A Deal with a Stranger

The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the bus was how cold the night air felt against my skin. The second was that I had absolutely no idea where I was. I stood beside my suitcase, staring at the unfamiliar terminal. It was past ten, and most of the shops surrounding the station were already closed. A few passengers hurried toward waiting vehicles, while others sat on the benches with their heads bowed over their phones. Everyone seemed to know where they were going. Everyone except me. I reached into my bag for my phone, intending to call Aunt Elena and tell her I had finally arrived. My fingers found nothing. I frowned and searched the compartment again. Then the next one. Then every pocket of my bag. Nothing. My phone was gone. So was my wallet. For several seconds, I simply stood there, unable to process what had happened. I remembered falling asleep during the bus ride. I remembered hugging my bag against my chest before closing my eyes. But I couldn't remember anyone approaching me or touching my belongings. Someone had stolen them while I was sleeping. "Seriously?" I whispered, feeling tears sting my eyes. "Of all the days..." I had barely enough money for the journey, and now even that was gone. The only things I had left were the clothes I was wearing, my suitcase, and a small piece of paper containing my aunt's address. My mother had written it for me before I left our province. Keep this somewhere safe, Lorraine. Once you arrive, ask someone to help you find the place. I unfolded the paper with trembling fingers. The address was still there. At least I hadn't lost that. I approached a man standing near the terminal entrance and showed him the address. "Excuse me, sir. Do you know where this place is?" He glanced at the paper before shaking his head. "Sorry, miss. I'm not familiar with that area." I tried another person. Then another. Some gave me directions to the main road, while others merely shrugged and continued walking. One woman suggested I take a taxi, but when I asked how much it might cost, she couldn't give me an answer. I wanted to cry. I had imagined my first night in the city differently. I thought Aunt Elena would be waiting for me, or perhaps Uncle Mike would send someone to pick me up. I had imagined arriving at their house, eating a warm meal, and sleeping peacefully after the exhausting journey. Instead, I was stranded in an unfamiliar city without a phone, money, or anyone I could call. My stomach growled. "Not now," I muttered to it. I pulled my suitcase toward a nearby bench and sat down. I didn't know what to do next. Going back to the terminal wasn't an option, and wandering around alone at this hour sounded even worse. I was beginning to wonder whether I should simply wait until morning when a voice interrupted my thoughts. "Are you lost, princess?" I looked up. A young man stood a few steps away from me, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his black pants. He wore a dark shirt with its sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms. His hair looked slightly messy, but somehow it suited him. There was an easy confidence in his posture, as if being in a nearly deserted terminal at midnight was the most ordinary thing in the world. He looked around my age. Maybe a little older. His eyes moved from my face to my suitcase. "Let me guess," he continued. "First time in the city?" I frowned. "Is it that obvious?" "Pretty much." "Well, thank you for your very helpful observation." He laughed. I immediately regretted answering him. "You're welcome." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you always bother strangers?" "Only the interesting ones." "And what makes me interesting?" He tilted his head, pretending to consider the question. "You're sitting alone at a bus terminal at midnight, looking like the world has personally betrayed you. I'd say that's interesting enough." I looked away. I didn't have the energy to deal with a guy who apparently enjoyed hearing himself talk. "Can I help you with something?" I asked. "Maybe." He nodded toward the paper in my hand. "Where are you going?" I hesitated before showing him the address. He took a quick look. "Ah. I know that place." My head snapped up. "You do?" "Yeah." "Really?" "No, I'm just standing here making up stories for fun." I glared at him. He grinned. "Relax. Yes, I know the area." Hope rushed through me so quickly that I nearly forgot how suspicious I had been of him. "Could you please tell me how to get there?" "Sure." He paused. "What's in it for me?" My hopeful expression disappeared. "What?" "You heard me." I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh and admit he was joking. Instead, he looked perfectly comfortable, as if asking stranded girls for favors was a normal part of his evening. "Are you asking me to pay you?" I asked cautiously. "Not exactly." "Then what do you want?" His gaze settled on my face. "You seem like a nice girl. Pretty, too." Before he could finish, I snatched the paper back from his hand. "Thank you, but I really need to get going." "Whoa. I haven't even finished." "I think I've heard enough." He chuckled, seemingly amused by my reaction. "All right, I'll make you an offer. I'll buy you dinner, take you to your destination, and make sure you get there safely. You won't have to spend a single penny." I blinked. That sounded suspiciously generous. "And what do you want in return?" His smile widened. "Spend the night with me." For a moment, I wondered whether I had heard him correctly. Then I realized I hadn't. My face grew hot. "Excuse me?" "You heard me the first time." "Are you insane?" "Possibly." I took a step away from him. "Find someone else to bother." "That's fair." His casual response somehow annoyed me even more. "You're unbelievable!" "I get that a lot." I turned away, grabbed the handle of my suitcase, and started walking toward the brighter side of the terminal. I would rather spend the entire night sitting on a bench than accept help from someone who made such a disgusting proposal. Behind me, I heard him laugh softly. "Suit yourself, princess." I gave him one last glare before turning away. I had no intention of wasting another second on that arrogant stranger. I had refused him. That was the right thing to do. So why did I suddenly feel even more helpless? I unfolded the paper and tried to slip it into my pocket while pulling my suitcase behind me. My hands were clumsy with anger, and I didn't bother checking whether I had tucked the paper away properly. I just wanted to leave. So I kept walking. I didn't notice the paper slipping from my fingers and fluttering onto the pavement behind me. *** The boy watched the girl disappear into the thinning crowd. “Careless girl,” he muttered. He returned to the nearby bench and took a sip of his milk tea. He had barely settled into his seat when something on the ground caught his attention. A small piece of paper lay beside the bench. He leaned forward and picked it up. The handwriting on the