this hot. He reached over to the
vents and realized they were blowing hot air. Great! Just fucking great! Now I get to boil in the car
because the air is out!
Rolling down the windows, desperate for cooler air,
Sir realized that the temperature was no better outside than in.
Without the speed of the car to move the air, the heat overwhelmed
him and the car. He watched the temperature gauge on the car begin
to climb. He knew he had no choice; he had to pull off the
road.
Five minutes later, he was on hold with the towing
company. The recorded voice assured him that his call was very
important to them and someone would be with him shortly.
“What-the-fuck-ever.”
Grumbling to himself, he knew his plans for the
evening were completely shot. It would take the truck at least an
hour to get to him through this traffic and then another hour to
get to her place – or to the mechanic nearest her. Kicking a pebble
near his shoe, he sighed. He had wanted it to be perfect, and now
he wasn't sure what to do.
Maybe a light dinner at her place and then a walk
along the beach? He didn't want her to cook for them tonight. He
rejected any and all fast food places. The first night he said, “I
love you” to his Babygirl wasn't going to be over greasy french
fries and heart-attacks on a bun.
“ How can I
help you today, Sir?” The friendly voice on the phone interrupted
his thoughts. “Are you somewhere safe?”
“ Yeah, I'm
fine, but I need a tow, please. The car overheated. I'm stuck on 10
in rush hour.” He was sure he sounded as pathetic as he
felt.
“ Oh
goodness! I am so sorry to hear that. We'll get someone over to you
as quick as we can. Hold please.” The canned music blared in his
ears. The Muzak version of At Last by Etta James, their song. “Ok,
Sir, someone can be there in 90 minutes.”
“ An hour
and a half?! Are you kidding me?!”
“ Sir, I'm
sorry, but the accident that's backed up traffic has slowed
everything down. Someone will be there as soon as they
can.”
Thanking her, Sir ended the call. Leaning against his
back bumper, he wondered what kind of picture he presented. His
clothes were still damp from the earlier splash. He could see oil
stains down the first of his shirt. His skin felt sticky from the
heat. Combing his fingers through his hair, he sighed again.
“ It burns, burns, burns. The ring of fire.
The ring of fire. ”
Sir nearly dropped the phone in surprise at the sound
of Johnny Cash's voice. “Hey Babygirl. I've got some news.”
He told her of the delay and apologized for not being
able to take her to dinner. Feeling sorrier and sorrier for
himself, he rattled off the injustices from the drive so far.
“ Sir, with
all due respect, stop it. Now.” Belatedly, she added,
“Please.”
“ Excuse
me?” Pulled out of his dejection by shock, he couldn't believe his
ears.
“ S o nothing has
gone according to plan this evening. It's okay . You'll be here soon enough.
I'll order some Chinese delivery, and you'll take a hot shower.”
Sir could hear Babygirl take a deep breath before continuing. “All
that matters is that we're together. Right, Sir? I don't care about
fancy dinners or walks along the beach. All I care about is
you!”
Sir felt tears burn his eyes. He refused to let them
fall. “Thank you, Babygirl.”
“ Um,
you're welcome, Sir? For what?”
“ For
reminding your silly Sir what our time together is really all
about. I can't wait to hold you in my arms, to kiss you, hug
you...to spank the hell out of you.” Her happy coos melted his
heart.
“ You mean
so much to me, Babygirl. I want every moment we have together to be
special.” Sir took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Even the
moments where I'm stuck on the side of the road covered from head
to toe in crap.”
“ Sir?” He
could hear the confusion in her voice.
“ I've been
trying to make this into the perfect night for us, setting the
scene, creating just the right moment. And it's impossible