Operation: Dard and Devotion

44 | Amiable & Aloof

Apologies if the Italian used in this chapter seems broken (that is, if you're fluent in Italian) because it has been a while since I last had an Italian class! D:

"Oh my God, Marc, don't jump in front of me like that!" I clutched the scarf around my neck tightly. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"First of all, I walked over to you." Marc pushed back the end of his hood so his face would be more visible. "Secondly, I was paying a visit to my uncle at his coffee shop right there," he said, pointing to a nearby shop, "and saw you come out of your car. So the question is, what are you doing here?"

The brisk wind slapped my bare face and the ends of my hair wildly flapped about. "I was just...getting some fresh air."

"In the middle of a blizzard?" His eyes briefly flicked to the snowflakes falling from the sky and then he watched me skeptically.

I scowled at him.

His face grew more sympathetic. "Is something wrong?"

Everything was wrong.

"Uhm, well, my car is making weird noises."

"Really?" Marc asked, surprised. "After Nat came with me to replace the tires she had busted, we drove it back to the apartment and it seemed fine then."

"That was nearly six months ago though, right?"

"Oh yeah, true." He nodded and extended his palm. "Let me have a look."

I handed him the keys and stepped onto the sidewalk as he turned the key into the ignition. The engine made a clatter noise for a few moments until it stopped once and for all. Marc rolled down the window and stuck his head out.

"Do you remember when was the last time you took your car for inspection?"

I scrunched up my face as I tried to think. "It had to have been over a year ago."

"Right." He stepped back outside and strode over to the front of the car. "I have a hunch, but let me just check under the hood." After a few minutes of waiting beside him patiently, he said, "I think the battery is dying."

"Do...do I need a new car?" My throat was already dry and next gust of wind certainly didn't help the situation. I tried to calculate how much money I had saved, but there was no way my savings would be able to handle it. My parents would probably be willing to help, but I didn't want to throw my responsibilities at them.

"God, no." He aimlessly waved his hand. "We just need to jump the battery."

"Oh. Uhm. How does that work?"

After putting the keys into his hoodie pocket, Marc blew into his hands for warmth. "It's pretty much using a wire to connect the car with a dead battery to a car with a functioning battery. This gives the first car a boost of power so it can run for a while. It'll take about half an hour, more or less."

"Did you bring your car with you?" I asked him expectantly.

"No, I took public transport," he admitted. "But I can ask my cousins at the coffee shop to do it instead. It's too cold to stand out here for so long, plus you look like you're going to catch a cold. We can just wait inside while they work."

I agreed and walked towards the shop that had the sign, Dolci di DiLuca. Marc opened the door for me and I strode into a neatly decorated shop. It was warm, had cushioned booths, and there was a mahogany bookshelf off to the side. The mellow holiday lights that lined the edges of the walls gave the entire store a homely, comforting aura.