole it from the gas station I was working at. Remember when I told you I’ve traded sex for things I needed? Well, I needed a job. One night, I stopped at a Texaco station to use the restroom and saw a help wanted sign on the door. Carl, the night manager, first said ‘No way.’ I really needed that job and started to beg. When he saw how desperate I was he said I could have it if I gave him a blowjob.

“I worked four-to-twelve with him. There was another guy who worked with us until ten o’clock but it was just Carl and me after that. A couple nights after he hired me he told me to go in the store room with him just after closing. I thought he wanted help with something but he closed the door and told me to pull my pants down or I was fired. Almost every night after that, he’d bend me over one of the shelves back there and fuck me.

I’d worked there almost two weeks and still hadn’t gotten paid. Then, one night, he told me he had something special in store for me. He said he was going to butt fuck me. I waited until he went into the washroom then grabbed what I figured they owed me from the register and ran as fast as I could. That was the night before you hit me.

“Now that you know I’m a thief I’ll leave but please don’t call the cops. I couldn’t stand to be cooped up in a cell,” she said as she dried her eyes with the heel of her hand.

“I’m not about to call the cops and I’m not kicking you out. There’s probably a warrant out for your arrest though; we’ll have to figure out how to deal with that later but not right now. Right now we have to figure out different sleeping arrangements. I can’t sleep on the couch every night, my back was killing me when I got up this morning.”

As soon as I said it, I thought sure she was going to give me that look again; she was bound to figure I meant we were going to sleep together, especially after the story she just told me. I looked at her but that suspicious glare was absent; maybe she was finally starting to trust me. The question was ... could I trust her?

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” she almost yelled. She saw my face scrunch up and knew I didn’t like that idea. “John, I’ve slept on park benches, on the ground, and on sidewalks, believe me, the couch will be like sleeping on a cloud for me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, okay, but just for the time being—until I can figure out something better.” I must admit, it felt really good to sleep in my own bed again.

The following day, I was nervous about leaving her alone in my apartment; although she was still limping a little so I doubted that she’d be able to carry much to a pawn shop.

I used my lunch hour to scout around and see if anyone was looking for help and found a couple of prospects. The best was with a ladies’ boutique shop. They sold all kinds of trendy clothes for young women, the kind of clothes I could picture Megan wearing. Sheila, the manager, and I passed the time of day a few times so I stopped in and told her about Megan. She didn’t say yes or no but had some questions.

“John, if she’s homeless, where’s she going to live?”

“She’s staying with me for the time being.” I didn’t want Sheila to think there was any hanky-panky going on so I clarified, “Right now she’s sleeping on my couch but I’m going to fix up a regular bed for her in the basement. It’s finished and almost like a little apartment down there.”

“You trust her?”

“Yeah, I do; she’s had a lot of hard knocks so far in life, but I think she’s an honest person who just needs a break.” I didn’t mention the stolen money and prayed it didn’t bite me in the ass later.

“How long before her ankle is healed?”

“Ah, I’m not sure; it seemed to be better already.”

“You think she’ll be okay by next week?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, have her come and see me a week from Thursday; that should give her time to get better, any time after we open is fine. Just have her ask for me. I’m not making any promises but I’ll talk to her.”

I thanked her about three times and then realized I was going to be late getting back from lunch. Thankfully, Dave Star, owner of Star Photo, where I worked, was a decent guy. He gave me a look and then glanced at the clock to see I was ten minutes late but didn’t say anything.

I was nervous as hell while driving home after work. I had never left a stranger alone in my house before and was second-guessing myself as to the wisdom of it. She had no phone and the only one I had was my cell so I couldn’t even call to check up on her; would I walk into an empty house, or maybe be missing some of my camera gear? I took a deep breath as I pulled into my drive. I’ll know in a minute, I told myself.

Walking in, I was pleasantly surprised by the smell of something cooking. I made my way to the kitchen and saw Megan bending over the oven. “Hi,” she said, smiling up at me, “I timed dinner pretty good, didn’t I?”

“Where’d you get the food?”

“I walked to the grocery store. I used your cane so I couldn’t carry much back, just enough for dinner. Do you know all you have in the freezer are TV dinners? Hell, I ate stuff from garbage cans that was more nutritious than that crap.”

“It smells good,” I remarked with a smile.

“It’s baked pork chops with potatoes and sweet corn. I got some apple crisp for dessert.”

“How’d you know when I’d be home? I didn’t think to mention it when I left this morning.”

“I looked it up on your computer, Star Photo, right? It was the only photography place I could find in the mall. It said the hours today were from nine to five. I know that you left at eight-thirty so I guessed you’d be home around five-thirty. Everything’s almost ready, you want to set the table?”

Clever girl, I thought, but then if you lead the life she’s led, I guess you’d have to be resourceful.

At dinner, I told Megan about her upcoming interview the following week. “But, I don’t know anything about sales,” she told me, half in a panic.