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Journey's End

The car pulled into the service station and parked next to the first of the half-dozen pumps that lined the forecourt. It gleamed in the glare from the fluorescent lights. The driver got out and stretched, trying to relieve the aches and pains that had accumulated during the last two hundred miles. Then he leaned back through the door.

"I'm going to take a leak. Can you put some fuel in the tank? I'll pay up when we're done."

"Sure. Just give me a minute." It was a woman's voice, heavy with thick with the effects of fatigue.

"How are the kids?"

There was a pause. "They're still asleep. They look cute like that."

"Lucky them." The man stretched again, then walked unsteadily towards the prefabricated cabin that was the service station's office.

The woman got out of the car and opened the filler cap. She removed the hose from its cradle, then placed the nozzle into the fuel tank. There was a clunk as the pump started up, and the night air began to fill with the scent of petrol.

"Hey!"

The interruption woke the woman from her doze. A young woman dressed in denim overalls was standing at the front of the car. "Hey!," she said again. There was a hint of a Scots accent in her voice. "You alright?"

"Just tired," the older woman said. "We've come a long way today."

"Yeah? Where you from?"

"Birmingham."

"Wow. That's a long way." The younger woman extended her right hand. "My name's Kirstin."

"Sally," the woman replied. She looked back towards the rapidly changing numbers on the pump's display.

"Where you headed for?" Kirstin asked.

"We're heading for Port Ryan." The fuel pump clicked twice and Sally removed the nozzle from the tank, shaking it to free the last few drops of petrol.

"For the ferry?" Kirstin asked. She peered into the back of the car and caught sight of two forms huddled under a blanket on the rear seat. "It must be a late sailing."

"No." Sally put the nozzle back into its cradle. "We're moving to the village. We've been trying to get there before six, but," she looked at the clock on the car's dashboard, "we're a bit behind time."

Kirstin laughed. "I'll say you are. What happened?"

"Shit happened. We were trying to get there to meet the moving van, but they've probably gone back to the depot by now. Is there anywhere we can stay the night?"

"There's the guesthouse about a mile out of town." Kirstin pointed down the dark road. "But you'll have to phone ahead. They don't get many guests, not at this time of year, and they might have shut the office. I've got the owner's number if you want?"

Sally smiled and nodded. "That would be wonderful. Please."

Kirstin fumbled in her pockets and pulled out a mobile phone. "There you go." As Sally took down the number, Kirstin asked, "So why have you come up here? Most people want to move away."

"Have you ever been to Birmingham?" Sally asked.

"No. I've only been as a Glasgow. Why? Is Birmingham bad?"

There was a yell from the forecourt office. The driver of the car - Sally's husband - was waving at them. "Have you finished?"

"Yes!" Sally called back. "You can pay up!" She handed the phone back to Kirstin. "Thanks. You've been a great help."

Kirstin shrugged. "Well, we like to look out for each other up here. Especially if you're a local - which you're going to be, yes?"

"That's why we left Birmingham."

Sally's husband trotted back to the car. "Ready to go? Kids still asleep?"

"Yes, and yes," Sally replied. "And I've found a place we can stay the night."

"Good." Sally's husband opened the driver's side door and settled into his seat. "Let's get a move on then."

"Be seeing you," Sally said to Kirstin. She got into the car and closed the door. The car's engine coughed then started, and the vehicle pulled away and out onto the dark road.