Unexpected Up Ahead

Chapter 4

        The garage had one of those doors that had to be pulled open. I heaved it up and coughed as a cloud of dust and dirt billowed out of the small white structure. Covering my mouth and squinting, I waved the dust out of the way and finally caught sight of what my father had left me. I gasped, then coughed as I inhaled a great deal of grime.
       Before me sat a once-shiny silver truck. On one side was a large window with a counter sticking out from it. Above the window, someone had painted the words EAT AND BE MERRY. Next to the window, covered in grime, was a large, blank whiteboard. Gaping, I walked around the back of the truck and found a door with a small sign above it warning EMPLOYEES ONLY.
        I opened the door and found myself in a small kitchen. A fine layer of dust and dirt covered everything, but I could see, as with the outside, that it had once been shiny and clean.
       Turning around in wonder (could this really be my inheritance? It seemed almost a mistake), I made my way to the cab of the truck. A long seat stretched across it, and a group of kitschy objects sat scattered across the dashboard-a hula dancer, a pig with sunglasses, and several others.
       Finding the slot for the keys and reached into my purse and pulled out the key from its envelope. It fitted in perfectly. As I turned it in the slot, the truck rumbled to life. I grinned and sat down in the driver's seat, after wiping away some dirt. The first thing I was going to do with this truck would be to scrub it clean from top to bottom.
       It took me a while longer than usual to figure out which pedal was the gas and which was the brake because there were several other pedals besides the usual two. Finally, I backed the silver truck out of the garage and into the long stretch of dirt that served as a driveway. Then I slammed on the brakes and got out of the truck, slamming the door behind me.
       "MacQuoid!" I bellowed, stalking towards the man standing outside the house, one arm raised, ready to shatter a window with a rock. I was still wearing my black heels from the  funeral, and these stuck in the mud, slowing me considerably. He turned towards me and his eyes widened in terror. Dressed in an ancient green coat and raggedy jeans, with a beard that was filled with the remnants of past meals, Maximum MacQuoid made a noise like "eep" and tried to make a run for it, but I already had one of his arms in a firm grasp.
        "Does Minnie know you're breaking into my dad's house?" He made no response. I rolled my eyes and dragged him towards the truck, throwing him into the passenger side.
       It took only a few minutes for the truck to arrive at the MacQuoid's house. When it did, a frazzled-looking woman dashed out the front door. Wisps of grey hair worked their way out of her bun, and Wilhelmina MacQuoid suddenly beamed, her face a mixture of surprise and joy.
        As I stepped out of the truck, she rushed over and clasped my hand. "Oh, Bianca, have you gotten it out at last?Is it finally running again?" Then she spotted her husband, and her beam soured into a scowl.
        "I found him trying to sneak into my dad's house," I said apologetically.
        She pursed her lips. "I was sorry to hear of Aaron's death. Not for him, mind," her fierce blue eyes showed exactly what she'd thought of my dad. "But for you, dear. And now-do you finally have Lucy up and running again?"
       "Lucy?"
        Mr. MacQuoid still sat, sullen, in the passenger seat of the truck. His wife rolled her eyes at him and called, "You can come out, you old coot!" Bustling towards the house, she added, "We're having lunch, Bianca, won't you stay?"