Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. This story may NOT be published on sites other than ASSTR without the author's explicit permission; payment will be required for commercial use. My stories are at /~Swingingpuss I also hang out at http://www.swingingpuss.com Usual Legal disclaimers apply ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Kindness Of Strangers Like most orphans she never believed in the small kindnesses offered by the world. It was a place where cruelty reigned with an iron fist and laughed at the miseries and weaknesses of her disheartened subjects. Her favorites lived in comfortable lives while others tried to survive one day at a time, filling their bellies with others' leavings, hustling their very souls for small inconsequential comforts of a warm shelter or a meaningless caress to feel wanted. She knew she was living at the very fringes of civilization. There were no rules to be adhered to except to take before being taken, to hide, sneak and run instead of acting all brave and try to save the skin of brethren from the predators. To each their own - that was how it worked. No one cared whether a life was abused or snuffed. The hapless one was disposed off without any questions asked and it would happen to her too but she hadn't thought it would have happened so soon. She watched her young life flash in front of her as a car came bearing down. The headlights held her mesmerized and her heart told her to let it all come to an end. What reason did she have to live? She would not be missed. It didn't matter that just a few minutes ago she was fighting off a violent assault - strengthened by a survival instinct she had escaped his lustful gasp and had run headlong into a busy freeway. There she stood hoping and praying it wouldn't hurt when it finally happened. She wanted to close her eyes and brace for the impact. She felt her hackles rise but her eyes wouldn't close and she watched the roaring beast rush towards her. She was in the spotlight of death, all sunny bright and hot as the threatening orbs of the honking beast rushed towards her Her heart seemed to skip its last beat and time seemed to slow down and calm descended over her. She was an indifferent watcher seeing someone else die. Death did not envelope her in its dark comfort. The tires screeched, skidded and stopped a breath away from her. She gaped at the red, growling beast that seemed to scold her for her irresponsible behavior. She breathed a sigh of relief and felt her body go limp. She had cheated death again but whatever for? The irony of her life hit her hard, she preferred to die than live another day. Shivering in the Midwest cold she watched him step out of the car. She wanted to run but remained rooted to the ground. He was a dark hulk that bore down on her and she felt a rush of adrenaline. It was time to flee into the forest on the side of the freeway but she stood enthralled by the glare of the headlights. Her beautiful green eyes drained away the hard words that he was going to rain on her. His melted at what he saw; a dirty, painfully thin waif on her last legs so to speak. A cold wind blew and she shuddered in its wake and he knew he couldn't leave her on the road. And just like that, before she could slip away and disappear into the forest, he reached for her and enveloped her in his warm arms. She put up a feeble struggle; he shushed her and told her with a soothing voice that he wouldn't hurt her. He had a warm place she could rest for a while and then move on. She didn't trust his warm tones, but couldn't resist the temptation. Resting her head in the crook of his arm she let him wrap a blanket around her body and place her in the back seat of his car. He patted her and told her there was nothing to worry and to take it easy. As he got behind the wheel, she stared at his balding head. He was a plain chap. And she never trusted those who showed her kindness, there were always some sort of strings attached but what would he want from her? She had nothing to offer. She snuggled into the blanket but watched him with skepticism as he began to talk. He was a talker who didn't seem to mind that his questions were met with stony silence. He talked about his cabin in which he lived alone, no woman would have him as he was a chatter-box and women liked to do the talking, he told her and so here he was all alone. He told her he liked fishing, reading and had a gun too. She became still as he reached below the passenger seat and pulled out a gun, waving it as he talked. He seemed to be looking back at her from the rear view mirror. Was he a psycho? What had she let herself into? But he went on to tell her that he never fired that gun but had to keep it around in case a neighborly bear went through his trash in the middle of the night or tried to enter his cabin. He put the gun down and continued driving through the barren night. Breathing in a sigh of relief, she let his words wash over her and was lulled to dreamless sleep. She woke up just as the car slowed down and stopped in front of a small wooden cabin. As he pulled up and