These Broken Souls | COMING SOON

Part I: 3

three

JORDAN

I stand, helpless as a turtle on its back, as my car is towed away from me. Completely dumbfounded, I simply watch the scene unfold as if from a nightmare, as a huge truck lines itself up adjacent to my car. Two huge fork-like metal plates then emerge, snaking their way underneath it’s body from the side. A pulsing siren goes off and lights blink, warning people to keep at a distance. The forks begin to rise, and I might as well have my body chained to running horses that pull apart my body limb by limb, because the pain feels just the same. I gulp as the Audi tremors for a heart-stopping moment, before finally allowing to be carried up. The whirring of the machine grows louder, as the forks pull in until she’s finally settled comfortably in the back of the truck.

The black gloss finish on her surface glints against the reflection of the streetlights. It’s only when the truck begins to pull away from me before disappearing into the never-ending road, that I realise what I’ve lost. And I feel angry. Angry at myself. Angry at the removal unit. For taking away the only thing that allowed me a sense of authority and direction in my messy, chaotic life.

Laario sighs beside me. “Well, shit then.”

I squeeze my hand over the keys in my pocket, feeling the serrated edges pinch my skin, and I squeeze harder. “They took my car, man. What am I going to do now?” I muse.

“There are people dying in the world, Jordan.” Amir says with an apathetic tone in his voice. “You’ll get over it.”

I blink at him - there’s no arguing there. Besides, in all fairness, I don’t protest in my defence because I deserve to be punished for doing something so stupid. It’s the only way I’ll learn my lesson. Or so is incriminated to me by the officer in charge. It looks like I’m no longer worthy of another chance because I’ve exceeded a rule that dictates after 3 strikes – 3 times being caught speeding – my car is removed from my possession temporarily and I’m put on a driving ban. “You’ll stay out of trouble now won’t you, son?” He laughed.

But I know, the nagging in the back of my mind is unrelenting, that no anger of mine is a match for my mother’s wrath. And just as I think of her, as if summoned from the depths of my hellish nightmare, I spot her car approaching, her blinkers indicating as she pulls up on the side of the road. Her car screeches to a halt and when she comes out, she looks capable of murder.

“Heyy, Mom. Fancy seeing you here.” I scratch the back of my neck and avoid meeting her eyes.

“Don’t even bother, Jordan. I am so disappointed in you.” Her voice is bitter and she looks worn out, making a pang of guilt lug at my heart. “Get in the car, all three of you.”

We do as we’re told, and I trudge towards the car, flinging myself into the passenger seat. I roll my window down, so I can watch my mom as she talks to the officer. She’s shaking her head and her hands are on her hips as he informs her about what’s happened. Her shoulders are slumped; her posture defeated.
I run my hand through my hair and tug frustratedly at the ends of the strands, leaning back into the seat as I wait.

When she does get back, she slams the door, fretting as she starts up the car. I begin to formulate an apology, but she cuts me off with a side-eyed glare that shuts me up. We then drive in a palpable silence that I try to dissolve with music. I turn the radio on to a station that plays a crappy pop song, but I don’t bother to change it. Instead I turn my gaze to the window and watch as each streetlight we pass merges into the other like one endless beacon of light.

After we drop off Laario and Amir, I turn off the radio, and angle my body to face her. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

Her eyes are focused only on the road ahead. Not at me. But she takes a deep breath and I wait. I wait for her to scream out at me in frustration, fatigue and love. For her to tell me I broke my promises to her again. And to tell me the things she’s said a thousand times before, so I can apologise to her a thousand times more. I wait for an explosion.