Page 5 of Crash
The smoke coming from the hood of her car was also not a good omen. She stopped in the emergency lane on the nearly abandoned road, putting Shelly in park before turning the ignition off. Quynh took some deep, calming breaths, but the death rattle beneath Shelly’s hood and a giant puff of dark smoke billowing out broke her composure.
She smacked her head on the steering wheel a few times and let out a scream of frustration. The last thing she needed was another disaster. She knew bad things happened in threes, so at least she’d gotten them all overwith at this point. There was nowhere left to go but up. God, she hoped so.
After another moment of wallowing, Quynh lifted her head off the steering wheel, wiped her tears away, and took a few calming breaths. Leaning over, she rooted around her glove compartment for some drive-through napkins she hoarded. She needed to collect herself.
Get your shit together, Quynh.
As far as pep talks go, it was all she could muster, but it seemed to help wrangle her composure back under control.
Quynh had fallen in love with the rusted VW Beetle when she first saw it sitting alone in the back lot of the dealership. Her previous car expelled its last rattling breath on the very same highway she was currently traveling after working a brutal fourteen-hour shift at the hospital.
She couldn’t afford a new car at the time since she’d decided to go back to school to get her master’s degree. It seemed like a great idea at the time. Her first job as a nurse practitioner wouldn’t start for at least another couple of months. Unfortunately, her student loans would be crippling until she started her new job.
The salesman, Jimmy, pounced on her as soon as she set foot on the lot. Jimmy tried to get her to look at all of their brand-new vehicles, but she’d been adamant about buying a used one. Reluctantly, Jimmy brought her to theback, where a lot of their used cars were sitting, collecting dust. This lot resembled more like a ghost town, each car appearing worse for wear.
She’d perused the options, and just when she was about to admit defeat, she spotted Shelly in the back. Shelly was a faded yellow Volkswagen buggy with rusted rims and a pale pink flower on its hood. Honestly, she was cute but completely impractical. The price tag sold her. She’d taken joy out of the look of horror that crossed over Jimmy’s face when she’d pointed at Shelly.
He probably thought no one would ever actually be interested in the disaster of a car, but after taking the buggy for a test drive, Quynh couldn’t find any reason she shouldn’t buy Shelly right then and there. Once back inside the showroom of the dealership, she’d sat down with Jimmy, who continued to subtly push her toward the cars in the showroom.
Once Jimmy realized how futile it was to continue trying to dissuade her, he led her to his office. Quynh knew that because she was a woman, sales agents were more likely to take advantage of her. So, she was ready when Jimmy extended the price tag. Quynh met his gaze unflinchingly with her arms folded defensively across her chest. Her eyes held a silent challenge. Jimmy squirmed in his seat under her intense stare.
“I’ll give you $2500 for that piece of junk.”
Jimmy balked at her boldness before collecting himself.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, but for the current price tag, I can add on some free oil changes for the next year.”
“Fine.” She watched as he’d sagged in relief. Sitting back in her seat, she inspected her nails. “I’ll give you $1500. Final offer. Oh, and the free oil changes stay.”
Poor Jimmy. He’d probably thought he had an easy sale, but what Jimmy didn’t know was that she had years of experience with haggling. It was in her blood. Her mother was the best haggler known in the history of haggling. She’d learned from the best.
The moment Jimmy capitulated, she knew by his defeated posture. He’d let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jimmy gave her an appraising glance before turning to his computer to draw up the contract for the sale. She’d driven off the lot with Shelly that same day.
Shelly had been a faithful servant to her for years. She’d driven her through all the ever-changing New England weather, always reliably getting her from point A to point B with only a few shudders and screeches when she turned the engine over.
Until today.
After pulling her phone down from its stand, she checked for any messages or missed calls. Ruth didn’t even bother to reply to any of the messages Quynh sent,leaving her on read. Nor did Ruth answer when she tried to call. Instead, she was sent straight to voicemail. The last attempt at calling didn’t even ring before getting Ruth’s voicemail. Ruth probably blocked her number. Quynh and Ruth had a contentious relationship. She didn’t blame Ruth for hating her. After all, it was technically her fault for Ruth’s complex relationship with their father.
The navigation app showed she was stuck right outside of Willowbrook. She could make out the peaks of the snowcapped mountains. She was so close to reaching her destination, but the universe was working against her this week. Quynh sighed as she opened her internet browser to search for the nearest auto body shop to tow her car to.
The last time she was in Willowbrook, she was about nine years old. She never thought she would ever step foot back into this small town, not after what sent her mother packing in the middle of the night. Thoughts of her mother threatened to drag her back down. She forcefully shoved them away. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
With the sun setting behind her, she did not want to be stuck on the side of the road when it got dark. The thought of hitchhiking her way into town didn’t appeal to her either. Considering there were no other cars on the road for the past few miles, it didn’t bode well for her. She would have to spendthe night sleeping in her car. Unfortunately, Shelly lacked a full back seat. It would be cramped despite her petite frame.
No, thank you.
Quynh pulled up the contact information for the first towing company that came up and clicked ‘call.’ She held the phone to her ear as it rang. And rang. And rang. Finally, the phone clicked on.
“Hi! I need he?—.”
“Hello, you’ve reached Ricky’s Auto and Towing. Unfortunately, we are closed. If you need emergency services, please contact Griffin’s Auto Body.”
The sound of the recording ended as the phone number to Griffin’s Auto Body was rattled off. Quynh hung up and called again to catch the phone number. She dialed the new number and lamented her misfortune when the phone rang again.
Just as she thought she was out of luck, she heard the phone click on. Holding her breath, she waited for a beat. After a pause, a gruff voice answered the line.
“Hello?”
