Have you ever been so lostKnown the way and still so lost
Another night waiting for someone to take me home
Have you ever been so lost
Lost-Katy Perry
still Sunday, June 13th
“Come on Red, it’s getting late. We have to go,” Slade tried again to get her attention but his pleas fell on deaf ears. It was almost as if an evil, junkyard spirit had taken over her as she rummaged through piles of junk at an incredibly dizzying speed. He still didn’t know what she was looking for but one thing was certain, he wasn’t helping her wade through all that dirt.
“My name is not Red. And you can go ahead without me. Just pick me up on your way home,” Stefanie cried excitedly as she tackled another mound of rubbish. She could see the end of her problems already. If she collected enough scraps and miraculously found an inventing station she could build her time-machine in no time.
It took Slade a little over fifteen minutes to convince her to get back in the car. When she finally did he recklessly sped into town, eager to make her someone else’s problem.
He had a plan…not the smartest but still a plan. He would quickly check with the officers if someone had reported her missing and he’d gladly hand her over. He guessed the whole exercise wouldn’t take more than five minutes. He really hoped someone was looking for her. If not he was screwed!
Now, he glanced over his shoulder one last time before entering the police station. He just wanted to make sure Stefanie was still in the van and unsuspecting of his ruse since he’d told her he was going in to sign some papers.
_______________
He was not a happy camper when he left the station a half- hour later. His not so smart plan had backfired on him and his worst nightmare had come true. Stefanie was not a missing person and the cops couldn’t bring her in since she wasn’t a criminal. It looked like she was his problem…for now.
“Shit!” He let out a frustrated growl when he saw his van was still there. But there was no sign of Stefanie. She could not have wandered too far and someone must have seen her. He convinced himself as he drove through the quiet suburban streets of Twinbrook.
His last port of call after a fruitless two hour search was the Town Center, a small community park, centrally located in town. The first blast from the past he ran into was none other than Goodwin Goode. Without thinking about how five years might have changed Goodwin’s perception of him, Slade got straight to the point.
“…Have you seen her?” He asked once he’d finished describing Stefanie.
“No…I haven’t! What about Sofia dude? You’re just going to flaunt your redhead in her face? What?” Goodwin asked bitterly. It was obvious where Goodwin’s loyalties lay. Slade wasn’t really surprised by this; after all the whole town was on Sofia’s camp.
“It’s good to see you again man,” Slade pointedly ignored his old friend’s rant and firmly shook his hand before walking away. He didn’t owe anyone any explanations and he was tired of being made out to be the bad guy. Yes he left Sofia at the altar but did they ever wonder why?
_______________
Stefanie knew she was in trouble when nightfall came. She was homeless and stuck in the wrong time with no prospects of returning home. Back in her time she was a renowned inventor, with five university degrees ranging from Robotics to Time-Traveling! But here, she was reduced to sifting through dirt piles. Not that she minds, after all dumpster diving is her favorite past time. But still…
“What have we here?” She mused loudly as she picked up a long steel pipe. She liked junk. Junk didn’t bullshit you. Junk didn’t promise to help you and then hand you over to the wolves the first chance it got. Junk is junk and what you see is what you get. But sometimes it opened so many possibilities… for her at least!
Damn you Slade Fernmore, I trusted you and look where that got me? Never again! She wished it was his head she was crushing in her hands instead of the cool pipe.
She’d caught on to him as soon as they pulled up at the station. She guessed he’d planned on turning her in…as if she’s a small-time criminal! But thank God for Rotten Sinbad. Or was it Sinbad Rotter, the scary looking man with weird tattoos? Anyway he gladly gave her a lift and invited her to a beach party sometime next month. If she was still around then she’d attend. Free food, right?
______________
Slade was passing the junkyard on his way home when he remembered Stefanie’s enthusiasm earlier. It looked dark and scary and ordinarily it was not a place he’d want to hang around in but then again she might be there…alone and scared…So he parked his van and quickly got out. He half walked and half ran inside the yard, all the while calling out her name.
“Stefanie, it’s me…Slade. Are you here?” He called out for the tenth time. Again only deafening silence answered him.
He was about to give up when he saw her walk towards him. He could see she was mad at him. He didn’t blame her. If the situation was reversed he’d be mad too. But he was only trying to help. She could have been a missing person and someone could have been looking for her. And it was the right thing to do.
“Could you scream any louder?” She glared at him when she was close enough. He noticed then her eyes were not green after all. Or maybe they were. Maybe they changed color. But now they were a stormy grey and it wasn’t hard to figure out the source of her anger.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” Slade murmured softly, praying he wouldn’t have to use force and carry her to the van.
“No. I’m staying here. And you can’t rat me out for trespassing, you know why? Because it’s a junkyard! So go back to your stupid little house in the sticks and leave me alone!” Stefanie retorted obstinately. The junkyard was perfect for her. It belonged to one. Like her!
“I’m sorry Red. I thought someone might be looking for you…that’s why I went down to the station. You can’t expect me to believe the ‘future’ story, right?” Slade gave her his roguish half smile. Women went crazy over his smile, along with the fact that he was a fireman. Mhh, maybe he should try that on her too. But he knew she wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about his profession right then.
“Actually, Slade, I do expect you to believe me because it’s the truth. I’m not from here. Actually I am from Twinbrook but where I come from it’s 2025 and I want to go home as much as you want to get rid of me but I can’t because my stupid portal is missing!” She snapped at him.
“Okay, just come with me…We’ll figure something out. I promise…” he told her seriously.
