U.G.L.Y (15 page)

It
was
dark
now
and
the
road
ahead,
illuminated
by
the
cars
headlights,
seemed
to
fade
into
a
dark
abyss in the distance.
The
car
rolled
along
over
the
subtle
hills. One after another they rose and fell, like waves on the sea.

I
was
getting
drowsy
now
and
my
mind
was
fogging
up.
I
fumbled
in
the
center
console
for the IPod and tried to change the music to something more upbeat that might wake me.
The
sound
of
rain
came
through
the
speakers,
then
a
sullen
baseline
setting
the
tone
of
the
song.

“
Riders
on
the
storm
”
the
lyrics
began.

My mind started to f
ade again as the lyrics repeated.
T
he
road
ran
on
into
the
dark
and
the
music
played
in
the
background.
An
image
began
to
form
in
my
cloudy
mind.

The
morning
sun
streaked
through
gaps
in
window
curtains,
beams
stretch
across
a
quiet
room.
I
opened my
eyes and
found myself lying
in
bed.
It was
morning,
and I
could
feel
a
warmth in the air,
like
summer.
The
windows
in the room were
open
and
a
ceiling
fan
was
spinning
overhead,
circulating
warm
soothing
air
around
my
body.

I
didn't
know
how
I
got
there
but
it
felt
good.
I
felt
good,
no
stress,
or
tension,
nothing
lingering
or
nagging
in my
mind. I hadn't felt like that in a very long time.

    
A
soft
moan
escaped
a
body
lying
next
to
me. C
overed
in
a
thin
white
bed
sheet.
I
turned
to
see
my
partner
but
I
can't
focus
on
her.
The
figure
rolled
over
to
face
me and
as
she
did
the
sheet
slips
to
the
side
revealing
a
beautiful
naked
body.

I
followed
the
curves
of
her
body
as
my
focus
cleared.
I
traced the curve of
her
legs,
her
hips,
her
mid
section,
the
swell
of
her
breasts.
My
eyes
rolled
over
her
shoulders
and
along
her
neck, I
stopped to
focus
on
her
hair, it was dark with subtle curls.

Her
form
was
familiar.
I
had
felt
her
before,
felt
her
presence,
I
knew
her,
but
her
face
was
not
clear.
S
he
wasn't
recognizable
but
still
attached
to
me
somehow.
I
knew
her
as
my
lover.

She
slid
towards
me
and
gently
grasped
my erection, gent
ly
kissing
me
.
T
ightening
her
grip
she
slowly
moved
her
hand, sending an intense sensation through my body with each stroke
. She
slid
her
tongue
into
my
mouth,
caressing mine
.

I
felt
an
overwhelming
warmth and
love.
I knew I loved this woman but I still didn't know who she was
.
I couldn't focus on her face.

She
wrapped
her
legs
around
me
and
I could feel
her
heat
against
my
leg.
I
could
feel
how
aroused
she
was
. She was wet, pressing hard against me she moaned softly.

In
the
distance,
outside
the
bedroom
window
a
horn
began
to
blow.
A
deep
horn
like
the
kind
you
hear
on
a
big
truck.
It
began
to
get
louder
and
sound
closer.
E
ventually
it
sounded
like
a
truck
had
pulled
up
under
the
window
of the bedroom and blared its horn. As
it
got
louder
the
light
in
the
room
got
brighter.
Brighter
and
brighter
until
the beautiful form of this woman was washed out by the light
.

     I
opened
my
eyes
to
find
I
had
fallen
asleep
and
drifted
across
lanes.
I
was
facing
the
headlights
of
a
very
large
semi
truck.

Panicked,
I
sat
upright
in
the
drivers
seat.
I
leaned
forward
and
jerked
the
steering
wheel
hard
to
the
left.
The
semi
truck
attempted
to
swerve
out
of
my
path
but
the
two
vehicles
made
contact.
It didn't take more than a touch at the speed we were traveling. A
slight
touch
was
enough
to send my
SUV
into
a
spin
and
it
careened
off
the
road
into
the
dark
desert.
 

     I
managed
to
keep
control
of
the
car
and
bring
it
to
a
stop.
I
laid
my
head
down
on
the
steering
wheel.
My
body
shook from the adrenaline rush that was so intense,
I couldn’t stop myself from
crying.

    
After
a
while
the
shaking
had
stopped
and
I
lifted
my
head,
wiped
my
eyes
and
looked
out through
the
windshield.
The
dust
had
settled
and
I
could
see
that
the
headlights
were
partially
obscured
by
large
desert
plants.
J
ust
beyond
that,
the
ground
seemed
to
disappear.
10
Feet
ahead
of
the
vehicle,
the
ground
fell
away at least
100
feet
down
into
darkness
.
A
very
large
ditch was
cut
in
to the desert, housing
railway
tracks
as
they
traveled
under
the
highway.

     I
turned
off
the
car,
killed
the
headlights
and
stepped out into the cool desert air. I took a deep breath and began to feel a calm wash over me again.
Still
shaking,
I
sat
down
on
the
ground
and
just
stared
off
to
the
north,
listening
to
the
wind.