Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 16:48:22 +0000 From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com> Subject: Chance Encounter, Chapter 1 Chance Encounter by David Lee © 2016 A random act of kindness is about to have a profound effect on the life of the person performing it. Chapter 1 It was a pleasant spring day and I'd put the top down on my convertible before heading for the health club to do my daily workout. Since I did most of my job at home on the computer, there wasn't any reason for me to keep a routine schedule, but I liked to get my exercise out of the way before I got involved with other obligations. That way, I knew it would get done. Besides, there were some pretty hot bods at the gym at that hour. As I was driving along on this particular morning, I noticed a young man whom I'd often seen at the bus stop about four miles from my home. The neighborhood wasn't dangerous, but was definitely not upscale. Because I lived on the other side of the freeway and a small lake, my home was well insulated from it. The guy was pacing as he waited, and it occurred to me that he must not have heard about the bus-drivers' strike. I wouldn't have stopped, but he looked so anxious and I'd seen him there frequently enough that he didn't seem like a stranger. I didn't think my life would be in peril if I offered him a ride. "Uh, didn't you know the drivers are on strike?" I asked as I pulled up to the curb. "Oh shit!" he responded. "I'll never get to work on time and my boss doesn't tolerate tardiness. I can't afford to lose my job. Is there a phone somewhere around here so I can call a cab?" "I doubt it. Everyone uses cells these days. Where do you work?" "I'm employed by Allied Glass on 42nd. I install windshields and we have an overload of repair work today after a rash of vandalism last week. My boss will be so pissed!" "No worries; that's about three blocks from Gold's and it's not out of my way. Hop in. My name's Matt, by the way." "Nice to meet you Matt; I'm Chance. I can't believe you stopped for me. You're a lifesaver. In my financial situation I can't jeopardize my job even though my boss might cut me a little slack with the strike and all. I should have listened to the news and gotten up early enough to ride my bike." "Nice to meet you too, Chance. I've seen you here many mornings and had no idea that you were heading the same direction I was." "You'd never have seen me get off the bus at the other end unless you'd gone quite a bit later. It covers a rather large circuitous route before it gets there." "When do you get off work?" "Oh, usually by 5:00 unless there's a special job for one of our regular customers, you know, like a dealer who brings us all his business." "Why don't I pick you up at the end of work so you don't have to walk all the way home?" "I can't ask you to do that! You've already saved my ass." (And a cute ass it is, I thought to myself!) "You didn't ask me; I offered. Here's my business card with my phone numbers on it. Use the cell number because that's on all the time and I could be out of the house and miss your call on the land line. I use it so rarely I sometimes wonder why I keep it." "I'll be dirty from work and mess up the upholstery." "Leather cleans easily and besides, I have an old beach towel in the trunk. You don't have any more excuses!" "Okay, I'll call if you insist, but it wouldn't kill me to walk five miles." "After a full day's work, it just might," I joked. "Thanks man." Chance said, offering his fist to bump as we pulled up in front of the shop. "I'm even early. That's gonna impress my boss." "See you here around 5:00 unless you call to tell me different." ---------- All through my workout; I kept seeing Chance's handsome masculine face. He was not only good-looking, but also personable and polite. From his vocabulary and grammar construction, I judged that he was relatively bright and educated. I wondered why he was in a job that seemed to me like a waste of his potential. Well, like he'd said, in these times, one had to be thankful for a paycheck. My day was so busy that I didn't have a lot of time for lunch, making a sandwich from two-day old bread and the bit of tuna salad that hadn't gone beyond its expiration date. I did manage to get up from the computer often enough to keep from getting eye strain and having my muscles freeze in place. Working as a financial advisor from home has its advantages, but doesn't do anything for one's social life. I've thought at times about joining a company, but don't like being confined to a cubical and having to dress up every day. As it is, I only have to look spiffy when I'm going to someone's home or office. It had been kind of hypocritical of me to judge Chance's line of work when mine wasn't necessarily all that much more rewarding, other than in a financial sense. And money wasn't everything after all. Having been actively occupied all day, I felt like the time had passed without my knowing it. I was startled when my cell rang about 4:45. "Matthew Bennett, investment counselor," I said into the mouthpiece. "This is Chance Monroe. I have to work until 5:30, so I'll just walk home. I don't want to inconvenience you, but I do appreciate your offer." "I'll be there at 5:30. Don't even think about walking after putting in extra time." "Thanks, but..." "No buts about it. I'll be there." "Thanks!" ---------- When I pulled up, Chance jogged out to my car grinning. His smile was all the reward I needed for my good deed. "What say we stop at Boston Fish for supper?" I suggested. "Look at me; I'm too dirty to eat anywhere respectable. Besides, I don't usually eat out." "Okay, here's plan `B'. I'll get carryout and we can eat it at a park. It's a warm enough evening to do that." "I'd better not; I left my billfold at home." "No problem. It's my treat. I invited you, after all." "I should be taking you out," Chance remonstrated. "I owe you. Because of being early and working extra tonight, I'll have an extra 45 minutes on the clock today." "Please don't think about paying me back. By feeding you, I'm buying