Chapter XII: A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
It had been two days since Logan and Agnes met at the grocery store, and Logan was currently laying flat on his back on the hard cement of his driveway, changing the oil in his car. As the flow of black fluid ceased, Logan replaced the plug in the bottom of the oil tank, installing a new oil filter at the same time. He then stood up and wiped his hands with an old dishcloth he had on hand for just that purpose. He opened the hood of his car to replace the oil and froze.
"Boy, Logan, your spark plugs are filthy!" exclaimed Lana, who was perched on his car's engine block.
"Get outta there!" Logan chuckled, lifting his sister by the back of her overalls and setting her down on the ground. He had heard many, many tales of his siblings' escapades, and with him owning a classic car, he was expecting something like this to happen eventually.
"Aw, but I wanna help," Lana whined, giving Logan her and Lola's infamous "puppy eyes." Logan, however, was unfazed.
"First of all, the 'puppy eyes' routine doesn't work on me. I was exposed to it much too often by Lori, Leni, and Luna when they were around your age. Second, my car, my rules. If you were older, I'd let you help. I just don't want you to hurt yourself or make a problem worse," explained Logan.
"Okay," grumbled Lana, kicking a pebble down Logan's driveway before walking back to her own house with her hands in her pockets. Logan replaced the oil in his car, then cleaned the spark plugs as Lana pointed out before closing the hood. He was rich enough that he wouldn't have had a problem taking his car to a shop, but his second father Marvin had taught him to take pride in doing things himself. Plus, his car had certain "add-ons" that would've perplexed the average mechanic.
Add-ons like emergency rocket boosters, a battering ram feature, and a grenade launcher.
Once he was done working on his car, Logan went over to his parents' house to play video games with Lincoln and Clyde. It being a Monday after school, they had until Clyde's parents called him home for dinner.
...
Agnes and Cristina were on their way back to their apartment after staying late at the school so that Agnes could grade her students' homework from the weekend. As they stepped into the hallway their apartment was in, however, they stopped in their tracks at the sight of their landlord taping an eviction notice to their door. The man saw them and grinned.
"Ladies, I know what this looks like, but I'm in a merciful mood," he said. "If you're willing to hear me out, I'll offer you the chance of a lifetime!"
"Cristina, go inside while I listen to what he has to say," Agnes told her daughter, ushering her into the apartment and closing the door. "Alright, Gus, what do you want this time?" she sighed.
'I promise you that both of you are gonna like this," Gus began, never losing his giddy demeanor. "If the two of you would kindly join me for a 'night of fun,' oh, once a week or so, you can both live at my place downstairs rent-free."
He was expecting Agnes to jump at the chance, so he was surprised when she scowled and gave him a firm, "No."
"You don't understand. I'm doing this for you. You know as well as I do that you need a husband and Cristina needs a father," he pressed as Agnes stepped inside the apartment.
"There are better men for those roles than perverted jackals like you," Agnes growled and slammed the door in Gus's face. "Sweetie, gather up your belongings. We're leaving tonight." Anything that wouldn't fit in Cristina's backpack or Agnes's suitcase, the duo shoved into a plastic trash bag.
Agnes peeked out of the apartment door to make sure the coast was clear. When she didn't see Gus anywhere along the hallway, she and Cristina rushed out to their very battered car as quickly and discreetly as they could. They allowed themselves to breathe in relief when they were safely on the road.
"Where are we gonna go, Mom?" Cristina asked worriedly.
"I don't know, sweetie. Maybe I can find a motel or something." They drove along the edge of town in silence for a while, until the car lurched with a muffled bang and started to wobble. With a grunt of frustration, Agnes pulled over to the side of the road and turned on the emergency lights. "Cristina, stay in the car." Agnes got out and opened the hood. Smoke billowed upwards, sending her into a violent coughing fit. "Great. This night can't possibly get any worse!"
As if to challenge her claim, a peal of thunder was heard, and it started to rain. Agnes got back in the car and slumped against the backrest with a weary sigh. She felt like crying, but knew she had to stay strong for Cristina. She soon felt the girl's arms slither around her midsection, and almost broke down. She returned the embrace, holding her daughter tightly.
"I'm so sorry, baby," she whispered, her voice cracking as a lone tear escaped from her eye. They stayed locked in each other's arms for so long that neither of them noticed the glow of headlights behind them. They jumped and peered out when a set of knuckles rapped on the driver's-side window.
Standing outside in the rain, with his white hair plastered to his forehead, was Logan.