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And wait

"Co onlike a cold hose bath It can’t be rees out here Another five seconds and I’ her here

Finally thecracks open, just enough for h She’s alone in the car It’s dark, but I’m pretty sure I see tears I definitely see slisten with fear I don’t bla alone out here after eleven at night And now there’s a guy in a hoodie hanging outside herI adjust ly "Do you need help?"

I hear her s hard before answering, "Yes I do" She sounds young, but it’s hard to tell with some women

"Have you called Triple-A?"

She hesitates and then shakes her head

Okaynot very talkative She s out of her car Incredible and rich "Your spare’s in the trunk?"

"Ithink so?"

I sigh Looks like I’ rain after all "Okay Pop your trunk and I’ll see what I can do Stay in here"

I round the car Beneath half a dozen shopping bags and under the trunk floor, I find the spare tucked away Running back to get ht out of my car--I use my own tools whenever I can--I settle down by the back corner of the Z8, happy for the dead roads Not one vehicle has passed since I stopped

The BMW is jacked and the lug nuts are off when the driver’s door opens "I’ll have this changed in another twothe rim off "You should stay inside"

The door sla on a car like this!--and then heels click on the pavement as she comes around to stand next tomy back "Is that better?" she asks in a soft voice

I don’t need to glance up to know that there’s an u over me "You’re not from Portland, are you?" I mumble with a smile Neither am I, technically, but I’ve learned to adapt in the four years that I’ve lived here Part of that is knowing that no guy in Portland would be caught dead using an umbrella Neither would et wet than be labeled a wuss Sinally"

I yank the tire off and roll it to the side That’s when ht besiderab the spare

"Thank you for stopping Most people wouldn’t have"

Most people, including et a Triple-A plan"

"I have one," she admits somberly and then, after a second’s hesitation, adds, "My phone died and I can’t find er"

So, she was totally stranded As iveas I’ve tested it plenty over the years "I can’t find er half the tiht a second cord that I keep in love compartment"

I hear the smile in her voice as she says, "I’ll have to remember that"

"Yeah, you should Especially in a car like this" The spare is bolted in place in another minute

"You’re very fast"

I s tires since I could walk" Well, not really, but it feels like it Grabbing the flat tire with one aret her dirty with it on my way to the trunk It’s too late for h o? These aren’tdistances"

"About ten et off the highway, if that ainst my jeans "I’m headed that way anyway"

"That’s very kind of you" She doesn’t h She just stands there, her face hidden by the darkness and that giant umbrella

And then I hear the stifled sob

Ah, shit I don’t knohat to do with a rich girl crying on the side of the road Or crying girls in general I’ve made plenty of them do it, unintentionally, and felt bad about it after But other than saying, "I’, "Is everything okay? I mean, do you have sorab it fro silence hangs over us

"Well" I really just want to get hoet soaked so I could leave her standing out here

"Are you happy?" Her question cuts through the quiet night like a rude interruption

"Uh" What? I shift nervously on my feet

"In your life Are you happy? Or do you ever wish you could just start over?"

I frown into the darkness "Right noish I wasn’t freezing my ass off in the rain," I admit What the hell else do I say to that? I wasn’t ready for deep, thought-provoking questions I generally avoid those, and God knows the idiots I hang out with don’t toss them around Is this chick out of her ranting me part of my wish "I mean, if you could just start over freshfree yourself from all the bad decisions you’ve madewould you do it?"

Obviously this wo before the flat tire "Sounds like you have sorets," I finally offer It’s not really an answer to her question but, honestly, I don’t kno to respond to that