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Chapter 11
That woman took off in her own car, and I was left on the side of the road. It took me several minutes to walk back to my car, and when I got there, I realized that it wouldn't start and my keys were nowhere to be found. I couldn’t find my keys, my phone, or my purse anywhere. I felt violated, angry, and disoriented.
Only moments before, I had experienced God's supernatural peace, and now I felt a wave of anything but peace. I was full of anxiety. I had the Jeep but none of my personal things. I had to walk back to the gate and deal with the attendant, and even then, Alec's house was another half-mile or mile away.
I did not want to continue in these clothes, but I didn't have anything to change into. It was hot out and I felt so angry that I began to sweat. This made me cry. I finally let go of the tears I had been holding onto since it all started.
"Lord, help me," I begged as silent tears flowed. It took a few minutes for me to get back to the gate, and by that time, I had stopped crying and gotten myself together. In hindsight, I should have taken the time to stop and look for my keys so that I could arrive in my Jeep instead of walking up to his gate like a bedraggled mess. But, I didn't want to get in that gasoline-doused Jeep right then. I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to again.
I trudged to the gate having all sorts of delirious thoughts until finally, I got close enough to make eye contact with the guy on duty. "Hey, my Jeep is up the street, so I'm walking. I'm trying to get to Alec Abramson's house. He's expecting me. I've seen you here before, a bunch of times. I have a Jeep usually. It's down the road. We can call Alec if you need to check, but I'm walking to his house."
The guy looked me over. I was sure by now he saw and smelled the gasoline.
"I had an accident with the gas can," I said, vaguely.
I should have just told the man the truth and had him call the cops right then, but instead, I tried to seem like nothing was wrong.
"And you said he's expecting you?" he asked, looking at me with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes. He is. My name's Grace. I don't have my phone or I would call him. He's expecting my call. He knows I'm coming over."
"I have his number right here," the man said as he kept one eye on me out of his periphery. He put the phone to his ear, and it was several long seconds before I heard him speak. "Yes, Mister Abramson, I have another young woman here at the gate, asking to speak with you."
There was a pause while Alec said something I couldn't hear.
"No sir, it's a different young woman altogether. This one came up on foot."
"I'm Grace!" I said. I spoke loud enough for Alec to hear from the other end, and the guy shot me a look like I should calm down. But then his expression changed with whatever Alec said next.
"Yes, sir, she is," the guy answered, looking at me and nodding as if he was confirming something. "She said she had some trouble with the gas in her car. Okay. Yes sir. I'll tell her." He hung up the phone and gave me an expression that was a lot more compassionate than it had been before. "Mister Abramson said to hold on. He's coming down here himself. He said he'll be here in three minutes."
He opened the gate and let me inside. I walked along the side of the booth and found a shady spot near a small tree to stand while we waited for Alec.
My head was buzzing.
I felt dazed and out of it. I needed to find my keys and also, I never wanted to drive that Jeep again.
Then, in the distance, there was the rumbling sound of an ATV. I heard Alec coming before I saw him appear. Alec had a couple of four-wheelers, and he reached the road on one of them and began tearing down the pavement, heading toward me. I saw the shape of his body because he was driving so fast that his t-shirt was stuck to his frontside. The slack in the fabric whipped in the wind behind him. Alec was stone-faced and booking it to get to me, and I waved at him to let him know I was okay.
I had missed him so much. He was gorgeous and wonderful, and I felt disgusting at the moment. I could understand why women went crazy over Alec, though. He was perfection. He came directly to me, wearing a look of concern. I had a decision to make during those seconds. I hadn't thought of that before, but now that he was approaching, I had to think about what reaction I would let come out.
I was at war with myself. He was so perfect, that I felt unworthy. This made me remember all of the terrible hurtful things this woman had just said to me. I wanted to run away. I wanted to tell him it was over and that all of this was too complicated. I wanted to go to my friend's house and wash off and then go home and be by myself for the rest of my life. My doubt and fear almost caused me to react irrationally in that moment.
But then I remembered that I didn't have to let those thoughts control me. I didn't have to let that woman or the interaction I had with her control my life. If I broke up with Alec because of what she did, then she won.
I gave Alec a doubtful-looking smile as he parked the ATV in front of me.
He was not happy.
"What happened?" he asked, quickly turning off the engine as he stared at me, waiting for an answer. He had a small gas can on the back rack. He thought I had run out of gas and he was here to come to my rescue.
He got off of the ATV and came to stand near me. His movements were quick, confident, and unrepentant. Masculinity was dripping off of him, and I was more than ready for him to swoop in and rescue me.
"Let's not get my Jeep right now," I said. "I'll get on the back, and we can go to your house." The guard was there, and he could hear everything. "I'll tell you everything in a minute."
We got back on Alec's four-wheeler, and I got situated so that my legs were hanging carefully on the side of him so that I wouldn’t touch him with the gasoline. He drove far enough away from the guard's booth that we couldn't be overheard, but he stopped and immediately turned to me.
"What happened?" he said.
