Obstacles

Siting in an unheated car. On the side of the road. Without gas.

What a great start to a perfect evening, am I right?

'I told you, you little shit, to remind me to fill up the damn gas before we got on the interstate!' Suzie yelled at me.

'No, you actually didn't.'

'Shut up, son of a bitch.'

'You should not talk like that, Sooz.'

'I'll talk however the hell I wanna talk!'

'Well, it's your fault we are stuck here.'

'Damn it! How am I gonna get home? I have a date tomorrow!'

'Why are you worrying? He'll probably stand you up anyways.'

'Fuck you.'

She trudged off in the direction we had drove from. What was that crazy girl doing? She was going to get herself killed. Not that I minded.

'Sooz, where are you going?' I hollered after her.

'Somewhere far away from the likes of you. You are such a bastard!'

'Sooz, come back. You'll die trying to do that!'

'Like you care!'

And this was the first time I cussed. In front of a relative.

'Get your ass back here!'

She walked back and gave me a well deserved smack to the cheek. I winced at the pain, even after her hand left my face.

'What the hell, Todd! Get your sorry ass in the car. I got to find a damn phone or something!'

She went off again, and I followed her advice. Five minutes later, Cousin Suzie had not come back.

A pair of headlights showed up in the rearview mirror. I was saved! I got out and almost ran in front of the car. The car stopped before I could proceed to the middle of the road. The window rolled down, and there Suzie was with a small family.

'Todd, get my bags and get in,' Suzie said in her most polite voice I have ever heard her pull off.

I did just that. When I was buckled in, the family moved the car straight ahead.

'Hi, I am Katelyn Ross,' a girl said to me with so much confidence that it radiated off her.

'I am Todd,' I said back, gently taking her outstretched hand in mine and lightly shaking it. Then, I let go.

'Todd what?' Katelyn asked.

'The less you know, the better.'

'Don't be rude, Todd!' Suzie glared at me, but didn't bother telling Katelyn my last name.

It wasn't that I was ashamed of it. I was unaware of it. No one would tell me what it was. Everyone and everything stayed silent from that point on, save for the hum of the car.