Life Goes On

She had been bent over the bonnet of her car for ten minutes, her back facing the storefront where he was standing. Her slim legs draped in tights, an inverted v-shape, disappearing into a blue denim dress shirt.

He knew her. Ariana. She was in one of his classes. She sat in the front row almost two meters away from him and had said nothing to him the whole semester. Barely even acknowledged he existed.

He always felt slightly nervous when near good-looking girls, because of his stutter. With Ariana's flawless oval face, framed by jet black curls, his tongue became as stubborn as Uncle Festus old tractor, on a cold day. He would turn the key in the ignition and try to rev the engine, it would shudder and mutter some unformed words, then stay stubbornly still.  

He would try to will the words out, but they would be stuck in his mouth, such that by the time he managed to get the sound out, she would be gone.

It didn't help that she always wore those designer glasses that made her eyes inscrutable. She wore them in various shades, always matching her accessories with them, so that he could make out her almond-shaped eyes, framed generously by lashes, hidden behind the stylish glasses resting on a pert nose, atop full slightly-parted lips. Today he observed that she wore 'Ray Bans' to with a violet-blue tint, matching the denim dress, dangling blue earrings and a blue scarf tied around her right wrist.

"Friend of yours?"

Michael started from the tinted store-front glass and turned back to the full-bearded face behind him. One could never read the emotion on Uncle Festus face, mainly because it was enveloped in facial hair, which he stubbornly refused to groom.

"Can't be much help to her when you're in here, can you?"

"N..not ree..ally Unn..cle..."

Michael hesitated at the glass door, then swung it open and squaring his shoulders, walked out into the sunshine.

"Bee..aauuuttiful day isn't it?"

She barely stirred.

He walked over to the shaded parking area nearer to her and tried again, this time a bit louder.

It wasn't the reaction he would have expected. 

She spun around releasing the hood from her right hand, causing it to slam, as it had not been anchored on it's latch. Her scarf got caught under the bonnet restraining her hand.

Such a moron...he berated himself in his mind. 

Almost had her break her hand, he thought as he darted to the driver's side of the vehicle to find the interior latch handle. He thought he had traced it under the steering wheel, but on flipping the switch, he heard her squeal and watched in horror as the wiper jets squirted water onto his idol's curly hair.

Oh my God! The words screamed in his mind. His tongue rendered speechless.

By the time he had located the latch handle, his tongue was as jumbled as Ariana's hair.

Voicelessly, he lifted the bonnet, to allow her release her imprisoned scarf. Held her hand tenderly, thinking of all the things he wanted to say, but could never be able to. Then turned to leave.

"Would you please get me a towel?"She gestured towards the vehicle.

He nodded mutely. First checking inside the vehicle for tissues or paper towels, finding none, then heading to the trunk and opening it.

He was staring in wonderment at the engine there, when he heard her tinkle with laughter. 

"Over here."

He went around to the bonnet opened it and in the compact space, found a box of paper towels, which he handed to her. He then stood around gratefully fetching whatever she needed to repair the damage the encounter had caused. When she was able to brush her hair without wincing, he found his words again.

"Yooou are in my class, arren'tt you?"

"That's why you seem so familiar!" She said observing him behind her glasses, with her head tilted to one side.

"You seem taller somehow."

She mused turning back to the vehicle.

"Doo yoouu neeedd some help?"

"I keep a battery pack for my iPhone here." She gestured.

"Can't seem to find it."

She smiled broadly, when he retrieved the charger and fastened it to her dead cell phone, which immediately began to ring when she switched it on.

"I'm fine Daddy." "Yes...yes I'm parked at a safe spot."

He heard the metallic voice command Ariana to get into the spare-parts shop, then the phone went dead. She locked the car and turned to him. "Last one in is a chicken's foot." and ran in the direction of Uncle Festus store, leaving Michael chasing after her.

"Uncle Mechanics!" She said flinging herself into his arms, as Michael watched wordlessly, experiencing his second surprise that day. He watched his burly Uncle Festus allow a petite girl brush his beard, all the while Aunty May entertained them with coffee and cookies.

Barely half an hour later, Ariana's father rushed into the store. Michael watched as the two older men embraced, then his Uncle allowed the visitors to leave, having extracted promises for a visit later in the week.

"I I...I didn't know that you knew Ariana or her father" Michael said after they had left.

"We go back a long time."

"Back when we were racing cars with your Dad."

"You two used to have play dates, all the time." His Aunty chimed in.

"I I ..I ddddonn't remember."

"You were a wee little lad." Uncle Festus said wandering from his seat to the framed photos on the wall. 

"It was before the accident......." His Uncle said and brushed his sleeve across his eyes.

"... before you came to live with us..." he continued as Aunty May walked over to him and laced her fingers with his.

"Your father was testing a new racer..."

"Somehow Ariana got onto the track...."

"Your father managed to avoid hitting her..but lost control. His car rammed the wall...."

"The shrapnel from the explosion got into her eyes..."

"You witnessed it all.."

Then trio sat together lost in thought.