Page 5 of Home for the Hockey-Days

“Yes, that’s right.” My blood runs cold as the operator’s words sink into my brain. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you don’t have insurance coverage with our company.”

“Th-that’s not possible. My parents... I’m on their insurance....” Panic grips my chest, tightening around my lungs. Fuck. Breathe. It’s just an admin error, she’s going to check her system and find the correct information.

I just need to keep breathing.

“Yes, Ms. Armistead. I just double checked, your insurance ran out.”

Something clicks in my head. “No, it didn’t run out. My parents were paying and changed it over to my account. It was on autopay.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Armistead, but there was no autopay set up on this account, your insurance premium hasn’t been paid for a number of weeks now.”

No. No, no, no, no, it can’t be. Sh-she has to be wrong. I have to have insurance. The guy whose car I hit makes eye contact with me, his brows furrowing at whatever he sees on my face.

“We can set you up with new insurance. I’ll need your payment details...” The insurance operator’s voice fades into the background as my head spins. My chest is so tight I’m afraid it might implode as I suck shallow gasps of air into my lungs.

How am I going to pay for the repairs to my car? To his car?Andrestarting my insurance all at once? Shit. Could I goto jail for driving without insurance? What are the laws in Iowa?

My hands tremble, my legs shake, and somewhere in the distance a woman’s voice sounds like a faint echo at the end of a long corridor. “Your insurance premium will increase substantially after this accident.”

I don’t know how long passes before cold hands pry the phone from my quivering fingers. A muffled voice says something, and I think he hangs up.

The stranger clicks his fingers in front of my face but my body is consumed with panic. When he cradles my face with both hands, he raises his voice, and breaks through the fog.

“Are you okay?”

I shake my head. “My insurance lapsed. My parents were transferring the insurance to me, and I thought I set up autopay, but I didn’t, and the lady on the phone, she said...” I heave out a sob. “She said I’m not insured.”

His face remains impassive. “My car’s a write-off. I have a buddy coming over to take it to the junkyard.”

“Y-you know that from looking at it?”

If I’m not mistaken, he’s smiling, and that sound he’s making is a chuckle. “I think everyone knows by looking at her that Rusty’s a write-off.”

“Rusty?” That makes me smile. “You called your car Rusty?”

He shrugs. “I give all my cars names.”

My fingers are numb, I’m not sure if it’s shock, panic, the cold, or the fact I owe this guy a shit ton of money out of my own pocket. Money that I don’t have.

I’m so lost in my own fear and dread I’m honestly not sure what happens in the minutes that follow. A guy comes to pick up the stranger I rear-ended, he says something to me but I’m only half listening, and he hands me a crumpled piece of paper which I shove in my pocket.

As he drives away, Athena appears. “You okay?” How does she make sub-zero temperatures look so damn glamorous?

“I-I’m not really sure. I trashed his car.” I point at Rusty hooked up to the back of a tow-truck making her way to car heaven. “And I had no insurance. I-I...” My hands shake, and Athena curls my hands inside hers.

“We’ll figure it out.”

A glimmer of hope flickers in my chest. I hate the idea of borrowing money from Athena, but maybe this is my way of getting myself out of the frying pan and avoiding vaulting into the fire.

“My parents stopped paying the insurance. I thought I’d set up autopay, but I guess I haven’t. I need to pay for his car repair...” I rake my hand through my hair. “Replacement, I guess. Shit. Fuck. I need to fix my car. And I need to pay for insurance.” Tears stream down my face.

“Why did your parents stop paying your insurance?” She’s still holding both my hands.

“They want me to learn financial responsibility, how to adult by my big girl self.” I shrug on a sigh, a shiver slithering through my body, reminding me of how cold I am.

Athena nods. “A worthy endeavor.” She stares at me for a long moment, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Here’s the deal. I’ll loan you the money to cover the damages on your car, but we’ll need to arrange a payment plan, and make sure you’re still learning to be a boss bitch.”

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