Cassanova, WY

Eliza’s car gives one final clunk and sputter before rolling into the ditch on the side of Highway 50.

“Fuck!” she slamed her hands against the steering wheel in frustration before slumping over it and sighing. Her car had been through a lot and apparently had finally given up. If only she weren’t in the middle of absolutely nowhere. With zero bars no less. Looking around, she spots a farmhouse in the distance. Hopefully someone would be home.

Jack Wills was surprised to hear a knock at his door. Out in the middle of the state, visitors weren’t just rare, they were nearly impossible. He opened it to see a blonde woman standing on his porch. She looked a bit bedraggled, as though she’d been on the road for some time, and thoroughly exasperated. She was dressed in a simple t-shirt and leggings, but they highlighted her hourglass figure perfectly.

Eliza looked into the eyes of a middle-aged but fit man. He had sharp features and a hint of grey at the temples.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Can I use your phone?” she sounded as drained as she looked.

Jack opened the screen door and waved her in. She paused for a moment before crossing the threshold. “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

“My car finally gave up. Just… sputtered and died on the side of the road.” She gestured vaguely in the direction of a blue sedan in the ditch on the edge of his property. “I need to call AAA.”

“Oh they’ll take forever to get out here. How about I call a buddy of mine and we take you into town?”

She looked suspicious, “Really?”

“Yeah the closest AAA shop is probably… well frankly it’s probably in Belle Fourche.”

Her shoulders sagged. “Fuck me.”

Jack laughed a little too sharply. “Well, I’ll get you something to drink first.” Something wolfish flashed behind his eyes for a second.

“God, sorry about the language. It’s… it’s just been a long day.”

“I’m just joking around. But you still look like you could use something. My wife made lemonade, I’ll get some. Have a seat.” He waved at the living room and walked out.

Eliza glanced around the living room. The furniture was plain and a bit eclectic, as though it had been gifted from multiple sources. She smiled as she looked at the desk; no matter where you were, IKEA was universal. She heard Jack in the other room on the phone but couldn’t quite make out what he was saying.

In the kitchen, Jack was on the phone with a friend closer to town. He put a few drops of something into the glass of lemonade he prepared for his guest, “yeah, look, I haven’t talked to her much yet, but I have a good feeling about her…. Yeah, bring the truck. Her car looks well and truly kaput. Oh and tell Jessica to stay in town…. Thanks man.”

He hung up and returned to his guest. He found her looking at a family photo on the wall in the living room.

“Big family, huh?” She gestured at the frame.

“Yeah, my wiv- wife and I stay busy.” He laughed. The photo featured four women, all considerably younger than his 45 years. Surrounding the adults were seven children of various ages.

“Where are they all?”

“In town, she likes to do something special after school on Fridays.”

“That’s nice.” Eliza smiled as he handed her the glass.

“So what brings you out here?”

“Oh, I’m moving. Basically everything I own is in that car.”

“Are you moving for anything?”

“No, it was just time… to move on. I figured I’d just go West and see what happened.” She took a big sip from her glass. “Oh wow, tell your wife this is delicious.”

“You’ll get to meet her once we get you to town. I told Mike to let her know to stay.”

Eliza drank the glass down quickly. She knew she hadn’t been hydrating well on her road trip and the homemade lemonade was incredible. There was something a little unique under the tartness of the lemon. She thought she’d ask Jack’s wife when they met what it was.

She blinked. Suddenly she was starting to feel a little fuzzy. She stumbled, catching herself on the couch.

“S-sorry. I guess the drive tired me out more than I thought.”

“Oh no problem at all, here.” Jack offered his arm and guided her to the couch. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“O-ok.” Eliza had started to slur her words. “I’ll jusht lie… down…”

She was out like a light.