your company. I'm been cooped up in my condo all day and I need social time." "I don't lead an exciting life, so don't expect any scintillating conversation. I'll probably bore you to tears," he grinned. "I'll chance it," I responded. "After hearing all about Mrs. Thompson's cat's operation, I'm sure you'll wow me. She's a good client, but I really earn my commissions with her, and today was worse than usual." "You'll chance it, huh? Is that a play on my name?" "It wasn't meant to be, but I guess it came out that way. I'll have to work on more puns now that you've mentioned it." ---------- At that point, we were pulling into the parking lot of the fish shop. I asked Chance if he liked walleye and he said that anything was fine. I ordered a three-piece dinner with slaw and extra fries for each of us. I'd forgotten to ask him what he wanted to drink, so I got water for both of us. There was a pleasant little park a few blocks away where we could sit in relative peace and quiet. The amenities consisted of a few picnic tables and a kids' area with three swings and a slide. Given the sparse equipment and the hour, no one was there to disturb us. Chance bowed his head for a couple of seconds before opening the foam container. I blushed, realizing that I rarely said grace although I probably had a lot more to be thankful for than he did. "I see you're religious," I ventured. "More spiritual than religious; I didn't used to believe at all, but I've become a lot more dependent on God the past couple of years. I was angry with him for a while, but I learned that it wasn't he who was bigoted; rather some of the people who claimed to be speaking for him." "Do you want to talk about it?" "Not particularly. I may someday if we get to know each other." "Sorry, I wasn't trying to pry. I also spent a few years being bitter toward God because I blamed him for taking away my family when I was barely 18. They were coming for parent's day and their car was hit by a drunk driver. My brother and sister were in the car with them. Having only two grandparents left, both of whom were in the early stages of Alzheimer's, I was virtually an orphan. I've only recently gone back to church, and that only occasionally." "That's a sad story. I can see why you might be on the outs with God. Fortunately, God's never on the outs with us, no matter who we are or what we've done." "You put it in a good way," I commented. "I hadn't really thought of it like that. Please forgive me for unloading on you. I hadn't planned to. You're easy to talk to." "I'm flattered that you'd trust me enough to open up. I'll tell you my story someday, but for the present I'd rather just enjoy making a new friendship. I'm not sure you'll want to be my friend when you know me well," he said shaking his head sadly. "Unless you've killed a bunch of people, I don't think anything else would matter ultimately." "I'm not sure how many I've killed in Iraq. Most of the time there's a kind of disconnect, like playing a video game. It's dehumanizing," he shuddered. "War is different. I meant that unless you're a murderer, I can't see that there'd be anything that would bother me. If you've robbed someone or dealt drugs, I assume you've paid your debt to society. You seem to be hard-working." "No, I'm not a criminal," he smiled. "This is a lot of food. I think I'll wrap up the rest for my lunch." "I guess I should get you home then so you can refrigerate it. Do you live far from the bus stop?" "Only a couple of blocks. I can easily walk from there." "Nah, I'll drop you at your door. What kind of date would I be if I made you walk? Oh, by the way, I'll pick you up around the same time tomorrow – at your door." "Thanks, I hate to put you out." "It's no big deal. You know I'm going to the gym anyway." ---------- As I lay in my bed awaiting the sandman, Chance's face appeared in my mind's eye. He was smiling, his eyes penetrating into my very soul. I wanted to get to know him better. At present, his life remained a mystery for the most part. I went over the possible reasons why Chance would be hesitant to open up to me. He'd evidently been in the military. That wouldn't be anything to hide. He, by his own declaration, wasn't a druggie or a criminal. He seemed to have had some contact with the church, but didn't buy into all of its teachings. That pointed toward the possibility that he was different – maybe like me. Could he be the answer to one of my prayers? How could I find out without screwing up a possible friendship? Eventually I fell asleep as I often did, snuggled up to my body pillow. Chance seemed to inhabit all of my dreams that night. I couldn't remember the details in the morning, but it seemed we were always together on the beach, in the woods, or simply cuddling in front of the gas-log fireplace. It was a different sensation for me. I'd been a loner since my family had been ripped out of my life – not exactly antisocial, more asocial. The next morning, I found myself singing in the shower, a very rare occurrence to say the least. I was still humming as I grabbed a granola bar out of the pantry on the way to the garage. ---------- Chance was standing on the stoop of the aging apartment building when I pulled up. A light rain was falling, so he was staying as dry as possible. His face lit up the moment he saw me. That was, for me, a sign that perhaps he was beginning to like me. I wondered if I'd played a role in his dreams as he had in mine. Like most guys who work out do, I sized him up as he sprinted down to my car. He seemed to be fit, a little thin, but certainly well put together. I speculated that he might not be eating as much as he should. Last night he'd saved about half his dinner while I'd wolfed mine down like food was going out of style. Perhaps he was very self-disciplined about eating or maybe he was dirt poor. I hoped his financial situation wasn't depriving him of basic necessities. We chatted easily on the ride. It made the time go more rapidly than I wanted, and before I realized it, we were at his place of work. "We'll do like yesterday and you can call me