Uber Driver

Now Gray smiled and said, "And then I met you."

"I really need to get to work," he said after she kissed him for several seconds.

"Yes. Go. Now. Or I won't be able to let you go," she said with a happy smile.

"Oh. We really need to decide what to with that smug prick who assaulted you."

"I've been so happy lately I haven't wanted to think about it," she began. "I'm over my fury again, so I don't want anything done to him, but I do want him to spend time in prison."

"Okay. If you're sure, then I'm going to call this Carlos guy and see what he can do. Are you sure you want to get mixed up in something that may well be illegal or go south and somehow put us in jail?"

"Yes. I'm as sure as I can be I'm not the first or only woman he's done that to. And even if I was I'd still want him to pay for it. I know things could end up turning bad, but being raped is pretty damn bad, Gray."

"I agree. Totally. I just needed to be sure," he told her holding her for a moment then kissing her goodbye.

Before starting his shift he called the number stored in his phone.

"Yeah, of course I remember you, amigo. And our friend is gonna make it thanks to you. So like I said, we owe you one. Just tell me what you need."

Gray explained the situation, and Carlos asked for all the information he had on the guy.

"Is your girlfriend willing to be bait for this puto?" Carlos asked.

"I doubt it. I mean, I can ask her, but it seems pretty unlikely. Besides, the guy knows that we know so...."

"No problem. My buddy's got an older sister who's hot as hell, man. She'll be happy to be his next 'victim'. We'll follow him to wherever he goes and get the cops there before he can do anything to her. You sure we can't rough this guy up a little bit?"

"It wouldn't break my heart if he...let's say...fell and broke his nose or something, but sending him to prison is the goal. And this guy's a lawyer so you can't make any mistakes."

"We got this, vato. I'll send you a text when it's done. I'll have pics or videos for proof if you want to see them. I'm not sending them so we'll have to meet somewhere. That part's up to you, but this guy's goin' down. I promise you that. I'm no saint, you know? But a guy who drugs women so he can rape them is right up there with child molesters in my book. Both of them are fucking cowards and belong in jail. Personally, I'd cut their balls off and make them eat 'em, but we'll do this your way."

Gray didn't mention he and Du had both thought of that. Rather, he thanked him and let him know he'd be waiting on his text. He hung up with Carlos, whom he'd dubbed 'The Jackal' and called Du.

"Why am I suddenly afraid again?" she asked.

"Do you want me to have him call this off?"

"No. Definitely not. I think it's just hearing you say it that gave me the creeps. But if this guy ends up in handcuffs, that'll be great. I just don't want him to get off on a technicality and come after me."

"He's a coward. Carlos is right about that. And he'll know whoever did this will still be out there, and that he may not just end up in handcuffs if there's a next time."

"Okay. Then let's do this," she told him feeling more confident about her decision.

Over the next three days, the new lovers spent as much time together as they could while Gray began preparing his parents for her visit by mentioning she was a few years older than him.

"But she's not over 30, right?" his mother asked not sure what to think about a woman who was 27 or 28 dating her son.

"Maybe a little," Gray said using his thumb and index finger to show a tiny amount.

"I don't think it's such a big deal," his father said. "We can't help who we fall in love with, right?"

"Well, I guess it's not that big a deal," his mom said defensively.

His mother stood there for a moment then with a worried look asked, "She's not...over 40, is she?"

"No, Mom. She's not over 40. And yes, she wants children, and no she doesn't have any from her previous marriage," he said politely anticipating her next questions.

"To the test pilot," she said confirming the details.

"Yes. And she's okay with pretty much anything that isn't red meat as far as meals go," Gray told her.

"Oh, okay. So fish, chicken, lasagna or a casserole?"

"Those all work, Mom," he assured her. "Look, I gotta run again, but she's really looking forward to meeting you and she's a little paranoid about the age difference, so please be kind, okay?"

"Gray Ellis! Of course we'll be kind. If you really do love this g...woman, and if she may be the mother of my future grandchildren, I'm sure we'll love her, too."

"And if she's as pretty as you say she is...."

His father was cut off in mid-sentence with an icy stare from his wife of nearly 30 years.

"I'm just sayin', honey!" he said throwing up his hands, now the one 'in trouble'.