“Until you get tired of me and then dump me off at the hospital next? No thanks. I’m staying here,” she wailed sadly. The aftereffects of time traveling were worse now and she wanted nothing more than to sleep in his big inviting bed. But she wasn’t going back to his cabin. She wasn’t his responsibility!
“Don’t be silly. You can’t stay here on your own. It’s not safe…” He didn’t have to finish his sentence to convince her. The rats, she’d failed to notice until then, scurrying on the ground did the job. As much as she loved junk, she hated the stuff it came with sometimes…like the rats.
“Fine,” she quickly agreed as she shuddered visibly at the thought of spending a night with rats.
“And just so you know it’s only for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll figure something out,” she told him over her shoulder as she pushed through the gate.
“If you say so,” Slade chuckled, all the while admiring the view. But they both knew that wasn’t true; she’d be staying with him for a while.
_______________
“Give me a coin,” Stefanie demanded over dinner later that evening.
“Why?” Slade asked curiously, before shoving a spoonful of mac and cheese in his mouth.
“We have to decide who gets the bed,” she answered with a challenging look in her eyes. “And a coin toss is only fair!”
Whoa? His bed? Whatever gave her the idea he was the chivalrous sort? She was more than welcome to share his bed but he wasn’t giving it up.
“I don’t think so. This is clear cut. It’s my bed and you’re the visitor. I’m willing to give you half of my bed but don’t expect me to sleep on the couch,” he appraised her coolly beneath his long lashes. She was an interesting girl. Feisty and gutsy and he liked that. But she was pushing it a bit too far now.
“Are you serious?” Stefanie groaned when she came out of the bathroom a little while later after freshening up and found Slade already fast asleep. She’d thought he was kidding about sharing his bed. But she saw he’d stuck to his end of the deal; he’d made more than enough room for her. Cussing under her breath she reluctantly stripped down to her underwear and turned off the light.
______________
Monday, June 14
So she decided to sleep on the couch after all. Interesting! Slade thought as he glanced at Stefanie’s sleeping form. He knew she’d slept on the couch because she didn’t trust him and he didn’t know why but he felt a little bit insulted. Sure she was exquisite and all, but he could control himself. He would not have jumped at her the first chance he got. Besides he didn’t need that kind of complication in his life.
As if she had a sixth sense and knew she was being watched, Stefanie chose that moment to wake up. Sleeping on the couch is not for the fainthearted. She yawned loudly.
“Morning,” Slade greeted her softly. He felt confused suddenly and he wished he could simplify his life. He’d only been in Twinbrook a little over a day but his life was already a messy, confusing complication. He just hoped she’d sort out her portal thingy- majig fast and be on her way.
“Morning…Are you going to keep staring at me or make me some coffee?” She asked casually over her shoulder.
“The coffeemaker is somewhere in the cupboard. I have to get ready for work,” Slade growled harshly before walking off. Stefanie stared after him questioningly, a confused look in her eyes. Maybe he’s not a morning person and that would explain his grumpiness!
“Stop…Stop…Stop…” Stefanie yelled at the orange contraption Slade said was the coffeemaker as she tried to figure out its mechanics. In 2025 everything is voice activated. But now, in 2010, it looked like she had to press dials and knobs to get results and there were so many different ones on this darn thing.
Finally she settled on the biggest button and guess what? It worked. Technology was so behind in 2010. What the hell would she do when the time came to do her laundry? Darn, she had a lot of adjusting to do!
Mug in hand, Stefanie ventured outside for a mini tour of her new home. The first thing she noticed was the cabin across the stream. It was good to know Slade wasn’t as isolated from the rest of the world as she’d initially thought.
Twinbrook in 2025 was a disaster; her world was filled with simbots, skyscrapers, and more simbots; it was ravaged by global warming and the massive abuse of technology. But Twinbrook in 2010 was amazing. Everything was more natural…peaceful…beautiful…a bit behind with technology but she loved everything about it already.
“Ahhh,” she sighed softly as she breathed in the crisp clean air. Everything about the bayou was unbelievably beautiful and she wished she could stay out here forever. But she had a family to get back to and a time machine to build.
As she reluctantly made her way back to the house, she made a mental note to meet her neighbors across the river. It would be nice to have friends while she was there; she guessed a hot man like Slade must have a full social calendar and she didn’t want to be a third wheel or cramp his style. So the sooner she made friends of her own, the better.
While Stefanie enjoyed the breathtaking view outside, Slade quietly contemplated his ‘situation’. There was no other way to put it but…Red was HOT! And he’d never shared a house, indefinitely, with a HOT woman. The longest Sofia ever stayed was a week; she hated everything about his place, especially the fact that it was in the bayou.
Just then the front door burst open and he couldn’t believe the vision of perfection staring back at him. Having Red around is going to be difficult. He conceded as his eyes trailed a path on her smooth curves.
____________
Stefanie was taken aback when she opened the front door. For a while she stood rooted on the spot, drinking in the raw masculine perfection staring back at her. He’s a firefighter? Wait…Not just a firefighter. But a devastatingly sexy, virile firefighter! She thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
He was hot enough as it is. He didn’t need the added bonus of having a dangerous job. But that, in Stefanie’s eyes, suddenly tripled his social value and she knew right then and there he was definitely taken; there was no way a guy like him could be single.
She was still reeling over the fact that he’s a firefighter and how sexy he looked in his uniform she didn’t hear him when he said his goodbye as he left for work. She didn’t even notice he was gone until she heard the door bang loudly behind him.
She didn’t know what exactly about him being a firefighter excited her so much. Maybe it was the uniform? Or the dangerous job? But she knew one thing for sure…her stay in 2010 had suddenly become ten times more interesting.
To be continued…
