Sunny\'s Shadow

Chap. 1-

Why was there a naked woman on the side of the road? It was almost one in the morning, out in the middle of nowhere. I didn't see any other vehicle, or any luggage either. I couldn't just keep driving, I had to stop. Her long, dark hair pulled over her shoulders to cover her front, and her hands covering her lower regions, but in the glare from my headlights, she didn't seem ashamed or embarrassed.
“Thank you so, so much,” she said breathlessly when I opened my passenger door. Before she climbed in, I pulled my coat from the back seat and handed it to her, averting my eyes. She hesitated before taking it, “Umm... thanks, really, but I need a ride more than something to cover myself up with.”
“You can have both. Climb on in, I'll try not to look.”
She did so quickly, wrapping my coat around her front and pulling it down so that it covered as much as possible. After she was in, she said, “I wouldn't have minded. I owe you something for stopping.”
“No, you don't,” I replied, “and even if you did, I wouldn't take that kind of payment anyway.”
She faced forward again, and we drove in silence for a few minutes before she asked, “Why not? Are you gay?”
I chuckled sadly, and said, “Why does everyone always ask that? No, I'm not gay, far from it, in fact. I just don't think it's a fair trade. And I really don't need to be repaid, I'm happy to help.”
“What if I was a dirty, homeless man? And wearing clothes?”
At first, I didn't reply, but when she looked back over at me, I felt compelled to answer, “I'd like to think that I'd stop, but I honestly can't say for sure, because I've never had the opportunity. At least, not out in the middle of the Utah desert.”
There was another pause, and she asked, “What if I were a homicidal killer? It's not very safe to pick up hitchhikers.”
I shrugged again, “You were obviously unarmed. And if you hadn't been, then I'd have made a tempting target. But I'm really not all that worried, I like to think I can take care of myself.”
She looked me up and down, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to do the same, but I resisted the urge. “Yes, now that you mention it, I believe you could.”
The miles continued to vanish beneath us, and an hour passed in silence. We had seen two cars going in the opposite direction, and as each one approached, the woman pulled my coat up in front of her eyes.
“Where are you headed?” she asked me a little after two.
“Heading home. I've been visiting some friends in Florida. Where should I take you?”
She turned to look out at the desert hills and didn't answer for a while, “I was going with my boyfriend to see his family. Now I'm in no hurry to go anywhere.”
How was I supposed to answer that? Obviously, there'd been some kind of trouble with her boyfriend. But it wasn't my business. If she wanted to tell me, she would, and I'd listen. But I couldn't pry. “Well,” I said after a while, “I can get you a hotel for a couple of nights, and get you some clothes and cash.”
“That's really great of you, but... well, no, that's fine. I appreciate whatever you can do.”
That was interesting. She had some pride, but she also didn't let it get in the way. “You could also stay with me for a few days, if you would feel safer.” I'd intended it just to let her know that if she didn't want to be in a strange place alone, I would let her stay at my place, but as soon as I'd said it I realized how she'd take it. Sure enough, her gaze shot over to me, and I hastened to explain, “No strings attached, of course. Just a bed ―alone— some food, and a roof.”
She relaxed a little, and said, “Oh. You have a girlfriend, or wife, or something?”
“Nope. I'm divorced, actually.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't―”
“It's fine, really. It was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, but I didn't mean to pry, or to bring up bad memories, or...” she trailed off, and I glanced over at her, making sure to keep my eyes high.
“Really, it's fine. I could talk about it right after it happened, so why not now? If you want to know, just ask. If not, it doesn't really matter to me.”
Her skin was very pale, and I couldn't see any tan lines, so she didn't get much sun. The green glow from my instrument panel gave her an almost ghostly hue, but her dark hair vanished almost completely against my black seat covers.
“No, it's all right. I really don't want to pry, you're being more than kind as it is.”
I shrugged, and then remembered, “Hey, I've got a blanket in the trunk. Do you want me to reach back and grab it?”
“No, that's OK. I'm not cold. Thanks, though.”
I nodded, and again it was silent except for the hum of the engine and the whir of the tires against the pavement.
The clock read three fifteen AM when she spoke again, “I think I'd like to stay at your place, if you don't mind. It'd save you money, and you seem like a trustworthy guy.”
I nodded again, and thanked her for the compliment.
“It's true. I mean, I know people that would pick up a total stranger, sure, but I've never met a guy who wouldn't have taken at least a little peek when he could. You've been a perfect gentleman. It's hard not to trust you.”
I smiled a little, and said, “Thanks. But I'm no saint, I promise. There's a lot of things I've done that I'm not proud of. I just have this code I try to live by. One of the things in it is basically “Respect others”. In that is included not letting my eyes wander where they shouldn't.”
She looked over at me again, then replied, “That's pretty rare these days. It seems like everyone's just out to get what they want, and screw everyone else that gets in their way.”
“I suppose. It's not my way, though. At least, I try not to let it be anymore. But like I said, I'm no saint.”
The woman rested her back against the seat and closed her eyes for the first time. After about ten minutes, though, she said, “My name's Sunny, with a y. Like sunshine.”
“Pleased to meet you, Sunny. I'm Cameron.”