When Gray finally brought her over that Friday evening, his father wasn't disappointed. He didn't say too much because of the hell that would rain down on him if he did, but he did mention Gray was right about how beautiful she was, and his mother found her to be irresistibly charming and extremely likable.

They'd all talked pretty much constantly since Du arrived and after a second glass of wine, everyone was enjoying themselves and the conversation very much. The television was on in the background after dinner as Gray's dad never missed the local evening news, even though he wasn't really paying attention. No one else was, either, until they heard a reporter mention the arrest of a local attorney for kidnapping and rape.

Gray was talking when the reporter spoke. Du sat bolt upright and grabbed his arm.

"Gray. Listen!" she said.

He stopped talking and turned to look at the TV set which his dad turned up.

"Oh...my...God," he said under his breath. "That's him. They did it."

"Did what?" his mother asked. "Who did what?"

"Oh. Nothing, Mom. That just reminded me of something Du and I had been talking about. It's no big deal."

Du was squeezing his arm so hard he had to gently pry her fingers lose.

"Sorry," she said. Her heart had been in her throat as she was listening to the report which included her rapist's booking photo and the firm where he worked along with a comment about him admitting to the crimes.

"Yes!" she said quietly prompting another question from Gray's mom.

"Honey? I think this is none of our business," Gray's father said now giving her a look that told her to leave well enough alone.

The mood changed dramatically after that report, and Gray found a way to excuse themselves while avoiding his mother's attempts to plumb for more information.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, Gray got a very cryptic text he knew came from Carlos:

"It's done. Let me know if you want to see the proof."

There were hugs and thank you's and 'it was so good to meet' you's as the happy new couple got ready to leave after a warm, pleasant visit with the Ellises.

As soon as they got in the car Du said, "I think that went very well."

Gray didn't answer. He just handed her his phone.

"I want to see!" she told him immediately.

"I'll let Carlos know."

They agreed on when and where to meet before Gray replied to her comment as they drove.

"It went very well. My parents really liked you."

"I hope so. I liked them a lot. I'm just concerned about your mom. Are you sure she's okay with me? With us?"

"Trust me, she's very okay."

Du took his hand and said, "I'm glad. I'd like you to meet my family, too. Maybe we could take a few days and fly to South Dakota?"

"I'd like that," Gray told her as he turned back into the second seediest neighborhood in the city.

"This place gives me the creeps," she said as two men with baggy clothes and flat-brimmed hats came out of a door she could barely tell was there in an old, decrepit-looking building.

Gray rolled down his window and shook hands with Carlos.

"That pendejo is going away for a long time, mi amigo," he said as he handed the phone to Gray. "Is this beautiful lady your woman?"

Not sure how to answer, Du rescued him.

She smiled and said, "Yes, I am. And thank you for doing this."

"My pleasure. No woman should have to put up with that kind of bullshit from anyone. The fact he's some hotshot lawyer who thinks he can get away with it is just gravy, you know what I'm sayin'?"

"I do," she said as she watched the video begin.

They had video of him ordering a drink for the beautiful sister of Carlos's friend then a zooming-in shot of him putting something in it. They taped him walking her outside, basically carrying her, a little later as he told people she hadn't been feeling well all evening then putting her in his car.

They followed him to the same crappy motel where Du woke up, and thanks to the desk clerk who was happy to help out for a hundred bucks, they were able to get him to call the man to the office while they went into the room and set up a tiny camera.

They waited until he had the woman nearly undressed then called the police. Just before the lawyer did anything physical to the woman, Carlos and his buddy burst into the room.

"So, you like drugging women and taking them here to fuck, huh, puto?" Carlos said angrily as he grabbed the man by the shirt.

The lawyer started in on his legal BS and without warning, Carlos spun him around, grabbed him by the neck, and drove his face into the nightstand by the bed breaking his nose.

"Go stop the video and back it up to before that," he told his friend as the lawyer screamed out in pain.

"Let me tell you how this is going down, asshole. You're gonna plead guilty to kidnapping and rape or my friend and I will be back. And if that happens, I swear to God we'll feed you your balls and your dick. If you refuse to eat...."

He pulled out his gun and put it to the man's temple. "If you decide you're not hungry, we have another plan for you. So how this goes down is up to you, but your lawyer shit ain't gonna save your sorry ass this time. You either go to jail or you go to the morgue."

