Page 6 of Make Me Trust Again
Maybe I should try to take a few classes at the local community college. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it might give me anedge in the job market. God knows I need any edge I can get. Something had to give, right?
A girl could ho?—
A loudbangstartles me out of my thoughts as the truck swerves on the road. My fingers tighten around the steering wheel as I try to gain control of my vehicle. My foot presses against the brake instinctively, and the tires let out a screeching sound. My body jerks forward, hair falling in my face, when the truck finally comes to a stop.
Oh my God.
My whole body is shaking as I suck in a lungful of air, my heart hammering against my ribcage. Slowly, I lift my head and look out, taking in the empty road in front of me.
It is fine.
Iam fine.
One by one, I uncurl my fingers from the steering wheel and reach for the door handle. My legs are shaky when I get out and take in my truck. It’s standing askew, and the front right tire is busted.
“Dammit.”
I so donotneed this right now.
I run my still-shaky fingers through my hair. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”
So much for thinking things can’t get worse.
I glare at the offending tire, at all the different screws and mud on the black rubber. Do I even have a spare? I never had to use one, so I have no idea, and even if I had one, I don’t know how to change it. When I was a teenager, my dad used to take care of my car, and then after I got married, John was the one to do it. I never had to think about it, until now.
Pulling out my phone, I search for our local mechanic’s number. Mrs. Darrow answers after a few rings, her voiceextremely perky as she singsongs, “Darrow’s Mechanic Shop, Julia speaking, how can I help you?”
“Hi, Mrs. Darrow, this is Rose O’Ne— Hathaway.”
“Rose, hi! How are you doing, honey?”
“I… I’ve had better days,” I admit, letting out a sigh. “I was just going home when my tire blew.”
“Oh, no, that’s awful.”
“Tell me about it. Do you think somebody could come and replace it? Or tow my truck back home?”
“Dang it, Jimmy just went out with the tow truck. There was an accident, so it might take a while. Can you call somebody else to come and help you out? If you have a spare, they can just exchange it, and you’ll be good to go.”
Shit.
Could this day get any worse?
“I’m sure if you called John, he’d be there in no time,” Mrs. Darrow continues.
I swallow back a snort. There was no way I was calling John.
“I’ll try and figure something out.”
“You do that, honey. If nobody can help, just give me a call, and I’ll send Jimmy as soon as he’s back.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Darrow. I really appreciate it.”
Hanging up, I let my hand drop, my fingers clenching around the phone. “Now what?”
Nibbling at the inside of my cheek, I consider calling my dad, but push the thought back. Maybe I can look it up online? How difficult can it be? Sure, I never changed a tire or done anything else around my car, but…
I’m opening my browser so I can find a how-to video when the sound of an engine approaching fills the air. I turn around and lift my hand to shield my view from the blazing sun just as the car pulls to a stop behind mine.