slowed, she threw off the blanket and took in the surroundings - it was one of the important lessons she had learned - one should always know the escape routes. He stepped out of the car and opened the door at the rear. As he reached in, she shrank back. Seeing her flinch, he shook his head sadly, moved back and held the door open for her to come out. Not waiting to see what she did next, he left the car door open and opened a door that led into the cabin. Tilting her head to her left for a better view of the cabin she saw a fire place. It looked like a homely place from what little she could make out. Why look a gift horse in the mouth she wondered and decided to follow him in. Once inside, she stood near the door uncertainly and watched him put logs in the fire place. She moved gingerly towards the couch which had faded pink roses printed on it. He turned and saw her looking at the couch and grinned. He told her that it was his mother's couch and he was rather sentimental about it and didn't have the heart to get rid of it. She continued to stare at him in silence. He asked her whether she was ever going to talk to him. But then laughed and said that it didn't matter he could talk for both of them. As he puttered around the cabin, she looked around and decided it was to her liking. It was a shabby place with mismatched furniture, used coffee mugs lying around with books casually jostling for space with cushions on the couch. The over-stuffed armchair beside the fireplace had a ripped arm. It was lit by a tall free standing lamp. She could imagine this big hulk of a man sitting there reading a book. She felt her guard slip a bit, maybe he wouldn't hurt her but then again, she had been taken in before. He broke her reverie by asking her if she was hungry. Her mouth began to water as he pulled out some cold pieces of chicken and apologized that it was all he had in the refrigerator at the moment. She sat down on the couch as he put the cold cuts in front of her. She tried not to wolf the food down and tried to be lady like, but the juices melted in her mouth and she began to gulp the food down ravenously. Pity and empathy enveloped his heart. It wasn't right that some suffered such hardships in the land of plenty while others wasted. Clearing his throat he told her that she could stay the night and come morning they could decide what was to be done. There was going to be a bad blizzard tomorrow and naturally with her being homeless, in good faith he couldn't just let her go. But they didn't have to decide now, he told her. Licking the juices from her lips, she yawned and felt embarrassed when he laughed out loud. She however didn't mind. This was more than what she could have wished for, a warm place to stay and a companion who gave her space and yet kept loneliness at bay by filling her silent world with words that soothed her parched soul. He showed her a blanket and then gingerly put it around her as if he didn't want to spook her. He was turning in for the night he told her and offered her the couch to sleep in. She blinked at him with her gorgeous eyes and he laughed and asked her when would they be on friendly terms? She wanted to tell him that he already was her friend but decided to remain quiet; it never hurt to be cautious. As he walked up the steps towards his bedroom he told her that he would be down at night to put more logs to keep the fire going so she shouldn't get alarmed. She smiled at his thoughtful words and fell asleep wondering if this guy was for real. Her dreams had never been easy. She dreamt of dark strange places where the homeless tried to meld into groups needing to survive together and yet would prey on each other. She dreamt of cold dank places where she had been left hurt and abused. She cried as she remembered and woke with a start. For a minute she was disoriented and then it all came back and she stretched. The fire had gone out, he had forgotten to put the logs in and she was cold. In the shadows she made out the staircase and wondered if she should wake him up, it was after all cold. He didn't seem the type to get mad if woken up for something. Climbing the stairs she wondered if she was doing the right thing. His bedroom door was open and she could hear him snoring. She entered the room and wondered whether she had used the cold as an excuse? She wanted to be with him, she wanted to feel his heat. Silently she paddled towards his sleeping form and as she curled up against his sleeping form she hoped and prayed that he wouldn't throw her out. She assured herself that a soul as kind as his would understand the need for creature comfort. He woke up at the break of dawn as he always did. He wondered what kind of coffee he would brew for himself - African or Cuban? Stretching he felt a warm body snuggled next to him and stiffened. What the hell? He wondered and then it all came rushing back to him and he smiled. This meant she was here to stay, he thought and smiled. Reaching down he caressed her matted fur and whispered Welcome home and for the first time since they had met she responded with a contented purr.