Chapter 1
Chapter One: The Road Home
The drive from Lawrenceville back to Athens was usually uneventful, a smooth ribbon of asphalt stretched across Georgia’s spring-green countryside. But today, Derrick wasn’t driving with his usual quiet confidence. His fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary, knuckles pale against the worn leather.
His mind was still with Mama Lorraine, lying on that recliner in the living room, thin and fragile as a paper crane. The hospital had finally discharged her—thank God—but she still needed someone around. Someone to help her eat, move, rest. That someone, of course, was her daughter. His wife.
And that was why Derrick had driven the hour to drop Nia off. She had insisted she could take the Greyhound, that it wasn’t necessary. But he wouldn’t hear it. A woman who raised someone like Nia deserved every ounce of respect he could give.
He often told people that Lorraine hadn’t just raised a daughter—she raised a soulmate. A woman soft in all the right places and strong where it mattered most. The kind who listened with her eyes. Who prayed before arguing. Who made Derrick feel like he was never fighting life alone. That kind of love didn’t just fall from the sky—it was molded by hands like Lorraine’s. And for that, he loved her like she was his own mother.
He sighed, the cabin of his Ford Explorer humming low beneath him as he cruised down Highway 316, heading west, the late afternoon sun turning the world gold. He should’ve felt lighter—relieved, even. But the house would be quiet now. Too quiet.
Up ahead, a figure broke the rhythm of the roadside trees.
He squinted. A girl. Standing just past Bethany Church Road, near the pull-off where rideshares usually dropped folks. She wasn’t doing much—just waiting, it seemed. But what she wore was louder than any gesture: a tiny crop top that showed the smooth plane of her stomach, and denim shorts that barely argued with gravity.
Derrick’s eyebrows twitched. She was stunning, no doubt. But he found himself wishing she'd dressed with more self-respect.
Lord have mercy, he thought. Girls like that—fine as glass but dangerous as broken shards—those are for single men to worry about. Married men? We just drive on by.
Still, something about her caught him.
She turned slightly, as if hearing the approaching engine, then raised her hand in a slow, uncertain wave. She wasn’t posing, wasn’t trying to look seductive. She looked... expectant. Maybe even hopeful.
Then she raised her arm fully—thumb out.
She was flagging him down.
Derrick’s pulse jumped. His foot hovered above the gas, but his brain split in two.
Don’t stop, one voice said. She’s a man hunter. Look how she’s dressed—what kind of woman waits on the side of the road like that in short shorts? That’s bait, not a person.
Then a gentler thought pushed forward.
What if she just needs help? Maybe her ride canceled. Maybe she’s lost. You’re a grown man. She can’t make you do anything you don’t want. Just hear her out.
He glanced at the side mirror, saw no cars behind him. His hands moved before his doubts caught up. He slowed to the side and rolled down the window halfway.
The girl leaned in, strands of braids sticking to her cheeks from the breeze. Her voice was sweet and airy.
“Hi, I’m so sorry to bother you. My Uber just canceled. I was supposed to catch a ride to downtown Athens—do you happen to be heading that way?”
The name hit his chest like a coin dropped in a quiet room.
Athens.
His town.
His home.
He tilted his head. “Actually, I am.”
Her face lit up, and it did something to him—somewhere deep, like a muscle he didn’t know could flinch.
“Then… would it be okay if I rode with you? I’ll keep to myself. Just need to get to where the taxis line up, that’s all.”
He hesitated, watching her carefully. There was no makeup smudged beneath her eyes. No cigarette smell. Just the nerves of a girl whose plans had clearly fallen through.
He nodded. “Get in.”
She climbed in, her skin smelling faintly of coconut oil and citrus. As they pulled back onto the highway, the silence between them lasted only seconds.
Then she asked, “So… you from Athens?”
And just like that, the conversation opened up—easy, warm, full of laughter and curious little glances. As if they’d known each other in some forgotten life and were just picking up where they left off.
But Derrick didn’t know the turn his day was about to take.
Nor the storm that would meet them at the edge of Athens.
To be continued.......
