Chapter 14:

Andy.

Andy blinked against the bright sun as he crossed the road toward the garage. It wasn't a very cold day. The mild wind made it feel colder than it really was. The tree branches above his head moved back and forth, and he wondered if they could suddenly fall down. That thought turned his walk into a short run until he reached his destination.

A bell sounded somewhere above him when opened the door and entered the office. Two men in dirty, stained jumpsuits sat on footstools. There was a big, round can between them, which they used as a surface to play cards on. At the front desk stood a third man in a jumpsuit, sorting through many papers and documents with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Excuse me," Andy stood in front of him, across the desk. The man glanced at him and then dropped his eyes back to the papers in his hands. "Johnny, right? You checked my car yesterday and said it'll be ready by 9am today. Remember?"

"It's not 9 yet, is it?" Johnny said without looking at him.

Andy started to feel annoyed at the disrespect. "It's quarter to 9!" he raised his voice and Johnny finally looked at him.

"It's not gonna be ready in 15 minutes," he scoffed.

Andy took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "You had hours to fix it," he said quietly, fearing that he might burst if he speaks any louder.

"Well, it's not fixed. Maybe tomorrow or the day after."

"Are you serious?!" Andy couldn't hold it in anymore. "Listen, and listen carefully…" The two men behind him dropped the cards on the can and got on their feet. They walked toward Andy and stood on both sides of him, but he ignored them. "If you don't have this car fixed in two hours –"

"What? You'll call the police?" all three men laughed.

"I am the police, you –"

"Oooh…" Johnny said, creating another wave of laughter.

"Fine, you leave me no other choice. You're gonna regret this," Andy pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and called Raydor. When she answered quickly he was relieved. The situation was starting to worry him. "Captain, I can't find anyone who feels like getting the car fixed anytime soon," he listened to her saying that she'll be right there, and then they hung up.

"Now I'm really scared," Johnny said with sarcasm and raised his hands in the air in surrender.

Andy smiled and kept quiet. They all stood there for a while in silence, waiting for Raydor. Andy watched Johnny browsing through his papers while his two employed bullies remained standing next to him like prison guards. At one point, he looked outside through the glass door and spotted Raydor crossing the road. She was wearing a black flowing skirt which covered her knees, and a dark-blue blouse was tucked into it. For a moment, his mind went blank. He got lost in her image and forgot where he was. Only the bell, which rang when she opened the door, reminded him of the garage and the three men.

"Hello," she said and Johnny raised his eyes from his papers again.

"A woman? That's your mighty Captain?" he scoffed and dropped his eyes to the papers again. His two gorillas smiled viciously and Andy rolled his eyes at them. Raydor looked at him with surprise and he returned her an eager look. He couldn't wait to see her reaction to Johnny. She walked a few steps to the front desk, her black high heels making the only sound in the entire garage.

"I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding," she said politely. "You said the car will be fixed by 9am today."

"I guess I've changed my mind. So?" Johnny didn't bother to look at her.

"So?" she made a sudden movement and grabbed the paper from his hands, startling him. "So if you don't want to be arrested for obstruction of justice and…" she glanced over her shoulder at Andy and the two men, "attempted battery on a police officer, you better have this car fixed as soon as possible. And. I. mean. Soon."

Andy couldn't stop the smile that was spreading on his face. He felt proud of his Captain. It was truly inspiring seeing such a strong woman in action. She was nothing like the women he used to date. He was just glad that he wasn't in Johnny's place.

"Okay, okay. No need to get mad. We'll have it fixed… soon."

"How soon is that?" Raydor asked in a dangerous tone.

"Two-three hours?" Johnny sounded like a little scared boy and Andy had to resist the urge to burst into laughter. Raydor squinted. She reminded Andy of a school principal. "Two-three hours, tops. I swear!" Johnny raised his hands in the air, this time surrendering for real.

"Good. We'll be at the inn across the street." She handed him his paper back and walked toward the door. Andy ran so he can get there ahead of her and open the door for her. She stepped outside without looking back and he saluted the two bullies mockingly before following her.

"When I said 'call me if there's any problem', I was just teasing you," Raydor said as they crossed the road back toward the inn.

"I know, but it would have been so boring there without you," he smiled.

"That's hilarious," she said in a serious tone full of sarcasm.

"Yeah... breakfast?" he pointed at the restaurant next to the inn. Raydor rolled her eyes but started walking toward it. "I don't know why, but I really like seeing you being so… stern," he opened the door for her.

"That's because you're sick," she said quietly so that no one could hear but him and left him on the threshold, smiling. When he caught up with her a few seconds later, they chose the same table as yesterday and started browsing the menus. Andy sneaked a peek at her over his menu, but looked back down when she returned him a gaze.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he shrugged and placed the menu on the table. Raydor resumed browsing the menu and he stared at her.

"What is it?" she sounded annoyed.

"Nothing," he shrugged again.

Raydor slammed her menu on the table with a thud. "How is it possible that you're like a different, more mature person when you're… in bed?" she whispered the last two words.

"As I recall, we were in the shower," he whispered back, enjoying torturing her. She sighed and leaned back. "By the way, what were you doing, looking for me while I was in the shower?"

Raydor leaned forward again quickly so he can hear her whisper. "I thought you were shaving or… doing something that included clothes."

"I know how to do a few things that include clothes. I can show you later," he smiled.