Jared and Gnat - Part Nine - Meeting Moxy Mae Rotter
The red Ford Focus roared down at the highway with the sun high above. I noticed that the speedometer read '90mph', but I doubted it... This piece of junk? I'm not complaining, but get real. It was probably doing seventy at most. At the rate we were going, we would make half of the journey by sundown; and we had enough money to buy a room at some roadside motel for the night. Things were going pretty smoothly; the highway was only occasionally dotted with traffic, making for pleasant driving indeed.
Gnat was full of energy and was enjoying the road trip immensely. This summer was one of the hottest on record, so the window was down, and he stuck his head out to take in the desert air. Eventually, his eyes started to water, and he returned fully inside the car.
"You enjoying yourself, there, rabbit?" "Yeah. Feels good to be out on the road."
He grinned, not being able to keep his head still, always finding a way to entertain himself. This was Gnat though; it was very hard to find him bored; one of the things I love about him. Those often bored are bores themselves. Gnat was one to keep his mouth shut unless he had something of interest to say... The exact opposite of me. Getting me talking is the easy part; it's shutting me up that's the challenge.
There was silence for a while, and my thoughts drifted back to the matter at hand. My predictions of people's reactions were always way off, but I could usually make a guess. What worried me this time is I had no inkling of just how my parents would react when I show up on their doorstep after twenty years dead; probably because there would be too many emotions to pick one out of a dozen. I guess it was something I'd just have to face when I go- "Jared!"
I snapped out of my daydreams.
"Oh shit!" I shouted when I saw the cause of the commotion.
A green truck about ten metres in front of us had lost both tires, and was now swerving dangerously across the road. The crash happened in the course of a few seconds. Their swerving became more and more erratic as the driver tried to regain control, and I slowed down to avoid making the accident worse. Eventually, the truck rolled onto its side, and slid into the roadside ditch where it came to rest overturned. I slammed on the brakes and pulled over. We both exited the car without a word and rushed to the ditch. I stared at the smouldering wreck for a moment, then leapt down and scurried to the truck.
I threw myself to my knees when I reached the driver's side of the car and peered inside. Whoever was in there was thrashing about; alive and kicking indeed, but I couldn't make out species or gender through the murky window.
"Help!" came the cry from inside.
"Stand back!" I shouted in response.
With one swift movement, I kicked the window of the overturned truck in. A satisfying tinkling of glass followed. A spluttering sounded from inside the wreck. Two hands emerged: blackened and burned. Instinctively, I grabbed them and pulled.
That was how I met Moxy Mae Rotter.
I met her with burns on her hands, sweat on her face and ash in her throat. She coughed and heaved in my arms. In the heat of the moment, I had not noticed Gnat was gone. But Gnat was already back at my side with a bottle of water in his hand.
"Found this in the car," he said and placed it on the ground. I nodded to him and slung Moxy's arm around my shoulder while he took the other. With our combined effort, she was back on her feet in little time. The otter stumbled around on our shoulders for a little.
"Thank you. Oh, thank you," she spluttered with sincerity. I could only grunt in acknowledgement. It seemed so inadequate, but it was all I could manage. We sat her down on the edge of the ditch where she could regain her composure. After a little air and some water, her breathing slowed down back to its normal rate.
"I can't thank you enough... The tires went, and I lost control." "Don't worry about it," I said with a weak smile.
"I'm Moxy. Moxy Mae Rotter."
"I'm Jared, and this is Gnat."
Gnat bowed his head humbly.
She wore a loose fitting shirt, with no bra underneath, and a multi-coloured beaded necklace hung from her neck. Her faded jeans were covered with dust at the bottom; obviously a woman who had done her fair share of walking. But why were her jeans this way if she was driving? I noticed that she had a black eye. Was it from the crash? It didn't look recent.
"Sorry about your car," Gnat said.
"Fuck it," was her simple response.
"Where were you off to anyway?" I asked.
She had noticed the faint tone of suspicion in my voice and raised her ears. Her mouth hung open a little, and her eyes glassed over as she tried to think of a response.
"You know, forget I asked," I said and sat on the ground in front of her. Gnat did the same. Such a gesture gave her a feeling a power and control over the situation. "We're off to Denver. Is that any use to you?" I asked.
Her ears perked up once more. "Yeah, actually," she confirmed and got to her feet. We stayed close to her on each side, a thing which she evidently didn't like, as she was tucking her body in as a defensive gesture. Gnat leaned the passenger seat forward so he could get in the back, and Moxy climbed gingerly in the front. The engine was still running... We pulled out and continued our journey in silence.
There was something off about this Moxy person... Her black eye and that look that she'd been through more than a car crash. She would be a difficult person to get her to open up, or maybe she was just going through some post-traumatic stress. The otter didn't move much, and we both knew better than to start conversation. She just stared straight ahead... It was almost as if she was frightened of what she'd left behind her.
The orange sun glowed low in the darkening sky. It was baking hot, even with the windows down. A yawn escaped my mouth... After a little while we came across a sign:
SERVICES
2 MILES
It was getting dark now, and the logical thing was to turn in for the night. I pulled into the promised service station, which bore a McDonalds, a Texaco gas station, and Sunset Inn. It wasn't much, but it was all we could hope for after today. We walked single file: me leading, Gnat following, and Moxy at the back. Behind the reception of the inn sat an elderly mouse reading a newspaper, with thick spectacles and sporting a pink company uniform. She smiled politely, as did I.
"We need a two bedroom room for the night. I can pay up front."
She put down her crossword and tapped something up on the computer.
"You're in luck. There's just one of that criteria available. It's $80 for the night. You'll be in Room 37. Is that okay?"
"That's great, thanks," I replied and gave her the appropriate money.
She handed me the key, and that was that.
Moxy quickly scurried off up the stairs and located our quarters rather quickly. I grinned and kiss Gnat on the cheek when we caught up with her. As soon as my lips touched Gnat's rosy cheeks, Moxy let out the most relieved sigh I'd heard anyone expel for a while. Ever muscle of her being seemed to relax, and she had to lean against the wooden door to support her relief.
"You okay?" I asked, muffled by a chuckle.
"Just dandy," she said and blushed deeply.
I turned the key and entered the motel room. It was a modest place, just what you'd expect, which pleased me. Predictability gave me comfort. Moxy began to undress immodestly in front of us. She pulled off her shirt, revealing her plump breasts and idly tossed it across the room. The otter noticed our stunned looks.
"What? You're gay," was her response.
The three of us threw our heads back and laughed for a long time. It was a bad joke, but for the first time in years I could laugh without coughing my guts up.
By the time I stopped laughing, Gnat was already in bed and asleep. "The fucker..." I said and curled up next to him. Moxy stood there with her breasts out, in nothing but her panties.
"Jared?" "Mhm?"
"Can I sleep with you both tonight?"
She looked down at the floor.
"I don't want to be alone... Not after today. Not... Not ever again." Her eyes were glassy.
"Sure."
And so she did.