October Rain

After another few miserable minutes, she walked up to the door of the small house. She stood there, shivering, and tried to smooth back her hair before she knocked on the door.


The woman who peeked through the slightly opened door was about her age, or so it seemed. She wore jeans and a man’s flannel shirt, her hair was neatly combed, and she had fuzzy house slippers on her feet. The woman didn’t say any thing at first. After a few seconds, she opened the door and said, "Honey, you come in here right now. You look like death warmed over. What happened to you?"


"I – I almost hit a d - deer and –and –and ran my car in a ditch and I couldn’t g - get it out so I s – s – s - started to walk and then it r - rained and I-"


"Hush now. Your’ teeth are chattering. You can tell me later. Let’s get you out of those wet clothes and warmed up first." She held out her hand. "I’m Sarah. What’s your name, Honey?"


"Ci – Ci - Cindy."


"Come right over here by the fire, Cindy. It’s a good thing I have a fireplace. Storm’s knocked out the power. That’s why you see that kerosene lamp and all the candles."


"Can I use your phone?"


"It went out too, just as I was going to hang up on one of those damned salesmen."


The fire seemed scalding hot after the cold rain, but Cindy leaned over and drank in the heat. While she baked her hands and face, Sarah took off Cindy’s jacket.


"I’ll have to hang your clothes up by the fire to dry them out. Let’s have your shirt and jeans next."


"Is there somewhere I can take them off?"


"Well, you can go back outside if you want to freeze some more, but I’d stay here by the fire if I was you. Now off with ‘em, and your underwear too. It’s got to be as wet as the rest of you. I’ll go get a towel and a blanket."


When Sarah came back, Cindy was standing naked in front of the fire. She automatically covered her breasts and mound with her hands and turned away.


Sarah laughed. "No need to be modest, Honey. It’s just you and me and Hector here, and Hector hasn’t chased a girl in years."


"Hector…you husband?"


"Land sakes alive, no. Hector’s my cat. Harry left me a few years ago. Hector stayed, so I figured we were meant for each other. " Sarah frowned. "Got yourself all muddy out there too, didn’t you? You need a bath, Honey, and in the worst way. Won’t take but a few minutes to heat up some water by the fire and then you can have one. In the meantime, wrap this blanket around you. It’ll keep you warm…and keep your modesty too." She chuckled as she went off to the kitchen.


The bathroom was enormous, and the wonderful floral scent of a dozen candles filled the air, but that wasn’t what caught Cindy’s attention. In one corner stood an old-fashioned, claw foot, cast iron bathtub. She was still staring at it when Sara cam in carrying two steaming buckets.


"When they put indoor plumbing in this house, they used up a whole room, and that’s the tub they got. I kinda like it, even though it’s hard to get it warmed up. This water was boiling, so it ought to warm up real fast."

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