front looked familiar. He glanced at the address. “Seriously? She even managed to lose this?” Shaking his head, he turned the paper over. Then his eyes stopped at the name written on the back. Elena Calumpad. The amusement disappeared from his face. For several seconds, he stared at the name without moving. His expression changed in a way that would have been difficult to explain, had anyone been watching closely enough. He lifted his gaze toward the direction the girl had taken. But she was already gone. He looked at the paper again. Then, without saying another word, he folded it and slipped it into his pocket. *** I was alone, penniless, and lost. And the longer I stood there, the more I noticed the men lingering near the roadside. A few watched me as I passed. One whispered something to another, and both glanced in my direction. I quickened my pace. Please, Mama. I just want to get to Aunt Elena's house. I clutched my hands and continued walking. "Hey, miss!" I stopped. Three men were standing near the narrow entrance of an alley. One of them had a cigarette between his fingers, while another leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. I tried to walk past them without making eye contact. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" one of them asked. "Home," I answered quietly. "Alone?" I didn't reply. Another man stepped closer. "Why don't you stay with us for a while? It's dangerous for a pretty girl to walk around alone at this hour." My fingers tightened around the suitcase handle. "I'm fine, thank you." I tried to move around them, but one shifted into my path. "Don't be like that. We're just trying to help." Something about his smile made my skin crawl. "I said I'm fine." My voice sounded much weaker than I intended. The man with the cigarette laughed. "She's got an attitude." "I need to go," I insisted. I tried to move again. This time, one of them caught my arm. I gasped and immediately pulled away. "Let go of me!" "Relax! Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" "Don't touch me!" My heart was pounding so hard that I could barely hear my own voice. I looked around desperately, hoping someone would notice what was happening. A few people were passing on the opposite side of the road, but nobody stopped. The man holding my arm tightened his grip. "Come on. We're just asking you to hang out." "Please!" My eyes burned with tears. I wanted my mother. I wanted my familiar little home, the quiet roads of our province, and the comforting sound of her voice telling me everything would be all right. I didn't want to be brave anymore. I just wanted to go home. Then a familiar voice cut through the night. "Is there a problem here?" All three men turned. So did I. The young man from the terminal stood a few steps away, his expression unreadable. For a second, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was him. The same guy who had offered to help me in exchange for spending the night with him. The same guy I had told to find someone else to bother. Of all the people in the city, why did it have to be him? One of the men released my arm. "This doesn't concern you, bro." He glanced at me, then at the men surrounding me. "Really?" "Yeah. We're just talking to her." "Funny. She looks like she wants to leave." "She's fine." He let out a short laugh. "Then you won't mind if she comes with me." The man with the cigarette stepped forward. "And who are you supposed to be?" Van slipped his hands into his pockets. "Someone who's asking nicely." There was something unsettling about how casually he said it. The men exchanged looks. One muttered something under his breath, and another took a step towards him. I held my breath. I didn't know whether he could handle three men on his own. He wasn't particularly intimidating, at least not in the way movies made their heroes look. He was simply standing there, looking almost bored. But he didn't move away. "Last chance," He said. "Let her go." The next few moments happened so quickly that I could barely follow them. There was shouting, a sudden struggle, and the sound of someone stumbling against the wall. I backed away, dragging my suitcase with me, terrified that I might get caught in the middle. Then one of the men cursed. "Forget it! Let's go!" They retreated into the alley, throwing angry looks over their shoulders before disappearing into the darkness. For several seconds, I couldn't move. He turned toward me. "You okay?" I tried to answer, but my throat felt painfully tight. He glanced at the arm the man had grabbed. "Did they hurt you?" I shook my head but my body is still trembling in fear. “Calm down. You're safe now. There's nothing to be scared of. I'm here.” For some reason, those words made me cry harder. Perhaps it was the fear finally catching up with me. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, the hunger, or the realization that I had nowhere to go. Or perhaps I had simply reached the limit of how much I could endure in one night. He waited until I could breathe a little more evenly before speaking again. "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here." I stared at him. I didn't understand him. A few minutes ago, he had made an indecent proposal and treated my predicament like an opportunity to bargain. Now he had come after me and helped me escape three men who might have done something terrible to me. What kind of person was he? Was he really trying to help me? Or did he simply have another reason for wanting me to go with him? I wanted to ask him, but the words wouldn't come. He took one look at my face and sighed. "Hey. You don't have to look at me like that." "Like what?" "Like you're trying to decide whether I'm going to rob you or sell your organs." Despite everything, I almost laughed. Almost. "That's not funny." "I thought it was." "You're unbelievable." "And yet, here we are again." I lowered my gaze. My hands were still trembling. Even though the men were gone, I couldn't shake the feeling that they might return. He seemed to notice. He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he gestured toward the road. "Come on. Let's find somewhere with people around." I hesitated. Every instinct told me not to trust a stranger who had made such an outrageous offer. But I had already learned what could happen when I walked alone through an unfamiliar city at midnight. What if I encountered someone worse? What if I couldn't find a safe place to stay? What if something happened to me, and my mother never even learned where I had gone? I hated this situation. I hated how unfortunate I am. Most of all, I hated that fear was making his offer seem like my only remaining option. He waited without saying another word. I looked at him. I still didn't know his name. I didn't know where he lived, what kind of person he really was, or whether I could trust him. But I knew I couldn't stay here alone. My mind raced as I weighed my terrible choices. Finally, I took a shaky breath. "I accept." "What?" "I said I'm accepting your offer!"