Clank!

The three pound can hit the cement with such force, Ashley winced. She watched it continue bouncing another time or two before coming to rest on one of its dented sides. Tears welling up in anger, she kicked it so violently with her toe-less sandal, the sudden pain convinced her she now had a broken toe.

Grasping the plastic bag tighter to prevent dropping the remaining food left in the top-heavy bag, she squeezed her eyes shut asking herself why she had such a short fuse these days. She suddenly sensed someone nearby. She opened her eyes to see a stranger standing before her, oversized hands resting on each side of his slender waist. He wore an impish grin on his square face.

She raised an eyebrow and for some silly reason he must have thought she was being funny. He broke into a loud laugh, then quickly submerged his wide mouth behind the back of one hand.

"I’m sorry." He stooped to pick up the can. "I saw what happened but it’s the look on your face that I found amusing." He reached for the shopping bag and began readjusting the other food items inside before dropping the coffee can in. "Poor sacking, isn’t it?"

She nodded. "The dummy put that big can of coffee right on top of all the other stuff. The bread is probably crushed on the bottom."

"Not anymore. I rearranged it. Where’s your car, darlin’?"

Ashley never appreciated strangers calling her affectionate names but this once it sounded soothing. His words seemed to be just what she needed to calm down.

She smiled and said softly, "It’s the silver Buick right over there. And thank you."

With her remote, the trunk of the Buick opened. The stranger carefully placed the bag securely inside to prevent it from toppling on the drive home. He stepped back as she slid behind the steering wheel. Suddenly, a speeding car zipped across the parking lot and nearly sideswiped her car. The stranger fell to the ground.

Ashley screamed. She turned to see if the speeding automobile would stop and offer assistance. The driver never even slowed down. He pulled out onto the boulevard and was out of sight in seconds.

She knelt beside the Good Samaritan and pressed an ear against his chest. She could detect nothing so she grabbed one of his hands and sighed with relief when she felt a very faint pulse. Snatching her cellular from her purse, she dialed the emergency number and gave the operator her location. She sat down to wait beside the unconscious stranger. It was frightening the way he was lying in a heap on the steaming cement. She continued to murmur, "Hang on, please hang on."

Deceitful Delights -2 (Continue)