Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Then again, I could put the windows up, but that would be a shame. It’s far too beautiful this morning to be breathing in recycled air, and I quite like the sparkle of the sun on the pavement, as well as the scent of freshly-mown grass as I whiz by a local field. Soon, my car passes into the weird forested area on the way to Nassau, and I blast my music even louder since I’m pretty much alone on the road.
After I graduated from high school a year ago, I tried really hard to find a job as a secretary, but no dice. No one would hire me, and it was honestly really depressing. I could have started a fire with all the rejection letters I got, but just ended up throwing them away.
Luckily, I managed to find a job at a local Frosty Freeze, even if it’s not really local. The drive one way is forty minutes, but I suppose it’s better to spend money on gas than to be unemployed. At least, my paycheck gives me money to spend on gas, so I suppose I’m caught in a vicious cycle of sorts.
The radio switches to a commercial and I start punching at my preset buttons to find something else. I’m probably the only person who still has an outdated sound system, but then again, I love my little Civic, even if it’s old. Sure, it has 150,000 miles on it, but the car still runs great, even if I haven’t taken it for maintenance in ages. I just can’t afford to. Even a simple oil change would cost fifty bucks, and that’s fifty bucks I don’t have.
I put my left hand out the window to feel the breeze while whizzing down an empty road, Ariana Grande crooning on the radio. She always makes me happy with her soprano vocals, and I even try to hum along a bit. After all, it’s the small things in life. My finances might be tight right now, but at least the music is good and the weather is getting nice again. That always puts me in a better mood.
There’s a huge smile on my face as I soar down a secluded road with towering trees shading the Civic on both sides. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of highways in New Jersey, but for some reason, it’s easiest to take local roads to get to Nassau. But I don’t mind the back way, to be honest. It’s nice to enjoy the scenery, and it puts me in a better frame of mind.
Suddenly, the steering wheel shakes and I furrow my brow. That’s weird, my car never does that. At first, I think I just hit a pothole in the road, but then the Civic starts sputtering and trembling like an old man on his deathbed. I ease my foot off the gas pedal and just in time because it’s as if the car dies a slow death then. The wheezing and rattling becomes full-on shudders as we lose speed, and finally, the car lets out one last huge gasp as I pull to the side of the road.
I sit in the driver’s seat staring ahead for a full minute. What the hell just happened? My car has never broken down before! It’s been a Steady Eddie since I bought it from my next-door neighbor for dirt cheap in high school. They were in the market for something new for their daughter, so they were happy to pawn this dinosaur off on me.
But now, the dinosaur has met its match. A ticking sound hits my ears as I turn the ignition, trying to get it started again, but otherwise, there’s nothing. I can hear a few birds chirping in the trees, but my vehicle is as silent as a stone.
I guess maybe when they say you should get routine maintenance done, you should listen. But I couldn’t afford it! It would have meant going hungry for the week, or skipping the electricity bill. I suppose I could have eaten extra ice cream at Frosty Freeze to get the needed calories, but still. That sounds awful.
My stomach heavy, I climb out of the car to see if I can figure out what’s going on. I don’t know much about repairs, but maybe it’ll be something easy. But course, the second I pop the hood, I’m accosted by a cloud of black smoke. Coughs shake my chest, and I let out a loud wheeze.
This can’t be good because as far as I know, an engine isn’t supposed to be smoking like that. Not to mention, the hood was hot to the touch, which also seems wrong.
What am I supposed to do now? I’m still about ten miles from work, so I can’t walk to Frosty Freeze. Should I call Triple A for a tow? That’s when I remember that I didn’t renew my membership with them either. Shit.