False Start

Gene got into his car and slammed the door. He was parked in the driveway his now ex-girlfriend. She said she had met someone else and sent Gene on his way. He sighed as he looked down at his hands on the steering wheel.  

He didn't know if he wanted to slam his fists on the wheel or just cry. He thought about both, he would probably do both.

The keys were in the ignition for a few seconds before he felt he had the strength to turn them. They sat there, a pink owl hung off of them, she had given him that. He took the keys out and tried to get the key-ring off. The metal ring wouldn't separate. He tried to get his finger nails in there to get the owl off, but he had been biting him for the whole hour and a half break up. His hands were sweaty and shaky. He gave up, put the keys back in the ignition and started the car.

Only, the car wouldn't start. He tried to turn the keys again, but still nothing.

                “Fuck”

The car was dead. Gene felt the blood rush to his face as he tried to think about going back into that house and asking for someone to help. He tried to think of anything else, anyone he could call.

Looking up he saw the little roadside service button. He had never really trusted it, it just seemed too convenient, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

“Roadside assistance, how are you doing today?”

The woman’s voice was soft and kind. She spoke as if she really wanted to know how he was doing. That was all he needed to break down. He would never hear her voice on the phone again, never wake up to her kissing him, never feel the comfort of knowing that she would pick up the phone when he called and they could talk for hours.

“Hi,” he mustered out. He wasn't quite sobbing, but he was starting to breath funny, where he couldn't get words out.

“Are you okay sir?”

“No.” The ‘o’ lingered out into another sob.

“Do you need me to call someone?” Her voice was serious now. Gene realized how this must sound.

“No, no” He sucked up some mucus “I’m fine. I just broke up with….” The words were still hard. Everything he said shot him back through a thousand memories.

“Sir, I need you to tell me what happened.” Her voice was assertive, but still kind. She sounded so nice.

“My girlfriend…I…we…we broke up.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“She wanted to be with someone else.” Gene felt some weight come off his chest just saying it. He took a deep steady breath. It was the first one he had fully taken in two hours. “She said the met on a tilt-a-whirl.”

“A tilt-a-whirl?” She sounded so understanding and talking was making him feel  better. She was on his side.

“I know. How do you meet someone on a tilt-a-whirl?” Gene let out another long breath. “It doesn’t even make sense.” He remembered her leaving for Florida. “She had gone down to visit schools in Miami, I had called her every night. She told me about-“ He choked up again.

There was a few seconds of silence. “You’re going to be okay.”

“She told me about going to a carnival one of the schools was throwing. I guess they must have met there. She’s going to the University of Miami and were breaking up.”

“Look, a lot of people break up when they go to college, you should look at this as an opportunity.”

“How is this as an opportunity?” Gene wiped his nose off on his sleeve.

“Well, I’m sure your relationship wasn't perfect…”

“It was!” Gene could feel himself jump on the defensive, but then he thought for a second. “Well-“

“If she is going to jump on the first guy she meets down there, I can’t imagine she was much of a keeper.” Gene suppressed his instinct to defend himself. He let her finish. “Think of this as a chance to start fresh.”

“Start fresh.” It wasn't much, but he had stopped sobbing. He could breathe normally again too. Maybe he was going to be okay. “Thanks, I really do feel better.”

“Good, I’m glad I could help.”

“I think I just needed to break down a bit, sorry about that.”

“That’s quite alright, I was happy to help but I-“

“Things just get all bottled up in times like this, you know?”

“Yes sir I do, but I have to-“

“I’m really glad I called you.”

“Yes, I have to-“

“Oh! You have to go don’t you”

“Yes, I’m so glad I could help but I have other callers so I do need to go.”

“Well, thanks again. Bye.”

“Good bye sir.”

It was only a few minutes of conversation, but Gene felt better. It still hurt, but there was hope now. Gene looked down at his keys in the ignition.

“Fuck”