Chapter 91
“What the hell?”
“Sorry, Liam! I didn’t want to hit that cat.” Pad removed his hands from the steering wheel. At that moment he realized they were sweaty and his face flushed from the anger and the adrenalin.
Liam opened his door, and tried to step out. “There’s a few inches of water here.” When Liam angled then slid out of the seat, he almost lost his footing. “Goddammit. He took off the flip-flops and held them in one hand. “Can you see if you can back up?”
Pad put the gear in reverse, and tried to time the clutch and gas. Even though the car backed up a little, the tires couldn’t get traction.
“Stop! Stop, Pad!”
“I don’t think we can back out of this one. I think we went over the curb before we went down this embankment.”
Liam walked around the car and then climbed up to the road. He waved traffic that passed by but no one stopped. Pad opened his door after unbuckling his seat belt. As he took his left foot onto the grass, he also slid due to the thirty-degree tilt of the car. “Hey, be careful when you step out.”
Pad took a step and almost slid because of the wet grass and because his flip-flops lacked traction. He gripped the car door to stabilize himself, then stood bent slightly towards the hill and tried to climb up.
“It’s better if you take off the Havaianas.”
Pad stooped, took off the sandals, and then walked up. As he got to the top, Liam held out his hand. Pad accepted it and Liam grabbed him from the elbow up to yank him to be on the shoulder with him. “Thanks.” Pad looked at the sight below them. There was no way that Liam or Pad could get the car back on the main road. “I’m sorry, Liam.” Pad stared at Liam who stood without saying a word, his jaw clenched. Pad repeated. “I’m sorry.”
“I can’t believe this just happened.”
Pad stood there, his head down, looking at the ground and not wanting to make eye contact.
“I’m not mad, Pad. I probably would’ve done the same thing.”
“Do you have a membership to the auto club? We’ll need a tow.”
“No. I don’t. And this is a 2014 Honda so the towing assistance didn’t come with it.”
“Let me see if RJ is up.” Pad texted RJ. Hey, we’re out near Magnolia and Colonial. Can you call me?He waited for a response while Liam slowly walked down the berm to the car’s trunk. He dug around and pulled something out.
“Did Belinda drive to the club? Does she still have a pick-up truck?
“Yeah, I think she did.”
“Want to text her instead of RJ?
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I have a snap strap that can be used to tow us out. Just need a truck.”
“Okay.” Pad texted Belinda. As he texted her, and she replied to his text, Liam walked around the Honda checking the points to attach the strap. “They’re coming.”
“Who’s ‘they’?”
“I’m assuming it’s her and Tristan.”
Liam sighed as he took stock of his car. “This is an epitome of what’s going on in my life.”
“Epitome? You mean a metaphor right?” Soon as he spoke, he wished he could take the words back.
“Whatever. I mean this is how my life has ben recently. Dead-end job at the airport doing flight support for the airlines; new boss at work trying to put the screws on me so I can quit; and I haven’t had a decent relationship in a long time.”
Pad stood there, leaning against the Honda. He didn’t know what to say.
“RJ’s pretty lucky to have someone like you. I look at you two and I wonder if I’ll ever be in a good, solid relationship.”
“I feel pretty lucky to have someone like him.”
“And all I know is if I had someone like you, Pad, I wouldn’t be depressed or need therapy.”
Pad studied Liam and pursed his lips. “Why’d you say that?”
“Shit. RJ told me.”
“You don’t have the right to judge me, or RJ. People get depressed and have problems. I can’t believe you think that! “
“I don’t know why I said all that, Pad.” Liam shook his head. “Maybe I’ve always wanted someone who would be there no matter what. I don’t know what it would be like to have someone who would do anything for me. The thing I had with Jack? It wasn’t true love. And what I see with you and RJ—”
“What?”
“It hurts. Because I want that. Someone like you. That’s why I wanted to kiss you.”
“So you did want to kiss me? Asshole!”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m walking back to the club.”
“Why?”
“To get help for one. Secondly, so I don’t have to listen to you whine, and hear this woe is me, pity-party. And so I don’t have to listen you get down all about yourself.”
“You’re going to leave me here with my car that you just drove in the fucking ditch? Just because I tried to kiss you? You can be a dick, you know that?”
“The almost kiss was way out of line!” Pad didn’t say anything else as he got to the concrete. He put his flip-flops back on and started walking towards the direction of the club. He guessed it was two miles back towards downtown. He didn’t walk more than twenty feet when he heard Liam yell.