The Long Road | ethma

prolouge

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." I muttered under my breath

I threw my hands up in defeat looking up at the sky like there was a god or someone I was expecting to be looking down at me.

Maybe I was expecting my dad to be looking down.

I walked to the back of the van opening the back and lifting the hatch to the engine.

There had to be a way to fix this! I thought

I reached my hand down to feel around the engine, there had to be a solution.

In defeat, I brought my hand back up noticing black oil all over it.

My fingernails would for sure be stained with the black substance.

"Damn't!" I yelled into the desert surrounding me

I really was in New Mexico. There was absolutely nothing. Not to mention a single person in sight.

I wiped my hand on my oversized overalls trying to get as much oil off my hand.

With no other option left, I began walking.

Leaving my van behind I walked for miles on end until I finally reached a small town.

People bustling around and working cars roaring on the dirt roads.

I looked around admiring the town. People walking in and out of bars, I contemplated on stepping in to feel some air conditioning but quickly realizing that by the looks of the building it probably didn't have working A/C.

My eyes struck with excitement when I noticed a car repair shop a street across from me.

The garage was open and I was beyond relieved to see a elderly man working on a car.

I waited for a car to drive past when I ran to the shop.

I stepped into the garage waiting for the man to notice my presence.

Minutes passed until I finally had to clear my throat for him to notice me.

He turned around from the car he was working on to face me.

"Hello..." he said to me

Most likely confused why a middle aged girl was standing in his shop.

I didn't want to waste time on conversation so I got straight to the point

"My van broke down. Any chance you could fix it."

He looked at me a puzzled look on his older face.

"Getting straight to the point I see." The man said, a thick Hispanic accent ringing through his words.

"Yeah." I said bluntly

"What's your name?" He asked me

"Why do you wanna know?" I asked

He stared for a couple seconds longer until finally answering my question.

"I wanna know why a young girl like you is driving a van in the middle of New Mexico?"

"I'm 19 so I'm not that young. And it's Emma." I said

"What kinda van you got Emma?" He said gesturing his hand toward a tool on the table next to me.

I grabbed the tool giving it to him. He turned his attention back toward the car he was working on just moments earlier.

"1989 VW Van." I said answering his question

He grunted in response.

I looked around the shop noticed tools everywhere and a very nice car parked next to the car the man was working on.

I turned around looking outside

The man had started babbling on about how old my van was and how he hasn't seen anyone drive one of those well... since the 80's.

I noticed a young man probably around my age lingering on the street across the shop, he wasn't paying attention to anything in particular.

His earbud chord reaching down to his side jean pocket where his phone must be.

I noticed that he had several tattoos on the inside of his arms.

His jet black hair was swept back by the warm breeze and he had a plain gray t-shirt on.

Though you could easily see this man was fit just by his tanned arms.

I was too busy admiring this gorgeous man and his strikingly sharp jawline in front of me that I didn't notice he had caught me staring

I quickly turned away in embarrassment when I realized he was staring right back at me.

Focus Emma.

This is not the time to be daydreaming about a guy you don't even know.

Dad taught you better then this!

I turned my attention back towards the older man who by what I assumed, had finished working on the car in front of us.

He rubbed his rather sweaty face with a towel looking in my direction.

"Sweetie I don't think I can fix that van."

I looked at him confused. What does he mean "can't fix it."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen that van is so old I'm sure it was gonna break down any day now."

"No no, it works just fine. I've had it for years."

"And does it break down?"

He got me there. It would occasionally break down from time to time but every time my dad or I could fix it.

But this time just happened to turn out different.

"Yeah." I said in defeat

"Well then darling... I think you have your answer."

"Please, please you have to try and fix it. It's the only way I can get anywhere. Won't you at least look at it. Please this is the only thing I have. The only thing I need."

The man looked at me for a couple seconds before sighing in defeat.

I got him.

"Where's your van?"