Gemma stretched. “Maybe some tacos? Or a burrito?”
“Got it. There are a couple little hole-in-the-wall places I know of down toward Fresno State.” Tim reached for his seat belt and buckled it. “You know?.?.?. having the keys might help.”
“Oh, of course.” She fumbled for her purse, pulled out the Sloth keychain, and handed it to him.
Inserting the key into the ignition, he turned it. The lights and radio flickered on, but the engine remained silent.
“Aw, come on .?.?. this can’t be happening. Not now.” He turned the key again. Resting his head on the steering wheel for a moment, he took a deep breath, then mumbled, “I think the battery is dead.”
“Oh.”
The wheels in her mind began to turn. How could they get out of this problem? If she were at home, she’d call her dad and have him drive down a new car battery. But as a visitor to America, that wasn’t really an option. She wondered if roadside service was a thing in America like it was in the UK. “Er, do you have any roadside towing?”
“No.” Tim grumbled. “I’ve been meaning to since my parents dropped me from their account, but I never got around to doing it.”
“If you rang them, do you think they’d let you use their account?”
“Normally yes, but today’s Saturday. Mom and Dad are probably out on their weekly dinner date. I doubt they’re home to pick up the landline.”
Gemma cocked her head to the side. “Do they not have mobile phones?”
Tim winced. “They have pay-as-you-go flip phones, but the service is spotty at best. I got them each a smartphone for Christmas last year, but they ended up returning them to the store!”
“Oh no.” She hid a smile.
Tim’s lips twisted. “I was so frustrated at the time, but they insisted they didn’t want anything fancy.”
“What did they get instead?”
“A smart TV.” He shook his head. “For Mom and Dad, it’s been a real game changer. They get a kick out of finding shows they used to watch as kids or when they were our age.”
“My parents are the same.”
A few moments of silence elapsed. “Dad will never let me live this down once he finds out. He kept bugging me to take care of it and I didn’t. Let this be a lesson to me not to procrastinate. I’m making my own roadside account now.”
Gemma reached for her mobile and used the spare time to close out a couple unused apps and send Frankie a message.
Gemma: Tim has a dead battery. Be home later than we thought.
Frankie:Bummer. Do you need us to come and pick you guys up?
Gemma:I’ll pass the offer along, but I think Tim’s got it sorted out.
Frankie: Okay, let me know if you need anything. Charlie’s half asleep, but I’m bingeingCupid’s Arrow.
Gemma:Brilliant, we’ll catch up tomorrow.
Frankie: *Winking emoji* I can’t wait to see Lydia get her just deserts. She’s a horrid friend.
Gemma: I won’t spoil it, but this week’s episode is pure gold.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it. I just put in a service request through the app. It looks like it’s going to be?.?.?. at least an hour. Gah. I really screwed this up.”
“It’s outside of your control. These things happen,” Gemma said empathetically.
“I just hate letting you down.” Tim’s fingers flew across the mobile phone screen. “While we wait, I’m gonna place a delivery order for food. How are tacos?”
“That’s perfect.”
