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Galinda’s shift as hospitality liaison ended at 11 p.m. Most of the guests in town for the firefighters convention were now tucked into their suites or were getting incinerated in the lounge, belting out karaoke tunes. A 6’5” firefighter was up on stage, crying as he sang Debby Boone’s, “You Light Up My Life.” Smiling, Galinda said her goodnights to the desk staff and went outside to hail a cab.

The rain made the streets sizzle with tires as they whizzed by. Stepping off of the curb, Galinda leaned out to look for cabs and was almost clipped by a man on a bike. She yelped as she jumped back. The man braked his bicycle and rode in a circle back to her.

“Miss, so sorry, didn’t see you.”

“It’s ok, my fault.”

“Need a ride?”

Galinda noticed there was a passenger seat installed over the back fender of the bike, pegs for a passenger’s feet, and the man’s shirt said “Jimmy’s Bicycle Lift Service.”

“How much do you charge?”

“Because I just about mowed you down with my mean machine, let’s say an even $5?”

If she took a cab or called one of the services, it would cost a minimum of $20.

“How do I know you are for real and not just some stalker trying to get lucky?”

Jimmy pulled out his smart phone and punched in a web address, waited a moment, then handed the phone to Galinda. The website looked legit, but she wanted to be sure. She called the number on the site and an operator answered.

Instincts satisfied – but pepper spray at the ready and .45 in her purse — she said, “You’ve got a deal, Jimmy.”

The lightning flashed across the sky.

The End.

Fandango’s FOWC is instinct, the Word of the Day Challenge is hospitality, Paula’s 3 Things Challenge words are belt, hail, incinerator , and Teresa’s Haunted Wordsmith Daily Prompt is, “The lightning flashed across the sky.”