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The radio played quietly, but I was enjoying the snowflakes that gently landed on the windshield before drifting away. Luna was going to love getting out and playing in the snow. I was told she’d fetch a ball, but I didn’t know if she would run around by herself or if she would make me run with her.
That image brought a smile to my face. If I tried to run in the snow, I’d probably look like an abominable snowman.
I wasn’t fat, but I definitely wasn’t thin.
When I was in my twenties, I was pretty ripped. But as I moved through my thirties, the rivers and valleys of my abs turned into ponds and shorelines. And even though I worked out regularly, there was less definition than there used to be.
I still had the strength I’d had in my prime because of a mostly manual job, but without devoting hours to actual weight lifting, I had more of a “dad bod” than I liked to admit.
Fortunately, there were plenty of boys who were into dad bods like mine. I just hadn’t found the right one yet.
When I saw a gas station up ahead, I pulled over to fuel up and take a piss. In case we did get stuck on the side of the road for a few hours, I wanted to make sure I could leave the engine running so we didn’t freeze to death. At least, there wasn’t much traffic on the road. The fewer idiots making bad decisions in the weather, the easier my life was.
The dark road was lined with widely spaced houses and woods on both sides. Most houses had many acres between them, so there was plenty of privacy for the people who lived there. It seemed peaceful in the dead of night.
I slowed down a bit, anxious to get home but aware that if something happened to the truck, we probably wouldn’t have any cars passing by till morning. A rare streetlight flickered up ahead, and I realized it was shining over an enclosed bus stop. The plexiglass walls were scratched up and covered in graffiti, but with a quick glance, I recognized the shape of someone inside.
On instinct, my foot eased off the gas pedal, and I slowed down before finally flipping a U-turn and heading back to the bus stop. I couldn’t imagine there were any buses running that late, and anybody sitting for a prolonged period of time out there would freeze to death.
I slowly passed the bus stop opening to make sure I wasn’t imagining it, but there was definitely a body crumpled up on the bench.
“Fuck, is that a dead body?”
As if she could tell something was up, Luna stood on the backseat and her big head landed on my shoulder again.
“It’s okay, Luna. We’re just gonna go see who’s out there.”
I backed up so I was right in front of the opening to the bus shelter and rolled down my window, hoping the person would come to me.
When they didn’t so much as stir, I started to get nervous. I cranked up the heat in the cab and hopped out of my truck to go check for myself.
A small wisp of a man was curled up in such a tight ball, I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not. Despite the thick jacket he wore, it was obvious he was freezing.
“Hey, there. You okay?” I kneeled down right in front of the man and tried to make eye contact.
His head was buried inside the crook of his elbow, so I couldn’t see if he acknowledged me or not.
“Hey, man.” I nudged his shoulder, gently at first and then with a little more force. “You can’t stay here. You’re gonna freeze to death.”
He twitched just enough to let me know he was alive, but he didn’t say a word as his head slowly lifted up and turned toward me. After a few seconds of him just staring, it seemed like his eyes were able to focus on me, and he swallowed hard. “I’m fine. Just leave me be.”
Not today, kiddo. “Nope. We need to get you warmed up. Can you walk?”
His eyes fluttered shut, and he started to lean toward me as if he had lost consciousness.Fuck. I scooped him up in my arms and carried him into the front seat of the truck. I didn’t know what else to do with him, but I couldn’t just leave him there to die.
By the time I jogged around the front of my truck and got into the driver’s seat, Luna had hopped over the center console and draped her whole body over this poor guy.
“Luna, backseat. You’re gonna crush him.”
The man shook his head slightly and wrapped both arms around her neck, probably soaking in her warmth.
“Oh, okay. Well, let me know if she gets too heavy.”
He lowered his face onto the back of her neck and sucked in a deep breath before the tears started to flow down his cheek.
4
JESSE
