Convalescence

VI.

One Week Later

The day could not have possibly started off worse for Lili.

Currently, she was stranded on the shoulder of the highway, using her parked car as protection from the other vehicles that came zooming around the corner.

She had been making her normal drive to work, with no issues, when something in her engine suddenly banged loudly and the car began to slow to its death.

Smoke had started to drift out of the front hood, which was never a good sign. Where there's smoke, there's fire. The sight made Lili's heart practically stop in fear.

The highway was definitely the worst possible spot for a car to break down. There was no safe place to stop. 

The weakening engine produced just enough energy for Lili to pull over onto the shoulder before the car completely shut down for good.

When she tried to restart the ignition, it wouldn't even make any semblance of sound. Normally if there was still a little bit of life left in the engine, it would click or stutter.

But now, nothing. Her car was good and dead.

After more than a few tears had been shed, Lili calmed herself down enough to step carefully out of the car. There had been a bit of a break in the traffic, so the road was empty enough for her to safely do so. 

She chose to sit on the small grassy hill that was a few feet away from the road to call a tow truck.

The grass was damp with morning dew, but she found an old blanket in her trunk that she could sit on so as not to ruin her uniform. At least that was one good thing that occurred that morning.

She had been waiting for a tow truck for about ten minutes before she unlocked her phone to place another call.

Her fingers trembled as she searched her recent calls for the name she needed. The line rang twice before Jordyn picked up, cheerfully greeting her best friend.

"Have you left your house yet?" Lili asked, exasperated. She'd barely even given Jordyn a chance to finish her greeting.

She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair and gripped the roots as she rested her elbow on her exposed knee. Her palms were slightly clammy - the fear from seeing steam billowing from her car hadn't entirely subsided.

"I was literally stepping out the door when my phone rang. Why, do you need something?" Jordyn sounded rushed as she responded.

"Actually, yes. I'm so sorry to do this to you, but can come pick me up? My fucking car broke down on the highway and I'm waiting for the tow truck to get here."

More tears pricked the corner of her eyes again as she spoke, but Lili willed herself not to cry. She really could not afford to pay for a mechanic right now, and didn't want to hassle her parents for the money.

The thought of her parents reminded her to call her dad right after she hung up with Jordyn. 

Jordyn was silent, but Lili could almost feel the sympathetic smile on her face through the phone. The image somehow brought even more tears to her eyes.

Coming here would be a terrible detour for Jordyn, but she would drop everything in a heartbeat to help her best friend. And Lili would absolutely do the same.

"Alright, be careful while you wait for me," Jordyn said calmly. "And call Geena. Let her know we might be late."

"I will. I can't thank you enough for this," Lili said, relief washing over her like water. "Love you, J. See you soon."