“Sunny. You awake?” She didn't stir, so I kept driving. Five minutes later, I turned onto the street where I lived. As usual I hit the same pothole I always did rounding the corner, and the woman next to me woke with a start.
“The coat's fallen a bit,” I told her, and she pulled it back up to cover as much as it could, “That's the place, right there,” I continued as I pulled into the drive.
“Mmm... I can't believe I fell asleep naked with a strange man. Are you sure it'll be OK, me staying for a few days?”
I nodded and answered, “It'll be fine. My roommate might think it's strange, but he won't object. Sit tight for a second, I'm going to get you the blanket to cover up with, and unlock the door so you don't have to be so... exposed.”
She looked askance at me, but mumbled, “Thanks”.

“That's the bathroom, there. Use the shampoo and soap on the sill, that's mine. The kitchen's here, if you need to eat, just go ahead. Here's my bedroom. Go ahead and take whatever you need out of my closet or dresser. Shower if you want, then you can go back to sleep, or we can go to the store, whatever.”
Sunny gave me another long look, but only mumbled thanks again, then stepped into my room and slowly closed the door. I turned to leave, then thought of something else. “Sunny?” I called, tapping on the door.
“Yeah?” she called from just on the other side of the door.
“Just thought of something. My roommate said he wanted to talk to me when I got back. If he knocks, you can ignore him, or answer if you want. He's a good guy.”
“OK, thanks for the heads up.”
I didn't know what to do with her. In all likely hood, she was going to be missed eventually. I probably couldn't trust her, either. If what she'd said about her boyfriend was true, he'd probably left her there for a reason, as well. She could be dangerous, to herself and others. The more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed that I'd invited this woman into my home. But I couldn't really have done anything else, could I? Maybe taken her to the shelter, or a church, but I wouldn't send a woman with nothing to a shelter, nor did I think her the type to accept charity from an organization― she struggled enough just taking it from me.
I set the last of my luggage down in the center of the living room floor just as Sunny opened the door to my bedroom and stepped out, still wrapped in a blanket, but carrying some jeans and a t-shirt. She nodded toward me and stepped into the bathroom, then shut the door. After a few seconds, it opened again and I saw her toss the blanket out. It was then that I knew I'd have to let her stay as long as she wanted. Just below her right elbow was a massive, dark bruise that still had unmistakable fingers. Whoever had done it had big hands, and had been none to easy on her. I rubbed my tired eyes, as I sat on the couch, then closed them with my mind still racing.

Somehow, I'd fallen asleep while she was still in the bathroom, and it wasn't until I heard my roommate stirring downstairs that I woke up. I was about to head down and let him know what was going on when the bathroom door opened again, and Sunny stepped out.
For the first time, I allowed myself to really look at her. She was probably about five ten, maybe ninety pounds. She was pretty thin, so the faded jeans and worn t-shirt were pretty baggy, and she had to keep her hands in the pockets to hold the pants up. Her eyes were a striking azure, and in the light I could see that her hair was dyed, though there wasn't enough root showing to tell what color it normally was. Her nose was small, with a slight upturn. And she had a smattering of light freckles across the bridge of her nose.
She twirled once then gave me a little, embarrassed smile, “How do I look?”
“You're quite beautiful, actually. Clothes could use a change, though.”
She laughed softly, and I chuckled, “Well, I can take you to the store to get something else to wear whenever you want. Just let me know.”
“Well... I'm awake after the shower, so if it's OK with you, we could go now. But you should rest, I know you've been driving for a while.”
I shook my head and answered, “It's no problem, I like driving. Let me get you a belt before we go, though.”

“How much can I...” she trailed off, not wanting to seem to eager, but I could tell she was really happy that I was buying her clothes.
“I'm not rich,” I replied, “but I can afford whatever you need. At least a few pairs of clothes, some underwear, pajamas, stuff like that.”
“You're sure?”
“Of course. Women's clothing is this way.”

Sunny had good taste, that was for sure. She'd chosen two modest but nice looking t-shirts, and a cream-colored turtle neck for colder days, as well as a pair of jeans that hugged her thin legs, a long black skirt, and some khaki cargo shorts. She'd also chosen some strapped sandals and three or four each of bra and panties, which she assured me was enough. In fact, the young woman tried again to tell me that I was doing too much for her.

On the drive back to my house, I asked Sunny, “Are you OK, health wise? Do you need to see a doctor?” She froze completely, facing straight forward, her lips in a thin line, but she said nothing.
“I'm sorry, I'm not trying to poke my nose into your business, I just want to make sure you're all right. I saw your arm, earlier.”
She still didn't respond except to close her eyes and shudder slightly.
“Sunny?” Are you―”
“I'm fine. No, I don't need to go to the hospital. It was just an accident.”
I'm no psychiatrist, but the mechanical way she'd said it told me that she was definitely lying. Also, judging by how she'd suddenly withdrawn into herself, she had been suffering similar- or worse- abuse for so long that complete emotional withdrawl was the only defense mechanism she had left.
We pulled back up to the house and I turned off the engine. I was reaching for the door handle, but halted when Sunny spoke.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
Her voice quavered, and I could see the small hands folded tightly in her lap trembling. This time, though, I didn't need to find the answer, I'd known it before I stopped to pick her up. “Because you needed help. I'm just not the kind of person who can stand by, so I stopped.”
“But you keep doing it. You just spent two hundred dollars on a total stranger. You want to give me a place to stay for a few days, and food too. What I don't get is... what's in it for you?”
“Nothing, really,” I said, “Just the satisfaction of knowing I helped you out. Even that's not really the thing, though. I just do it because I think it's right.”
“You expect me to believe you don't want anything from me? No one's that good.”
I shook my head, “Not really. I expect you to not abuse the trust I'm giving you. That's it.”
She finally looked over at me, and almost whispered, “I can't promise... but I'll try.”