The Woman in Traffic

Chapter One: The Angel in the Porsche 911

As the dream faded, she chased it to little avail, forcing her eyes to stay shut. Why could she only have him there, in her dreams? Why did God take him? In the depths of darkness in her mind. The vision of him slowly faded away as it did every morning, her alarm clock chiming in the real world.

June awoke in tears, glancing at the clock. She was exhausted; it had been 16 days, 9 hours, and 42 minutes since Alex's death. She was raw. She had convinced herself she would never smile again. Indeed, she'd never love again and had no plans to try. She'd live here forever, in her tiny bungalow stashed on her grandparent's farm. Eventually, the farm would be hers; she could finish out her days in misery and mourning, feeding the cows and pigs in solitude.

"I miss you, Alex. I love you Chief, have a great day." She exhaled in a whisper as her lips grazed his picture on her nightstand. Wiping away her tears, June rose from her bed to start her day.

June Moreau was a beautiful soul with a more attractive smile. She had dark shoulder-length hair cut into a practical bob. Her overgrown lowlights glittering as the morning sun peeked through her bathroom window--the perfect accent to her cinnamon sprinkled skin. June was on the taller side, her long legs and arms giving her a modelesque stature until you got to her hips, which could cause even the most faithful men to stare.

"I need a touch-up," June frowned as she picked at her roots. "Alex, if you're looking down from heaven at the top of my head right now," she giggled to herself, "tell the other angels it's a balayage, and I meant for it to look like this!" She picked at her roots one more time and put her hair in a ponytail. June then proceeded out the bathroom door, slipping on her walking shoes. June shoved her heels in her purse, grabbed coffee in the kitchen, and was off to start her day; by sitting in traffic.

"Tuh, traffic!" She groaned to herself as she took a sip of coffee. "See, Alex, this is why I wanted to live in Midtown, but noooo, you wanted me to be a good granddaughter and help with the farm." As she rolled along, thoughts of today's to-do list flooded her mind.

Until she saw her...

She was an angel, sent down to earth because the other angels were jealous. Her confidence radiated through the driver's side window of her Porsche 911 as she stared ahead at the traffic through Prada sunglasses.

June stared in disbelief.

"Who is she?" June pondered, "She's got to be a celebrity; no one regular looks like that. Look at that car, is that a convertib — " her thought trailed off as she followed the convertible drop-top into the rear with her eyes almost in slow motion. Nervous she would be caught staring, June turned back toward the traffic ahead, glancing again at the woman from the corner of her eye.

"My God, look at her skin, her hair," June gushed to herself, "She's practically illuminated!" Lost in her thoughts, per usual, June stared at the woman in traffic now without fear of being seen. So lost in introspection, she hadn't noticed traffic had eased up a few car lengths when they locked eyes.

"BEEEEP! BEEEEP!" the woman yelled from her car, pointing down the highway from the right lane. Startled, June awoke from her daydream in an embarrassing panic. "I'm so sorry!" June yelled back as she accelerated to rejoin the impending traffic jam. "How humiliating," she mumbled to herself. "I wonder if she noticed me staring, ugh what came over me?" June took a sip of coffee and changed the radio station. As she glanced up, there she was! The woman, still beside her in traffic, but now she was signaling for her to roll down her window.

Hesitantly, June complied. 

"Oh my God, oh my God," she internally screamed.

"I'm so sorry for holding up traffic," June yelled through the passenger side window. "I didn't make you late, did I?" The woman stared at June with a puzzled look, glanced at the mile of cars piled ahead of them, and back to June.

"Uh, unless you're causing this with your mind," the woman nodded towards the traffic ahead, "I don't think it's your fault," she chuckled. Blushing, June paused and laughed, realizing the statement's hilarity as the two women continued along in their respective lanes. The sound of an ambulance wailing in the distance.

"Look's like we found the problem," the woman yelled as traffic halted again.

June nodded in agreeance, almost thankful this slight delay had led to such a pleasant encounter.

"I caught you admiring my car back there," the woman continued "this is my baby girl," she purred as she stroked the driver's side door seductively.

"No, I was admiring you," June blurted out.

The woman's eyes popped as a charming smile crept from the corner of her mouth. June almost spit out her coffee.

"Oh my God, that is NOT what I meant!" June screamed as she jerked forward, breaking eye contact with the woman in humiliation. "I'm straight, and I have a boyfri —, used to have a boy —; You're just beautiful!"

The word vomit just kept coming.

"I was trying to figure out if you were famous! So you know, just admiring you, like a fangirl, in a straight way, of course!" June squeezed her eyes shut and put her head on the steering wheel in utter disbelief. "I'm so stupid," she whispered under her breath. June took a deep breath and looked back up at the woman with a sarcastic smile.

The woman studied June for a second as the smirk returned to her face. June watched as she playfully tossed her curly auburn hair over her shoulder, specks of gold sparkling throughout the strands. The woman took her sunglass from her head as the sunroof began to close above her.

"What's your name," the woman asked as she glanced down at her phone.

"June," she replied. Almost longingly, she asked, "And you?"

The traffic jam was starting to clear, and soon the two women would be on their separate ways. A tinge of disappointment crept into June's heart as if she'd miss this total stranger, just a random woman in traffic.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, June," the woman responded, ignoring the question. Let me know if you ever change to the gay way; maybe we can hang out," she chuckled with a  wink.

The woman rolled up her window, cut on her blinker, and disappeared in a flash of chrome.

Ding, June's phone chimed as she glanced down at a notification.

Tala Thomas's iPhone would like to share a contact.

"Tala?" she mulled. "It's her!"

For the first time in 16 days,  June smiled.