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By Friday night, Ryan couldn’t wait to get back to Babylon. Stuck in traffic before he even got to the bridge, he got on a call with Betsy to make the ride home seem faster.
“Well, what’s the verdict after three days?” she asked.
“After three days, the commute is killing me. I’ve got to find a place to rent in the city or I will not last. The job is demanding enough.”
And then, out of the blue, the name Jolene Sanders drifted through his mind. Jolene of the oral sex escapade in the Poconos the year before, which had precipitated the end of his relationship with Lisa.
“Betsy, I’ll call you later. Traffic is nuts!”
He ended the call while the traffic was at a standstill and keyed in Bank of China. Looking at his watch, he saw it was only five o’clock. Maybe he could catch Jolene. The number came up, and he hit call.
“Bank of China,” a recorded message said. “Speak or key in the name or exchange you are looking for.”
“Jolene Sanders,” he said.
In a second, the call went through.
“Jolene Sanders,” a familiar voice said.
His heart rate speeding up, Ryan couldn’t remember why he was calling for a second. Then he remembered.
“Jolene, it’s Ryan Maddox. We met last year at my friend’s cabin in the Poconos. You came to my house for a barbecue.”
Silence.
“I know it probably feels weird, but Lisa and I split up and I’m working downtown, and I thought of you. Maybe you’d like to go for a drink after work.”
“Well, what do you know? Ryan effing Maddox.”
“Yep, that’s what they call me. Can I pick you up, or do you want to meet somewhere?” Ryan asked.
“You’re downtown now. Is that what you’re telling me?” Jollene confirmed.
“I’m stuck in traffic on Delancy at the moment. I’d love to see you,” Ryan said, blanching that he was simpering.
“I guess I can allow you to drive me home instead of taking the subway on a Friday night. Sure.”
She rattled off the address, and he repeated it.
So, he was going to drive her home instead of getting a drink. It was a good thing he hadn’t asked Betsy to drop by. He scratched his chin, grinning as the car stopped in front of him. This was getting interesting.
“I’ll see you as soon as I can,” he said. “This traffic sucks.”
Ten minutes later, he pulled up in front of her building. She was waiting there but didn’t recognize him. Watching her look around made him laugh. She was probably not expecting him to be in a family vehicle. He rolled the window down and called out for her. She ducked down and saw him.
“Ryan. Nice ride,” she said, snickering when stretched across the passenger seat and pushed the door open for her.
“Yeah, it’s all she’d let me have when I left. Truthfully, the other choices weren’t much better. A huge gas-guzzling SUV with nine seatbelts or a Sprinter Van.”
Jolene looked around at the interior of the car and grinned. “It’s got four wheels, which is all it takes.”
“What do you drive?”
“A Mini Cooper. It’s currently got a flat tire, so I’m at the mercy of the MTA.”
“I’m glad I thought of you, then.”
She asked how his situation had come about, and he gave her a shortened but honest version.
