Just for a man to have a woman that beautiful look at him that way, Daniel imagined that to have that even once in his life, if he could have that, he could die a happy man. Who knows, maybe that was the last thought his dad had before he’d passed, of Amanda looking at him that way. Daniel liked to think so.
Driving at night, the lights from the dashboard reflected in her eyes, Amanda looked damn cute now too. Just to have a woman like that by his side, that’s all a guy could want out of life. If a guy had that, the rest of it didn’t matter. Especially at times like these, when she could relax and be herself, that’s when she was the most pure, the most beautiful.
Just after dark, a couple of miles over the state line from Utah into Nevada, Amanda was driving. Daniel had his eyes closed hoping for just a few minutes of sleep when he felt the car’s engine struggling. He opened his eyes as they slowed and Amanda pulled the car over to the shoulder.
“Fuck!”
“What happened?”
“It just lost power. I didn’t do anything. It just fucking lost power.”
“Where are we?”
“The middle of fucking nowhere is where we are.”
Fortunately, they at least had cell service. They searched for a number, called for a tow truck, and waited. The driver happened to have his own small shop just about five miles ahead and a couple of miles off the highway. He seemed OK, and even though first impressions weren’t much to go on, they decided to trust him since their other option was to pay for a tow about 80 miles back the other way to the nearest decently sized town.
“Is there a hotel anywhere near?” Amanda asked.
“Well…” the truck driver began with a little smirk. “Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but I reckon in these circumstances you can’t afford to be too picky. Yeah. There’s a motel just about a mile from here. I’ll drop ya.”
And that’s how Amanda and Daniel came to stay at Sindy’s Love Motel.
Amanda had heard of such places, but she certainly had never been to one. She had no idea they still existed. To Daniel, it was all new. Sindy’s was located not far over the state line from Utah into Nevada. Evidently they managed to stay afloat by catering to the Mormon imagination of sin. It was a small place, only 10 rooms, bungalow style. Each room had only one bed. The standard rooms were all rented, so Amanda and Daniel had to go for one of the honeymoon suites. These featured an abundance of mirrors, including especially large ones on the wall at the head of the bed, and also on the ceiling over the bed. The furniture, bedspread, wall coverings, and carpet were red, as was the heart-shaped spa tub right there in the room.
“Something tells me you might be popular with more than just the honeymoon crowd.” Amanda remarked to the proprietor as she looked over the room options while Daniel stood by and watched.
“I don’t ask to see any marriage licenses. None of my business. About 95% of our clientele come from across the border. I don’t ask questions. Just like I’m not asking you.”
Amanda didn’t like the way he looked at her, and then at Daniel, and then back at her, but with no other options available, she swallowed hard at the $400/night price (knocked down from $450 on account of the air conditioning being out) and agreed to take it. She looked at Daniel. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.