Page 19 of A Place for Daydreams

She glanced out the window at the sunny day, thinking to herself that it was a perfect day for this kind of excursion. She hurried into her bedroom and opened her closet, taking out a baseball cap and a sweater, since she guessed that it would become chillier later in the day.

She tied the sweater around her waist and wiggled the baseball cap onto her head. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, thinking cheerfully to herself that she looked ready for an adventure. She was wearing hiking boots, jeans, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail which highlighted its soft waves.

She let out a sigh of satisfaction and went back into the kitchen to get her lunchbox and coffee thermos. She left her apartment with a spring in her step and got into her car. She was just pulling out of the parking lot when she noticed that her brakes felt strangely unstable. She had to push her foot very firmly against the pedal in order to get the car to stop.

That doesn’t feel right at all, she thought, alarmed.I can’t drive anywhere if there’s an issue with my brakes.

She groaned. Car difficulties always flustered her, and this was making her feel especially worried—not to mention disappointed.

“Oh, I hope it’s some kind of easy fix,” she muttered as she pulled over on the side of the road. “I don’t want to miss out on the lovely day I had planned.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly looked up the nearest auto repair shop. It was only a three-minute drive away, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She carefully eased her car back out into the road and made her way to the shop. She bit her lip the whole way, wondering what was wrong with her car and hoping it didn’t suddenly stop working altogether or explode.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled into the parking lot of the auto repair shop. By that point, it was very difficult to get her car to stop. She got out and hurried inside, finding herself in a cool, plainly decorated lobby that featured a tire display in one corner and several blue armchairs.

She rang a desk bell on the front counter, and a moment later a smiling young man with “Keith” written on his nametag stepped into the room.

“Hi there,” he said. “What can we help you with today?”

“The brakes on my car are acting strange,” she told him. “I was having trouble stopping the car by the time I got here.”

He asked her a few questions and she answered them, and he nodded, frowning in concern.

“Sounds like maybe your brake lines have a leak or got snapped somehow,” he said. “We’ll bring your car into the shop and take a look at it.”

“Sounds great, thank you. Do you want me to drive it in, or… ?”

“I’ll bring it in.” He held out his hand, and for a second she thought he was asking for a high-five, and she felt confused and inclined to laugh. Then she realized that he was asking her to hand him her keys so that he could move her car.

“Yes! Oh, sorry.” She laughed, rummaging in her purse and feeling flustered and amused. She was clearly out of it, rattled by her concerns for her vehicle. “Here you are. Any guesses as to how long that will take?”

He shook his head. “I can’t say for sure. First thing is we should run a diagnostic on your car and figure out what’s wrong with it. Then we can let you know about repairs and cost and how long it will probably take.” He smiled, and she forced herself to smile back, even though she could feel herself wanting to wiggle with impatience.

Oh, I hope it doesn’t take too long,she thought as she followed Keith outside.I really want to get to that cave today, and before my lunch spoils!

She watched with her hands clasped behind her back as Keith drove her car into the garage. She saw him frowning in concentration, but he was also able to stop it.

She wasn’t sure if she was allowed in the garage as a customer or not, but she didn’t see anyone besides Keith in there, so she tiptoed inside. The garage smelled strongly of gasoline, oil, and grease, and she smiled quietly to herself. She loved those smells, because they made her think of repairing cars with her grandfather.

Keith got out of her car, and she stood near him.

“Did it stop okay?” she asked anxiously. She tended to hover when she was nervous about something. It was as if she was watching some suspenseful movie or reading a gripping book, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away from the unfolding action.

“Not too good, but I managed it. You can go ahead and sit in the lobby, ma’am. I’ll take a look at your car and come back inside to let you know what needs to be done about it.”

“I think I’d rather just watch you do it,” she said. “It won’t take all that long, will it?”

Keith glanced at her, looking hesitant. “Well, we don’t usually have customers here in the shop.”

“Oh, I won’t get in your way. I’ll just watch. I mean, I trust you, it isn’t that. Is that okay?”

He hesitated again, and then nodded. “Okay, I guess so.”

Keith began to inspect her car, starting by opening the hood. Noelle watched nervously as he began to check the levels of various fluid containers.

“Are they okay?” she asked, stepping forward. “That brake fluid is low, isn’t it?”

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