03-26-2009, 10:16 PM
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  Words could not convey how pleased she was with herself. They didn't need to. There was a spring in her step as she walked, her eyes were bright and her smile was merry. Even though she'd yet to physically touch her car today, she had already made great progress. Haphazard wondering about the city may have been enough for her to find a good garage for herself and even her shiny black corolla, but it wasn't good for specific parts. Fortunately, a bit of sleuthing got her moving in exactly the right direction. Inside the decrepit house, she'd found a thick book with thin yellow pages: a phone book. Obviously she wouldn't be making any calls, but there was more information contained in that book than simply a bunch of random digits: there were addresses, too. Skimming through it earlier, she'd found the location of one East Coast Autozone, located at 237 Waverley Rd. This seemingly useless address was rendered more relevant by her second discovery in the desk drawer... a city and regional map! After scrawling down the address of the store in her messy print on a piece of paper, she tucked it along with the map and her owner's manual into her bag. While the sun still hung groggily on the horizon, she set off. It did not take the ambitious and excited girl long to orient herself; much of the journey involved only two major roads! From her garage at the corner of Hillsboro and Auburn, she quickly made her way to Main St and eventually to Braemar Dr, which soon turned into the road of interest.The 7 km journey took her less than two hours and before long, she was riffling through the back storage room of the abandoned auto parts store. By now the sun was higher up in the sky and shining brightly, as were her spirits. As she looked through the store, she found various tubes and hoses still in their original wrappers, not degraded by the sun or elements. She found a battery, spark plugs, oil, and transmission fluid. Jackpot. She even found a bottle of polishing wax, but that would need to be all for this trip. At least she already knew where to go in the future... and maybe once the car actually ran, she'd be able to transport 'maintenance' supplies more easily. For now, though, she was set. Arranging as much as she could in her bag and placing what remained in some discarded shopping bags, she started her journey back home. The return trip took longer with all of the extra weight, but if she had to guess it was still early afternoon as she stepped in the door.Charger yawned sleepily from the couch as she entered the structure, and she tossed down her bags beside him. A combination of needing light to work and it being a lovely day convinced her to open both large bays in the garage. Whistling and humming to herself, she popped open the hood and began to work as sunshine spilled in around her. Occasionally she'd summon the raccoon's assistance; he'd grab her a wrench or a rag, she'd pat him on the head and keep working. Every so often she'd also take a quick hit from her tiny pipe, which she otherwise rested on a workbench behind her; she was certainly in the zone and loving every minute of it . |