Need a lift? | Dave & Gina
It wasn’t necessarily the cold that had Dave tugging up the collar of his leather jacket as he walked out to his car after class. After all, he was a native New Yorker and had lived in Paris for many years, both of which experienced similar temperatures. It was just so damn clammy. That, paired with the fact that his daughter was at a friend’s for the night, leaving him alone that night, had him dragging his feet as he left work that evening.
When he was younger, his solitude was a precious, rare commodity; sharing a tiny flat with three other guys had taught him the value of it. But now, he was used to having someone else with him at all times out of the necessity of single-parenthood. Recently, however, Avery had started to want to spend more time with friends and less with him. He knew it was normal, and he was glad she was more popular here than she’d been at their old place, but he found himself having to learn to occupy his time without her company. Shaking his head, he continued around a corner, bringing the lot into view. Look at you, man. Gettin’ all mopey because your girl doesn’t want to hang out with her old man anymore. He grinned slightly at the thought. He’d never have guess that he’d have a kid, much less be missing them. He ducked his head, cupping his hands around his lighter as the tip of his cigarette flared to life.
A few more yards and the teacher’s lot came into view, mostly empty at this time. He could see his car in its usual spot, but a few spaces down, he noticed a car with the hood propped up. As he drew nearer, he was greeted by the site of a very angry, very short woman kicking her tire, swearing under her breath. Shoving his hands in his pockets and sauntering over, he cleared his throat to alert her to his presence.
“Won’t start?” He guessed, mumbling around his cigarette. Cold weather probably got to it. Or the lights got left on. Somethin’. It was a gamble with older cars like they both drove; sometimes they wouldn’t start up at all when the mercury dropped. His own car would be lucky if it started up the first try tonight. He shuffled a little, trying to stay warm. “Got someone to call, or ya need a ride?”