in time to pick you up," I said as he thanked me for the ride. "I'll let you because of the rain, but you can't keep taking me out to eat." "Okay, I won't take you out tonight, I promise." ---------- During my workout, I planned how I could feed him without breaking my promise. For whatever reason, my day was not as jamb-packed with client calls. I did some advantageous trading on the stock market, selling about half my shares in an electrical utility that I'd purchased at bargain basement prices during the worst of the recession. I made a tidy profit which I used to purchase a pharmaceutical stock which looked like it would have potential, and I let the rest ride in case it increased in value. I could afford to gamble it because I'd already tripled my investment. I took a break from working before lunch and drove to the supermarket to make a few purchases. It would have been smart of me to have found out more about Chance's taste in food, but no one's ever accused me of being smart. I recalled that we'd discussed spaghetti last night, so I figured that was a safe bet. I would make sure that the sauce had plenty of meat. Somehow, I felt like I needed to give him comfort food and a good supply of protein. At precisely the time Chance had called the previous day, my cell rang. I recognized the number as that of Allied Glass. "Hey Chance," I said by way of greeting. "Hey yourself," he replied. "Same time, same station as yesterday. I get to work a little longer again. My check should look good come payday." "Cool, I'll be there." ---------- "Hey, you missed the turn to my street," Chance said as we drove toward my condo. "I know. I'm kidnapping you and making you eat with me." "But you promised not to take me out to dinner, remember?" "I'm not taking you out. I've cooked a little something I hope you'll find palatable enough to eat." "You're devious," he grinned. "But I really need a shower and clean clothes." "You can shower at my place and I'll loan you a T-shirt, a pair of sweats, and socks. You know you're not going to win an argument with me!" While Chance showered, I put the pasta on the cook. To save time, I'd left the water heating on a low setting while picking him up. I put a store-bought baguette in the oven to heat and made up a bit of garlic butter to spread on individually. Not knowing if he liked it, I wasn't going to slather it on the bread like I usually did. My last duty was to pull out a bottle of Shiraz from my chiller, that kept it at cellar temperature, so I could open it to let it breathe. All was nearly ready except for my guest. "It smells incredible!" Chance enthused as he entered the kitchen. "I think I've died and gone to the great Italian restaurant in the sky." "You may change your mind when you taste it, but I'll soak up the compliments while I can." "May I do something to help?" "Sure. Please pour the wine while I take up the spaghetti before it passes the al dente stage." We bowed our heads and returned a silent thank-you for our food. Then Chance raised his glass in a toast. "Here's to the kindest man I've met in this town." "You must not know many people here," I quipped and then proposed another toast. "Here's to friends, food, and fellowship." Silence filled the room for the next few minutes as we took our first tastes of everything. I noticed that Chance was eating slowly, as one should, savoring each mouthful. "This is awesome spaghetti! The sauce isn't like that overly sweet stuff they make at Zio Johno's." "It was Mom's recipe and it's easy. She read the ingredients on a jar of Ragout Spaghetti Sauce and came up with her own combination. I converted it slightly into so many cans of each thing rather than measuring stuff in cups. There's almost no sugar in it, just enough to cut the acid." "The bread's great too. Did you make it?" "Not this time. I got the baguette at Aldi and heated it." "Could you pass the garlic butter, please? I'll probably end up with nasty breath, but I love it!" When we'd finished our meal, Chance helped clear up and load the dishwasher. I began to put the leftovers away. "Would you eat leftovers if I pack up a few in Cool Whip containers?" I asked. "Yes. I should argue with you, but I know I'd lose. It all tasted so good that I've lost my shame entirely anyway." About 9:00, he said he should be heading to his place and was going to the bathroom to put his work clothes back on. I convinced him to wear the loaners home and return them another day. ---------- By Thursday of the following week the transportation strike was over and I was rather sorry to have it end. The past week had been awesome, spending quite a bit of quality time with Chance. I felt like we were bonding, although he still hadn't told me anything additional about his family situation. Friday was another beautiful spring day. I pulled up to the bus stop where several people were waiting and waved to Chance. When he came over, I asked him to get in. "I thought I wasn't imposing on you again now that the strike is settled." "I've told you several times it's no imposition since I'm headed that way anyway." "Well, it is out of your way after work. I'll be taking the bus and I'm not going to call you, so you'll have no idea when I get off," he laughed. "Seriously, I need to look after myself. I really do appreciate everything and I will call if I'm desperate sometime." "Okay, I'll stop mothering you, but if I'm going by when you're waiting for your bus, I'll always give you a lift." "Fair enough!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Author's notes: If you enjoyed chapter 1 of this new story, I'd appreciate hearing from you. My address remains the same: dlee169@hotmail.com Please include the name of the story in the subject line in case your email lands in my junk file. All of my stories may be found by clicking on the "Authors" button on the Nifty homepage and scrolling down to David Lee. A special thanks to Tom and David who continue to edit for me. Also, remember Nifty in your will. Please help keep this free site going. I will post about once per week until this tale ends. David