Miss Pen

Chapter Five

Like Rhode promised, my car was delivered to my house before I left for work the next morning. He told me it would be free of charge, but I found myself handing over four bucks for "mileage fees".

"Mileage my ass."

Franco, the tow truck driver, didn't appreciate my language so early in the day.

"Sorry, Miss, I don't make the rules. The Pereira's are very strict when handling business. If I don't get the money for the miles it took me to drive over here, they'll be handling my ass next."

"What is four bucks going to do for that monster of a truck?" I gaped.

"It's just part of company policy, I guess."

He guessed. Great, he wasn't even sure.

I glanced down at Franco's navy blue uniform to see Pereira's Tow and Garage sewn in white letters on the right side of his chest. It wasn't just a towing company; they also fixed cars, which meant that I could probably take mine there to be serviced. The constant pull when I drove definitely wasn't a good thing.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." I told him while digging for my wallet in my handbag. "How good are they at actually fixing cars?"

"Oh, they don't mess around. My boss's two sons are taking over the business while she retires and they're a bit of perfectionists."

I gave him the bills while I thought of what he had just told me.

"Do the sons service cars too, or do they just overlook everything?"

"They alternate." He shrugged. "The youngest mainly works on the cars while the oldest does the office work since he's afraid of breaking a nail."

"Oh, really?" I laughed, he nodded.

"Yeah, but they're cool guys. You're in good hands with them." He winked.

"Alright, thanks. I'll probably check them out."

I stepped out of the house, locking the front door behind me. Franco and I walked down the pathway together to reach the driveway. He had already lowered my car onto it so I could just drive right out.

"Here's a card in case you have any problems, Miss. My number is on it, too."

"Thank you, Franco. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you very soon."

I couldn't have been any more right with what I told Franco when we parted ways that morning. Five minutes into my drive home from work that evening, my car decided it was tired and wanted to rest on the side of the road. It was a good thing that I decided to take the streets home instead of the highway.

"Hi, um, my car broke down and I need a truck to come tow it."

I rambled off to the number on the thin, black card I received that morning. After remembering which listed telephone number was Franco's, I decided to call the other one. From the way he was eyeing me earlier, he looked like he wanted to do more than tow my car. Sorry, but I didn't normally go for middle aged men with beer bellies and grease smudges on their skin.

"Alright, hon. Give me your exact location so I can send one of the guys over to you." A raspy, enthusiastic voice said through the other line.

My surroundings weren't exactly helpful since the sun had already set, making it hard to see. I knew the main road that I was on, but had no clue about the side streets closest to me.

"Well, I know I'm on Fuller Road, but I'm not too sure which streets I'm in-between. I think they're Everett and Moss."

"Oh, that's all the way on the other side of the city!" The woman gasped. "Hang tight, honey. Someone will be there in thirty minutes, tops."