mechanic

I was running to the office, running late, thinking about the presentation and how to avoid being even more late. Suddenly, the car started sputtering, stalled, and stopped right next to the curb. Smoke billowed from under the hood—a couple of times, and the instrument cluster blinked. I called a tow truck, and half an hour later, they picked up the car and took it to the nearest service center.

When I got there, a man in a work jacket with oil stains on his hands approached me. He introduced himself calmly, took the keys, and said I'd have to leave the car until tomorrow: it needed diagnostics, and the parts wouldn't be there in time. I don't like giving out my number to strangers, but he asked, "You can leave your number, and I'll call you when everything's ready." Your heart actually skipped a beat, for the first time.