My headlights slash through the night, a white rectangle flashing over a gritty highway. I’m alone when he vrooms past me with taillights bright as Christmas. Don’t go. Drive a while with me on this lonely road and let me imagine your fabulous life. I speed up, keeping a respectable distance from the mystery man in his sleek white car. Maybe he misses someone he loves. Perhaps he hurries home to a woman waiting between warm cotton sheets. They’ll talk, laugh, make love, and drift into blissful sleep. He veers to the exit ramp and his blinker winks goodbye. Goodbye.
Ellen Y. Mueller writes fiction and nonfiction stories. She is an avid reader and lives in Arkansas with her husband, three dogs, and three cats. Find Ellen online at ellenymueller.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter @EllenYMueller.