My job was busy that day. Like every Friday, people were rushing to get their transactions done at the shipping store before the weekend—long lines, short staff, and an angry boss constantly calling to make sure things get done. It was a January chilly night, and a big storm was marked on the radar to start later that night. The only thing on my mind was to be at home with a cup of hot chocolate, a good movie, and the puppy sleeping on my legs. However, last-minute delays kept me longer that night, but will prove, once again, the support of the love in my life. Everyone wanted to go home, no one would wait for others to finish. Walking my way to the front door to close the store, this guy showed up begging to please help him. Many thoughts crossed my mind—I was anxious, stressed, and sleepy. He was very polite, however; “Please, this is important” he said. Seeing how everyone left, embarrassed and shy, the guy looked at me and apologized for keeping me longer. I finished his transaction and thought to myself finally “all done.” I was ready to go home, but there was something else in the air that would prevent me from going home. Twenty minutes later, I found myself walking in the middle of a chilly night, rushing the steps to get to my car. I had to hurry, forty minutes from home is a long distance in the middle of a snowstorm, and getting stuck was not part of the plan. However, the car was dead like a cricket in the snow. No mind, no feeling, no soul, it could not understand my urgency to get home. I could not be more stressed. I could not be more annoyed. Doing a quick check of the car, “the lights, I forgot to turn them off, come on,” I yelled.
The battery was dead, and there was no one around that could help. The night was darker than any other night, the storm was not a joke, and I was stuck outside of work. A little annoyed, but with patience and love, my father showed up almost an hour later after I called him. Finding me shaking from the cold, he explained how to fix the problem, with the intention of me doing it. It was not exactly the time for lectures, but if we started arguing we would have spent a long time in the cold. The thought of doing something wrong, ruining both cars, and getting us stuck, made me shake even more, but looking at him, I found his beautiful smile that always has the power to calm my mind. “Black to black, and red to red, connect the batteries, and I would be ready to start the engine of your car,” he said.
“Do we really need to do this now?” I asked. We were out in the cold, charging the battery of my car.
“Of course, if not now, when? I won’t be around forever,” he said.
The experience of fixing the car with my father is something I would not change for anything in the world. The person I love the most was in the middle of the cold helping his girl. That night, I could not avoid the lecture about how to recharge the battery of a car, but two cars are needed anyway I thought. After all was done, and my car came back to life, “what about a hot chocolate?” he asked. “I’ve been thinking about hot chocolate all day and that is exactly what I need right now to warm up,” I replied. We searched for the closest café before driving home. A cup of hot chocolate, a cup of tea, a captivating story from his childhood to close the night and laughter when he described my face while connecting the cables to recharge the battery of my car. “Come on; I was nervous,” I said. “Poor little girl,” he replied, squeezing one of my cheeks. There was nothing else I could think about rather than being with my father laughing off the chilly night snow.
Comments