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The Gift
Niev
Deep in her thoughts, Niev Snow drove down a dark, curvy road toward home. She’d spent the last two days camping in the woods, far away from everything and everyone. Now she was tired and hungry, but she’d been too afraid to stop at the diner she’d passed a few miles back. Too afraid for two reasons: her car, which she lovingly called Berta, would most likely not start up again if she stopped. Second, she was too afraid people would see her like this. She’d done her best to wash off all the blood before heading back home, but she hadn’t been able to get it all. She cringed as she remembered all the things she’d done to herself.
A loud noise and a bright light brought her back to the here and now. Her check engine light flashed like a bad omen, and Berta slowed down, refusing to speed up again. She let out a frustrated sound and tears ran down her cheeks.
“Why now, Berta?”
Thankfully, Berta made it to the next gas station. She crept into the parking lot, where, with a loud noise, Berta’s engine died. Niev had known before going on this trip that Berta was close to breaking down, but she’d hoped she would survive for one last trip. She took the keys out of the ignition and turned around to fetch her backpack and hoodie from the back seat. She pulled the hood to cover her face and got out of the car. She was not eager to see people, reluctant to even let strangers see her in such a state. She prayed the gas station was empty.
As she walked toward the gas station, she noticed a mechanic shop hidden away in the far back of the parking lot. It looked a little old but well taken care of. Unfortunately, the shop seemed closed. She sighed, annoyed, and opened the door to the store.
She was in luck. The store was empty, only the cashier was sitting behind the counter facing a TV that hung high up in the corner. As she walked down the aisles, it was hard to decide what she wanted. She was hungry but had no appetite. The past few days, she’d barely eaten anything at all. She grabbed a water bottle and a Coke from the refrigerators in the back and kept walking through the aisles to try and find something she could manage to eat.
She was trying to decide between a sweet or salty snack when she heard the doorbell ring. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall man wearing a black leather jacket walk in. She lingered in the back of the store, hoping the man would leave quickly. She decided on both salty and sweet, grabbing a bag of peach rings and a bag of pretzels. She turned to the next aisle and heard the man start up a conversation with the cashier. Something in his voice seemed familiar. The conversation was a long-lasting one as they seemed to be old friends. Not wanting to draw unwanted attention to herself by lingering even more, she made her way to the front of the store. She kept her head down and stepped toward the counter, where the men were standing at the far end of it. She placed her items by the cash register.
The cashier looked up and smiled at her. He was an older man with gray hair and a friendly, wrinkly face. According to his name tag on his chest, his name was Cliff.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, miss.” He came over and started to ring up all her items.
Niev’s gaze fell on the tall man with the leather jacket. She knew right away why his voice had sounded familiar: she’d seen him before.
Her mind flashed back to a few weeks ago, to the night that had changed her life. That night she’d stopped at a corner store on her way home from work. She’d craved chocolate all day, and since it had been her payday, she’d wanted to treat herself. Stepped into the store, she’d grabbed her chocolate. While standing in front of the cash register, she’d been digging through her backpack in search of her wallet.
“Don’t worry, beautiful. I got it,” a deep, male voice had said to her.
She’d looked up at the man who had been standing behind her. He’d been handsome, tall, and wore a black leather jacket with jeans and dark, dirty boots.
“No. Save it for a rainy day,” she’d told him and had paid for her chocolate herself.
Niev was pulled back to the present by Cliff’s friendly voice. “That’ll be $10.65, my dear.”
“Yes, of course.” She handed him eleven dollars. “Can you tell me when the mechanic next door opens again?”
“Mr. Jackson will be back in the morning around eight o’clock.”
“Thank you.”
As he handed her the change, she gave him a warm smile. She took it, grabbed her things, and rushed out of the store toward her car. She was digging in her backpack for her car keys, hoping Berta would turn back on. If not, she would have to spend the night in her car and hope the mechanic would be able to help her in the morning.
“Do you need some help there?” The voice startled her; she hadn’t heard anyone walk up behind her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She turned around and saw the tall man from inside the store. “No worries, I got it. Berta is stubborn with me today.”
“Do you always turn down a helping hand?” He didn’t say it in a bad way, even throwing a teasing smile her way.
“Just the ones I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m Blake Timber.”
He held out his hand, a sweet smile on his face. Something deep within told her she could trust him, and without a second thought she took his hand and shook it. “Niev Snow.”
“Pop the hood. Let’s see why she’s so stubborn today.”
Niev did as he asked and watched as he leaned over Berta’s engine. She truly hoped he would be able to fix her and that she didn’t have to spend the night here.
He asked her a few times to try and start Berta up, using his phone as a flashlight. As she watched him, her thoughts returned to the night she first met him, which was the same night her life had taken a sharp turn.
