The flat sent me into panic mode again. I started to sweat, imagining that Eric had somehow figured out where I was headed. Why did everything have to be so difficult?
I hadn’t fixed a flat since my senior year in high school. Mr Little, my driver’s education teacher, would only pass us if we could change a flat tire. I hated it then, and I was sure my attitude hadn’t changed. My only saving grace was that I was wearing old jeans and a T-shirt so if my clothes got dirty, it’d be no big deal.
Jackie walked back. I started to hyperventilate. I was short of breath, and I felt as if I was going to faint.
‘Whoa, Shel.’ Jackie steadied me. ‘Calm down. Eric’s not here. He doesn’t know where you are. Breathe in slowly through your nose, then slowly out your mouth. That’s it. Nice and slow. You’re alright. I’m here with you. You’re safe.’
I did as Jackie instructed, breathing in through my nose then pursing my lips and breathing out the small hole. Eventually my heart stopped racing and I could feel my breathing return to normal.
‘That’s it,’ Jackie said. ‘You’re fine. We’ll change the tire and be on our way.’
I nodded. ‘Thanks,’ I managed. ‘I don’t know where I’d be without you.’
Jackie and I opened the trunk and took out the spare tire and jack. Jackie pulled out her cell phone and typed while she spoke. ‘How. To. Change. A. Tire. Found it. It says to put the jack under the frame near the tire you want to change.’
I did like Jackie had instructed.
‘Raise the jack until it’s supporting the car,’ she continued.
Just as I was raising the car, a man driving a red pick-up truck with a gun rack in the back stopped. He put down his passenger window and leaned over. ‘You ladies need some help?’
‘That would be great!’ Jackie said. ‘If you don’t mind.’
The man, who looked to be in his seventies, pulled in front of Jackie’s car and walked back to where we stood. He wore heavy jeans, bib overalls and a green and tan flannel shirt. ‘Why don’t you ladies step back? I’ll have this fixed in no time.’
Twenty minutes later, the man, whose name we learned was Jerry, had the spare on. ‘That’ll hold you for a little while.’ He pointed to the flat tire. ‘That one’s been punctured by a nail. Should be fixable, though.’
I pulled a fifty out of my wallet and held out my hand. ‘Here’s a little something for your trouble.’
He waved his hand. ‘Wasn’t any trouble at all. Besides, it’s not every day I find damsels in distress along the highway. It was worth it just to see your pretty faces.’
I returned the fifty to my wallet and offered my hand instead. ‘Well, thank you, Jerry. You were my savior today.’
Jackie thanked him, too.
We watched Jerry leave. ‘Any idea where I can get the flat tire fixed or buy a new one?’
‘I know for sure there’s a place in town, not far from the cabin. Do you think you can make that distance driving on the spare?’
‘Well, the sticker on it said it should be good for fifty miles and they’re usually on the conservative side when it comes to those types of things. We have about fifty miles to go, right? I think I can make it. Let’s give it a go. I just won’t be driving as fast as I was.’
Jackie and I returned to the road and an hour or so later pulled into the garage. The town was so small it only had one traffic light. Besides the garage, there was a small grocery store and a small pizza shop, all family owned.
A tall, bald man with a goatee, wearing a blue mechanics jumpsuit waited on us.
‘Hi, Paul,’ I said.
He narrowed his eyes. ‘How’d you know my name was Paul?’
‘It’s stitched on your jumpsuit.’ I smiled.
Paul felt the stitching on the upper left side of his chest. ‘Oh, yeah. Thought maybe you were one of them mind readers.’
If only I was, it would’ve saved me from marrying Eric! ‘Sorry to disappoint you. I’m no mind reader but I had a flat and I think I know what happened to the tire. The guy who fixed the flat said it had a nail puncture.’
Paul nodded. ‘Well, I’ll know soon enough. I’ll check it out and get the tire fixed right away.’
Jackie touched my shoulder. ‘Let’s go to the grocery store and pick up a few things.’
‘Good idea. I need milk and coffee. I can’t live without coffee.’
Jackie and I went to the grocery store and I headed straight for the instant coffee. Jackie went to the deli to get some lunch meat. I also picked up cereal, milk, a couple cans of soup, and bread. I figured that the groceries, along with what I’d brought from home, would tide me over for a few days, just long enough to get my head on straight and figure out what I wanted to do next.
I knew one thing, I wasn’t going back to Eric. During the five-hour drive, I had a lot of time to think about our whirlwind romance. Looking back, I can’t believe how gullible I was. And stupid.
I met Jackie at the checkout and she laughed when she saw the cereal in my grocery cart. ‘I haven’t eaten cereal with marshmallows in it since I was a kid.’
‘I haven’t either, but that cereal was always one of my comfort foods. Eric would be horrified if he saw I bought it, which makes me want to buy it even more.’ I grinned and was happy that I still could. ‘He’d only buy this high fiber cereal that tasted like crap cardboard.’
Jackie held up batteries. ‘I’m going to give you a couple of the flashlights in my car and thought I’d buy some extra batteries just in case you need them.’
I smiled.
‘What so funny.’
‘Oh, nothing. I just remember you making fun of Bruce for buying you flashlights for gifts.’
Jackie rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, you made your point. Bruce is a good guy.’
‘He’s a great guy!’
Jackie insisted on paying for the groceries and we loaded the bags into her car and drove back to the garage.
Paul was tightening the lug nuts when we pulled in. He turned around. ‘Should be as good as new.’
‘Thanks, Paul. How much do I owe you?’
‘I got this,’ Jackie said.
‘But…’
Jackie narrowed her eyes and I felt as if I was being scolded by my mother.
I hugged her. ‘Thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.’