He looked at her every so often, taking his eyes off of the road to do it. He tried to read her, but failed so he went ahead and asked, "So, what's in New York City?"
"Home." She turned and looked at him. "Nothing there, really. Just home. That is if my roommate will let me back in. No family there but it's the only place I've ever known. That city is all I have left in my life."
He shook his head, "That's not true, hon. I'm sure if you think hard you can find a lot of things that matter to you. There's probably a lot of things you could use to rebuild your life. Just because you've tripped doesn't mean you have to stay down."
She could tell he was trying to make her feel better. She laughed, "Oh, if you only knew."
"Knew what?"
"You wouldn't understand." She dismissed it.
"Try me."
She took a deep breath and then crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, but don't make me say I told you so."
He chuckled softly and waited for her to continue.
"And don't laugh at me."
"I promise I won't laugh at you. Believe me, I could go on all night about the crap I've gotten myself into. Especially when I was your age."
"Fine. I moved to Boston for a man." There it was, out in the open like a wound with the scab ripped off. "Well, not just any man. Okay, let me go back and tell you the entire story. So, I'm living with my friend Sydney. We always joked that I couldn't find a good man to date in the city." She turned toward him, bending a knee and wiggling up against the door so she could look at him as she spoke. "Every guy I date has something wrong with him. There was this guy named Carey, complete idiot. He used to hang from this cross in a dirty little bondage club where people would pay money to watch someone beat the crap out of him. It was his job. Imagine, having a job where you get tied to this post and get flogged by women who look like hookers. All for other people's entertainment."
They both laughed, but she continued. "And then there was this guy named Brent. I think he was sleeping with his mom."
He shot her a look of disbelief.
"Seriously! He couldn't do anything without asking for mommy's permission. Once, I could have sworn I walked in on them doing something to each other. You know the feeling when you interrupt an intimate moment between two people? It felt like that. Oh, and the one who got nervous and sucked his thumb like a baby. I mean, I was on a loser streak a mile long about two years ago. My friends joke about me having a loser magnet attached to my forehead along with a big fat letter L." She made the shape of an L on her forehead with her hand.
"Sucked his thumb?" he asked, shaking his head with a soft chuckle.
"Yep," she confirmed. "Anyway, I'd be here all night telling you about the weirdos I've dated." She laughed, feeling good for the first time since she left Boston.
"So you were on a losing streak? Go on." He prompted her.
"Oh right, yeah I was on this loser streak with men. A bad one. So my friend Sydney suggested I meet someone online. It's the new thing to do I guess. Well I put my profile on a dating website and ended up going out with a few people. They were better matches for me and I could get to know them before I had to go anywhere with them. So, I met this guy from Boston on there. We talked almost every day. After like six months I thought I was so in love with him. We were dating long distance and all that stuff." She shifted and put her seat back a little to get more comfortable.
"Well, about nine months into this online relationship he asked me to quit my job and move to Boston to be with him. I thought, what the hell, you know? I'd never jumped in with both feet before. How bad could it be, right?" She shook her head and held up a hand. "Well, it was bad. Anyway, I quit my great paying job, left my friends and my safe apartment to fly to Boston with like, five grand to my name. He said he'd have an apartment for us when I got there, but once I arrived he told me that the apartment he rented wasn't ready yet so we'd have to stay at his friend's house."
"Wow," he responded. "Sorry but... why would you do that?"
"I was stupid. I know this now and I understand so there's no need to lecture. Believe me, I've lectured myself enough over the last few days."
He shook his head and went silent again.
"Well, there I was and because I thought I was in love with him I ignored any and all warning signs and remained in Boston with him. We stayed with a friend of his. That friend just happened to be a drug dealer. I found out later that they weren't even friends at all and the guy didn't care who crashed at his place as long as they were paying him for drugs. So, a few nights in and a fight later I wake up to no Trent. That was his name, Trent. There was no Trent. No money. No clothes. No belongings. Nothing but what I have on now."
"I wondered why you didn't have anything with you, but you seemed upset when you got in so I didn't ask." He looked over at her, concern in his eyes. "And now you don't have clothes or money?"
"No, and no cell phone because that was in my purse. I can't call anyone because I don't know their numbers and when I tried to get in contact with Sydney there was no answer. Her voicemail message said she was out of town on vacation with friends. A vacation I saved my money to go on, but I decided that Boston was a better choice for me." She threw her hands up and shook her head, feeling the tears take over this time instead of anger. "Now I'm stuck."
He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, offering her a little comfort. "So where are you going after you get back to New York?"
"Syd's. I know where the spare key is. I'll stay there until she gets back. Other than that, I don't know. I'll try to get my old job back. I just... don't know. I'm so lost right now."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." He patted her shoulder before putting his hand back on the wheel.
"I am, too. And to think, all of this for love." She laughed sarcastically. "Love, what is that? I feel like a teenager again. I mean, dating as a teen and early twenties wasn't this bad." She laid her head back on the seat and looked out the front window, watching the oncoming cars. "Now I'm twenty five and I get robbed and left for dead. I would have preferred it if he had just left. Why did he need my clothes? Seriously, the money I can see. But my makeup and clothes? My hair straightener?"
They both laughed. "Maybe that was his bad habit. Dressing up like a woman?"
She laughed. It felt good to laugh, especially when she was so close to tears every time she thought about the situation she'd gotten herself into.
"I never asked your name." She said softly, watching him. "Mine is Julia."
"I'm Joe."
"Nice to meet you Joe."
"Likewise, Julia." They laughed. "It was much easier to date back in the day. You met a girl, dated them, married them, went away to war, came home, had a family, and lived your life. No one thought of getting divorced back then, even if you wanted to. You just made it work."
She made a disgusted sound, "Eh, I don't know how people did that. I couldn't be with someone I didn't love. All the annoying things you can't stand about someone getting to you after a while..." She shook her head as her voice died off.
"Probably, but sometimes those little quirks and annoyances turn out to be the things you love most about a person. Robbing and leaving you not included. Those aren't quirks, they're more like flaws. My wife used to cluck her tongue when she was deep in thought. It was so annoying. Now, I'd give anything to hear that sound."
She looked over at him and assumed his wife had passed. "I know." She put her hand on his shoulder now, rubbing it. "But I refused to have a husband that's a thumb sucking mama's boy that gets beat up on the weekends for extra money to raise our children, while robbing me of my underwear and hair straightener every Friday night."
He laughed as he pulled off an exit. "Do you want something to eat?" he asked as they turned into the parking lot of a truck stop.
"I don't have-"
He held out a hand to stop her from speaking. "I asked if you wanted something to eat."
"Yes, please. I'm starved," she admitted.
Joe quickly found a spot and parked the car. "We'll eat here so you can clean up a little." He pulled out his wallet and handed her two twenties. "When we get in there you go get a shirt and a pair of pants if they have them and then pay for a shower. Take your time. When you're done we'll eat."
Her clear blue eyes misted up as she took the money. "Thank you so much. No one's been this kind to me in a long time. Thank you." She leaned over and hugged him.