"Hey, turn the video back on," he said to his friend.

"Now, look into the camera and say, 'I'm sorry for raping you'," Carlos told him as he grabbed his shirt collar and turned his head.

"What?" the lawyer said still holding his bloody nose.

"The woman you raped before. The one who confronted you a few days ago. You know who I'm talking about, shit head. Look into the camera and tell her you're sorry."

The sounds of sirens were growing louder.

"Now! Or it's option two."

The man was in agony as he spoke.

"I...I'm sorry for what I did to you. I...I drugged you and brought you here and...and I raped you and...I'm sorry."

"Turn it off and let's go," he said shoving the man onto the bed.

"And remember, if you don't do the right thing, this tape goes to your wife, your law firm, and option two becomes your new and final reality. You understand?"

The man nodded as tears streamed down his blood-stained face.

"So, as they say, the ball's in his court," Carlos said as he took back his phone.

"I don't know how to thank you," Du said.

"No need. Your man here helped us out big time. This makes us even. In fact, the next ride's on you, amigo!" he told Gray.

"I'm not sure how much longer I'm gonna be driving, but if you come up on my schedule, yeah, the next one's on me," he said.

The shook hands again then Carlos said, "She's a beautiful girl, amigo. Take care of her."

"She is and I will," he promised as he took Du's hand.

"It's over," she said as the window went up and it got very quiet inside the car.

"Assuming he doesn't try and lawyer his way out," Gray told her.

"Do you think he's ballsy enough to try that?"

"No. I think the guy really is a coward. I think he'll try and make a plea deal, but he'll go to prison. I can't say for how long, but I'm pretty sure that's gonna happen."

"I feel sorry for his family but not for him. And that hypocritical bastard won't be able to practice law anymore," she said as she realized there were several things that could happen from prison to an acquittal at trial.

"You ready to go home?" he asked.

"Yes. Very," she told him.

Over the next month, the love between them continued to grow, and Gray told Du he thought it was time to start looking for a real job.

"After I fly home with you to meet your parents," he said with a smile.

"And I think it may be time for me to go back to teaching," she told him as he held her.

Two weeks later they spent four days with her family and although the concerns in South Dakota over age were just as real as they were in Seattle, her family could tell how happy she was, and after meeting Gray, they knew he wasn't a typical 23-year old kid.

Gray asked her father for a moment of her time just before they left, and asked him for his blessing to marry his daughter.

"How could I say 'no'?" the older man said. "I haven't seen my daughter this happy since Ed was alive. She clearly loves you, Gray. And I can tell you love her, too. Just promise me you'll take care of her for the rest of your life."

"I will, sir. You have my word," Gray assured him.

"Then I wish you all the best," her father said as they shook hands.

When they returned to Seattle, Gray put together a resume he knew was short on marketing experience, but one he thought he could sell in an interview.

Du put her name into the automated hiring system for the county and began looking for a teaching position around the same time.

After striking out twice, Gray found a firm willing to give him a chance after taking over a year off after college and hired him for a little more than he'd made as an Uber driver his first year. Once he had his feet on the ground and felt secure with the firm, he bought the love of his life a beautiful diamond ring, and proposed to her during a romantic dinner several days later.

She cried and shook as he placed the ring on her finger and told him 'yes' several times in response to his proposal.

Du also found a job teaching in a charter school, and started work that September. During the Christmas break, Du's family flew in for the wedding which took place just five days before Christmas. Being her second wedding, there was no way her family could afford to pay for another extravagant affair, but between the two sets of parents it was a very nice ceremony with a modest reception afterwards where everyone got better acquainted.

Du finished out her first year back teaching only to give notice she wouldn't be returning the following year as she was finally pregnant! Gray had done exceptionally well at the firm and was making more than enough money to allow her to stay at home with their new baby girl.

"What do you want to name her, honey?" Gray asked one evening as they snuggled on the couch.

"Oh, I'd be okay with Bill or George or...."

"Or anything but Sue?" Gray said filling in the rest of the old Johnny Cash song.

"Well, pretty much anything but...Xanadu," she said before they both laughed loudly as they hugged one another, happier than they'd ever been before.