It was a cold and windy day right before Christmas. Every breeze seemed to bite into Evie’s skin wherever it touched. Dog fennel swayed stiffly, scattering seeds for next year’s growth. A huge woodpecker gave its ‘jungle call’ as it took off into the sky. Evie was on her way to visit friends at the coast for a holiday vacation, when disaster struck - a flat tire. She was a tall, skinny woman with a wide smile and frizzy blonde hair. The frigid temperature had her shivering and sniffling as she mournfully observed her deflated tire. She was stranded beside a long and lonely highway with no cars in sight. This was a heck of a place to be stuck without a spare, right slap in the middle of the boonies.
Furtively, she reached under the seat and retrieved a bottle of tequila. One short swallow warmed her up and lightened her mood a bit. And it wasn’t long before she heard the sound of a distant engine approaching. A huge semi truck appeared as she wavered between flagging it down or just standing there looking dejected. She chose the former and waved for all she was worth.
The mammoth vehicle began to gear down as it got nearer. It slowed and finally came to a stop right in front of her. She ran around to the passenger door and stepped up into the cab. “Howdy!” said the most enormous person she had ever seen in her life. He had a jolly red face and a white bead that reached mid-chest. He seemed to float in flesh. “Wanna doughnut?” he asked.
She declined, as her stomach still felt warm from the tequila and she didn’t want to mess up the feeling. She introduced herself and thanked him for stopping.
“Well, I’m Sammy. Sammy Klaus!” he giggled, looking like the mythical character, right down to the twinkle in his eyes. “Well, I’ll suwannee!” she exclaimed with a grin, noting the Christmas wreath on the dashboard.
“Watcha’ hauling tonight?” she asked.
“Toys, of course!” he replied happily.
He wore a bright red sweater trimmed in white. A scarlet beanie topped with a white pom-pom further accentuated his resemblance to jolly old Saint Nick. The road became increasingly mesmerizing as they traveled through the deserted wilderness. Hues of brown and muted greens blurred into the horizon. “If you don’t mind, I’ve gotta make a quick stop,” he muttered suddenly.
“Okay,” she agreed, but noted that there was no sign of civilization in sight. Soon, he pulled off onto a barely visible side road. On and on they went, until she voiced her concern. “Where are we going?” she managed to ask fearfully.
“You’ll see,” he replied. And before long, they pulled up in front of a little cabin. “Used to be my Mamas’ place,” he explained when she asked about the tiny house.
“Sure is remote,” she commented.
“Wanna see the inside?” he asked eagerly.
She really didn’t, but it seemed impolite to decline since, after all, he’d rescued her.
“Guess I’ll have to squeeze out of this rig, then,” he said.
After huffing and squirming, he finally managed to get out and plopped heavily onto the ground, gasping for air. “Are you alright?” she asked in alarm.
“Hooee! It’s a job just getting in and out!” he replied.
No arguments there, she thought as they headed for the cabin. He gingerly pushed open the door, which wasn’t locked, and Evie stepped inside. There was a lovely room with pretty furniture and soft pastel curtains. A handmade rag-rug covered most of the floor and shelves containing knick-knacks and books stood against the far wall. “Nice, ain’t it?” he mused dreamily. “I stop by once in a while to keep it up and pay my respects to Mama.”
“Your Mama would be proud.” Evie remarked with a smile. He then went over to a chest of drawers and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for, and stuck it in his pocket.
They had a time and a half getting him back up into that cab and she wondered how much longer he could keep doing it. “Don’t worry. I’m fixing to retire,” he retorted when she voiced her dismay. “In fact, this is probably my last run,” he went on, a bit sadly. He revved up the engine and backed all the way down that dirt road without putting it in the ditch. “Took a lot of practice,” he laughed when she mentioned the difficulty of the feat. By the time they got out on the highway again, he had already opened a package of cream cheese sweet rolls and was happily munching away.
They made it into a service station on the outside of a small town, where Evie got another tire with no problem. Her luck held out and she was offered a ride back to her car with a nice couple who had stopped in for gas. The man even offered to change the tire for her when they got there. Sammy had already bought a quart of chocolate milk and drained it by the time they were ready to go. “You take care of yourself, you hear?” Evie smiled as they took their goodbyes.
“Here’s something for you, Evie!” Sammy said as he held out a small package to her. “And Merry Christmas!” he added.
“Nice man, but he needs to go on a diet,” said the woman as Evie climbed into the back seat of their car.
“You were fortunate to get a ride out here in the middle of nowhere,” noted the man. Evie began opening her gift, curious as to what it could possibly be.
She gasped in surprise as she held up a silver chain. From it, dangled a single ruby. “It’s my birthstone! I wonder how he knew?” she gasped.
“Strange, but I knew there was something special about that fellow,” said the man in retrospect.
“Yes, there was,” agreed his wife.
Then, when they finally reached the disabled vehicle, it was already getting dark. The man changed her tire for her and refused her offer of money for his help. “Shoot - the holidays are here. We need to keep the Christmas spirit alive!” he grinned.
“Speaking of Christmas, you know who that truck driver reminded me of?” giggled the woman.
“Maybe it was!” Evie replied mysteriously as a shooting star streaked across the cold, winter sky.
