White Knight on a Fiery Steed: Rex's Favorite Love Story

Julie had broken up with me just a few days ago and I was lonely and dejected in a strange house all by myself.  I was house-sitting for Chris and his family, and I'd already watched two movies at home by myself that night.  It was only about 10pm, but with nothing better to do, I climbed in bed, only to hear the phone ring.  In the 2 weeks that I'd been house-sitting, the phone had only rung when Julie called.  She was the only one who even knew I was there.  Without hesitation, I threw off the covers and picked up the phone.

"Hi Rex." It was Julie on the other end.  My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't speak.  "Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"My car broke down.  Will you come and get me?"

My sweetheart was in trouble.  There was no question I was coming to her rescue.

I barely heard her explanation of what happened.  I was already throwing on clothes while she told me her location.  It wasn't until I was already driving down Oceanside Boulevard and getting on I-5 that it registered that she wasn't alone.  But it really didn't matter that much, did it?  My girl needed me.

She'd broken up with me only 2 days ago because she knew that I loved her and she was afraid of marriage.  And now she was already on a date with a guy who could swing dance -- something I didn't do.  They'd been on their way up to a club called "Memories" in Tustin, just south of Anaheim; she had been driving since she'd been there before and knew how to get there, and the date had not.

Her little Geo Storm lost power at the San Clemente checkpoint in the fast lane.  Somehow, they'd made it across the 4 lanes to the weigh station where she'd called AAA from a payphone (back in the day) to come tow her car.  But, after calling every half-hour for the past 2 hours, and being told each time that they were on their way, she had lost confidence that they were even coming and needed a Plan B.  She didn't call her parents since they lived an hour away.  She didn't call her roommates since they were unreliable jerks she had less confidence in than AAA.  The first person she called was me because she knew I would always come when she needed me.  Even if she'd just kicked me to the curb.  Now that I think about it, I wonder why her date didn't just call home.

When I arrived at the checkpoint, I could see the relief in her face as she thanked me and gave me a hug.  I shook hands with her date.  Matt was a good looking nice guy, home from college for the summer.  When I sized him up, I thought he would be alright, even if I was a bit jealous.

The plan was to go back to the car, turn off the hazard lights, and leave a note on the windshield saying it would be towed away the next day -- so it wouldn't get impounded as an abandoned car.  And then I would take my girl home.  The problem was that the car was in the breakdown lane in the middle of the freeway which would be impossible to cross.  So everyone got in my truck and we drove the 5 miles north to the next exit, turned around, drove 10 miles south to that exit, and drove back up 5 miles to her car.  Just as we arrived, so too did the infamous tow-truck. 

So I had charged in, coming to the rescue of my beloved, only to be told they didn't need me after all.  It turned out that my job had only been to escort them back to the car so the tow-truck driver could take them home. My consolation prize was an extra-long, extra-tight hug from my ex-girlfriend before she climbed into the tow-truck with her date.  (The girlfriend who only let me refer to her as "my girlfriend" a week prior to breaking up with me.  Before that, I was just the guy she was dating for the past 4 months.)

As I got back in my truck and was driving back home, it finally dawned on me what a fool I was!  Instead of going back to the empty house, I drove to work where Rick was on shift.  When I told him the story, he laughed at me and told me I was in love.  Yeah, well, that doesn't help when it was the other guy taking her home that night.

A few months later, when I took Julie back to her apartment upon our return home from introducing her as my fiance to my parents in Minnesota, there was a message on her answering machine that had been left while we were gone.  Matt was back in town for the Thanksgiving weekend and wanted to know if Julie would like to go dancing with him.  I was amused he was unaware that she'd been taken during his absence.  He might have taken her home from the checkpoint that night, but I was taking her home forever.