paint the grass green | tom holland

Chapter Seven

It's a couple weeks later, you're on your way home from taking Kenzie to the airport for her work trip when your car starts making weird noises.

"No, no, no." You mutter as if your car could hear you and maybe spare you a tow-away truck and a trip to the garage. "Don't break down on me now." But instead of the noises subsiding, they get even worse before the motor stops completely.

You turn on the hazard warning lights and pull onto the shoulder. When you come to a stop you rest your forehead on the steering wheel and groan. Why? Why did your car choose one of the most inconvenient times to break down? It's just after 8pm on a Thursday night and you had planned on spending a relaxed evening at home. Maybe watch a movie. You were off work tomorrow and Theo was with your mum tonight so you could take Kenzie to the airport without worrying about his bedtime. And Theo always loved to spend the night at his grandma's. But your car just had to ruin your plans.

Half an hour later a tow-away truck from the nearest garage pulls up in front of you. A man about your age jumps out of it, making his way over to you.

"You called?" He asks with a smile after you had gotten out of the disappointment that was your car.

"Yeah. It started to make weird noises and then the motor just...stopped." You shrug your shoulders.

"Alright, I'll take a look at it. Would you open the hood for me?" You do as he asks, pulling the little lever, the hood opening with a click. The mechanic, Luke, according to the name tag on his overalls, lifts the hood and inspects the motor. You hope that it's maybe something that could be fixed right away and you can go on your merry way and still enjoy your evening.

It's not. He says he has to take the car to the garage. So he attaches your car to the truck and you get into the passenger side, burying your head in your hands for a moment. You knew your car wasn't the newest or the most reliable, but you never thought it would actually break down on you in the middle of the motorway. You compose yourself when you hear the door opening.

"There won't be anyone working at this hour, so I'm afraid your car will have to stay

there overnight" Luke says as he climbs behind the wheel. "Is there anyone you can call? I could also take you home if you want." As much as he seems like a trustworthy person, you're not really keen on having a stranger take you home. Not to mention that it's still about a fifty-minute drive. And just like every time you seemed to need help recently, Tom is your only option to call.

"Uh no, That's okay. I'll call my..." You're at a loss for a moment. What was Tom for you? A friend? An ex? Yes, he was the father of your child, but that doesn't seem to be an appropriate way to refer to him. He for sure wasn't your boyfriend anymore. When you thought about it he had been a great friend for you these past months. He never hesitated to help you out, and you were sure he wouldn't now. But you had no idea if Tom saw you as a friend, or merely the mother of his child that he inevitably had to get along with. As if you weren't enough of a confused mess already with the whole situation, you're making it even worse thinking about whatever you and Tom were to each other, so you decided to mull over that another time. "I'll call someone."

You hate that you always seem to be calling Tom when you've got a problem. Maybe you should call him for no reason every once in a while so his first words after he picks up the phone aren't always "Hey, everything okay?" Because that's exactly what he says.

You can hear loud chattering in the background and it makes you feel bad for calling him. He seems to be out somewhere. You really don't want to bother him or pull him away from a fun evening with friends. But you don't really have another choice. Taking a taxi home would be too expensive. It's the end of the month and you don't know how much repairing your car is going to cost. You had just managed to pay the rent you still owed your landlord from a couple months ago last week and your bank account was drained.