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I turned the key, but nothing happened. The engine didn’t even attempt to turn over.
Holden made a key-turning motion with his hand. “Turn the key!”
I opened the door. “I am! It’s not starting!”
“Shit.”
He shut the hood and smacked dirt from his hands. “I still think it’s the fuel filter.” He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. “Auto parts stores close by five on a Sunday, so we only have about twenty-five minutes. I think we should go grab a filter before it’s too late. We can always return it if it turns out to be something else.”
“Do you know how to change it if we’re able to get one?”
Holden nodded. “I gotta get under the car to reach the fuel line, but I’ve done it before.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
After I locked up my car and got into the van, I Googled the closest parts store. “There are two,” I said. “One is north of here about ten minutes and one is south about the same distance.”
“Pick one and read me the directions.”
Unfortunately, the one I picked didn’t have the part in stock. So we rushed back to try to get to the other store before it closed, but when we pulled up, the parking lot was empty and all the lights were already off.
“Shoot. What do we do now?”
Holden shook his head. “It’s a Sunday, so we’re probably not going to find anywhere open now. I guess we can call a tow truck, go home, and come back tomorrow after the shop has it fixed. But if we’re going to make the trip back anyway, why not just stop on our way and grab a fuel filter so I can fix it and not waste the money on a tow and a mechanic?”
“I definitely have to be at work tomorrow afternoon. I have an appointment to meet the manager of one of the senior-care facilities where people who are part of my study live. But I can come early tomorrow. Do you have anything in the morning?”
“I’ll make it work.”
I sighed. “God, Holden. You’ve done so much for me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you the last few weeks.”
He winked. “You’ll never have to find out because I’ll always be here for you, babe.”
I needed to go back to get my work files from my car. Plus, I thought I should talk to the gas station attendant and let her know I was going to leave my car there overnight. But a few minutes into the drive, there was a loud pop outside, followed by a whooshing sound.
“What the heck was that?”
Holden had been casually driving with one hand, but now he gripped the wheel tightly with two. “That was our tire. We just had a blowout.”
Thank God we weren’t on the highway because the van started to pull hard to the right. Holden maneuvered us into an empty parking lot, but it was still pretty scary.
I shook my head. “I cannot believe that just happened.”
“Me neither.”
We got out of the van and walked around to the front passenger side. Sure enough, the tire was completely flat already, though it was still making a loud hissing sound.
“What is it with us and car trouble?” I said.
“I think it has something to do with the fact that we both drive hunks of junk.”
“First I got towed for the way I parked, then my starter went, now I have a clogged fuel filter, and you got a flat. I’ve had more car trouble in the last few weeks than I have had the last ten years.”
Holden opened the back van doors. “That’s how it happens with old cars. One thing goes after another.” He lifted a concealed panel in the floor of the van and hung his head. “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.”
I walked over to see what he was looking at. “What’s wrong?”
“The jack is gone.” He looked around the interior of the van. “Shit. So is the spare. I think we took them out to make room for our new amps the other night before a gig. I guess we never put them back. They’re still in Dylan’s garage.”
“Oh boy. What do we do now?”
He put his hands on his hips. “I suppose we could call two freaking tow trucks and take a two-hundred-dollar Uber back to the city. Then spend another two hundred to Uber back tomorrow morning to pick up the cars at the repair shop. Or…” He pointed down the block to a building I hadn’t noticed. “There’s a Holiday Inn up ahead. We can stay the night, and I’ll pick up a new fuel filter first thing in the morning and fix your car, then deal with the van situation. That makes the most sense. Otherwise, between Ubers and tow trucks, it’ll be three times the cost of staying the night. Plus, we can get an early start and not have to fight traffic to get back here. Auto parts stores are usually open by eight or nine because mechanics get started early. What do you think?”
