 |
| Sometimes, you just need a lot of pillows. |
Tim sighed and tried to turn the key in the ignition again. The engine didn't turn over. He tried one more time, but the car wouldn't start. "Not again," Tim moaned. He had just paid to fix something else in his car and he didn't have money to fix this too.
Tim started to think about how he could get to work and how he could get his car fixed, but it was all too much and he couldn't stand doing any of it. After sitting for a moment, Tim opened the door and stepped out of his car. He went back into his apartment where his wife, Lexie, was busy working at her remote job answering customer service calls.
"Car won't start," Tim told her. "I'm going to bed."
"You're taking a day off?" Lexie asked.
Tim thought about this waste of PTO again, sighed, and nodded. "I can't do it today. I keep trying and I never get any recognition and barely get a raise each year-" He stopped talking as Lexie's phone rang. "Go ahead," he told her.
Lexie answered the call in her best customer service voice and Tim slouched back to their bedroom. He sent his boss an email to say he wasn't coming in and then let himself drop onto their bed. He lay there and barely moved.
Around 1, Lexie came in quietly with lunch. "Our neighbor, John wants to borrow the car," she told him. "Is that all right? He'll pay us gas money."
"Sure," Tim said. "Whatever."
Lexie sat down on the bed. "Tim, what's wrong?"
"I can't do it anymore!" Tim snapped. "We're getting nowhere. We're working our asses off and we still have one car that barely works, live in a shitty apartment, and we're one paycheck away from losing all of it. So what's the point?"
"Tim, we're getting better-"
"I know!" he snapped again. Tim sighed. "I'm sorry. I know we're trying and saving up a bit, but it always gets taken away by something. I just... I just want to pretend none of this is real for today. Just let me sleep."
Lexie looked at him with concern. "We could find money for therapy..."
"No, we really can't," Tim corrected her. "My car won't start now. So there goes all our savings. Just let me be. I'll feel better later."
With obvious misgiving, Lexie stood up and left, closing the door behind her.
Eventually, Tim ate the lunch she had brought him. She would get worried if he didn't.
Awhile later, Lexie came back. "Tim, I need you to come out here and talk to John with me."
"I told you, I can't." Tim burried his head in the pillow.
Lexie sighed and after a moment, left the room.
Tim could hear Lexie and John talking from the other room. Their voices were getting louder. Tim put another pillow over his head and focused on his breathing so he couldn't hear what they were saying. It sounded like more trouble and he didn't want that.
Finally, they stopped. Their front door opened and closed. Tim took the pillows off his head. Then he heard Lexie crying.
Without thinking, Tim pulled himself out of bed and went to the living room. "What's wrong?"
But Lexie was smiling. "John wrecked the car."
"He got it to start?" Tim asked. Then his mind caught up. "He wrecked the car?! Why are you smiling?"
"He's getting us a new one. I'm buying it from him for a dollar. I'm taking it to a mechanic to check it over. Tim, we'll have a car that works again. And I contacted our insurance. They're giving us money for the totaled car."
Tim stared at her. "What?"
"We're going to be okay! We'll have a good car and some money in the bank." Lexie wiped a tear off of her cheek. "I'm so relieved!"
Tim sat on the couch. "Is this real?"
Lexie nodded, grinning.
Tim looked up at her and smiled. "Wow," was all he could manage. Then, "I'm glad I took a day off today!"
No comments:
Post a Comment