Chapter 3

Waking up to several knocks on the door, we both grumbled. I came back to reality after having a nice dream where nothing was wrong in our lives. But it was just that, a dream.

I opened the door and was met by Thomas, a big smirk forming on his face as he saw me.

"How pretty you look just woke up," he says sarcastically. He runs a finger across his lip trying to hide the smile from him.

— Die — I take off the clothes he was holding and close the door in his face.

"Come down for breakfast, we have to go now," he says from the other side.

I looked at the time on my phone, 7:30. He is crazy. Who the hell gets up so early on vacation?

I shook my sister to wake her up. Angie is the heaviest sleeper I've ever met in my entire life. We put on the clean, dry clothes we had the day before. Me, jean shorts and a t-shirt of a tongue icon, it's from a rock band: The Rolling Stones. And Angie in her floral skirt and pink short-sleeved shirt.

We had waffles for breakfast that Martha made.

"Okay, we're on our way." Thomas gets up and puts on his black coat.

"Of course not, look at these poor girls, they're freezing to death, wait for me while I'll find them a coat." He leaves before any of the three could say anything to him.

"Where are we going?" I wanted to know.

— To look for a vehicle.

"Shall we go by taxi to fight thugs?" I mocked.

— Of course not... by bus — he smiles amused. Angie laughs.

Martha lends us both shelter. Mine was a black jacket that I wore shorts, very warm. And Angie had a very pretty pink one.

"Thank you for letting us stay, ma'am," I thanked.

— Oh, please, tell me Martha and whenever you want, it was a pleasure meeting you — she gives us both a hug and we go from there.

"Who is she?" Angie wanted to know as we walked away.

"Nobody," Thomas replies.

— Well, Nobody, he's very kind.

We took the bus and after traveling for 45 minutes, we got off at another place that was not pleasant at all. Who doesn't know nicer people?

We walked one block until he stopped in front of an auto shop. There was a strong smell of fuel and motor oil. We entered the place, there were some cars being repaired and others totally destroyed.

I noticed a man with a short white beard sitting behind a table, he was checking an engine.

— Arnold Schwar — Thomas opens his arms. The man looks up to look at him.

"Napoli, you haven't been here for a long time, what brings you here?" He approaches to give Thomas a hug.

— Work — she separates from him and stands aside so that Mr. Some can see.

— Oh, I see —he looks us up and down —, since when do your packages have life?

"Since I saw what they'll pay me," he winks at her. Is that supposed to be funny? I need a vehicle, Arnold, borrowed if possible.

— Ha! To my luck they took the last car in good condition yesterday. For now I only have pure cans.

- Any?

"Nothing at all, sorry kid.

Thomas scratches his head and starts pacing back and forth, thinking of a solution.

"Fuck!" he releases.

— I have a motorcycle that you can use, but the three of you will not enter.

- No, it doesn't work for me. I will need a car. How long will it take to repair one?

- Days, son.

- Damn.

"And with help?" I proposed. They both looked at me. The man scratches his neck and smiles. The sooner we get out of here, the faster we'll be back to our normal lives.

"That would make things easier for me."

“Can we stay a few days?” Thomas asks.

— Well... There is the room that my nieces use when they come to visit and for you there is a sofa bed.

"That again," he whispers as he snorts. She looks at us. Do you want to stay a few days until we have a car?

We both wanted to go home, see mom again and have this whole nightmare ended at once. But if we have to get to this Beckam guy for that, I can wait a day or two.

"Okay," Angie sighs exhausted. She looks at me and I nod. One day max, then I'm out.

- I do not need more.

Thomas introduces us to the man. His name is Arnold, like he said.

He showed us his house, which was just behind the workshop. The room that we will use was small, it was decorated with hundreds of stickers of Disney princesses.

Uff, I started to miss my room, my bed, my clothes.

We spent the day in that room, listening to how the men worked. He wanted to go help but Thomas said he would only get in the way. Probably yes, but you didn't have to tell me.

Anyway, Angie and I tried to relax and rest, until we got bored and went to see what they were doing. Arnold was at the table he was at when we arrived, fixing something long in the car that I have no idea what it is.

Thomas was leaning against the car looking inside the hood. The sweat made his skin shine, he looks like something out of a movie.

"What are you doing?" Angie asks him and he turns to see us, he passes his arm across his forehead to remove the sweat from there.

— I'm trying to figure out what the hell is going on with this car.

- Could you help? I'm getting bored.

He snorts, but then smiles.

— Fine, but you stay away and only do what I tell you — my sister nods in agreement and does what he said —. You come?

"No, I don't want to get in the way," I told him just as he had told me. She rolled her eyes and went back to her business.

I sat down with Arnold to see what he was doing.

- And what do you do?

He looks at me through his glasses.

— It's a front shock absorber, I'm trying to repair it.

Oh yeah, I've heard of those. Mom had to change them because the ones she had no longer worked. She wasn't an expert on the subject, she wasn't an expert at anything, but I'm an incredibly fast learner.

— Can you help me? — He hands me a flashlight — I can't see inside.

I took the flashlight and shined it on him while he did his work.

I spent the rest of the afternoon helping Arnold. He is a very charismatic man although he tried to hide it behind his mad dog humor. Still, we get along well. He did what he asked me to do and we managed to fix several things on the vehicle. I even learned things about cars that I had no idea about.

Angie and Thomas laughed and joked all afternoon. Those two were like childhood best friends even though they didn't even know each other.

"Are you shy or don't trust us?" Arnold asks me.

— I'm suspicious — I'm honest — I don't know you, I don't know him, I don't know what's happening and I want to go now. I know they are trustworthy because my grandmother doesn't rule over anyone, but that doesn't mean I'll walk with all the confidence. I am reserved.

— I've noticed, you haven't said more than three sentences since you've been here, while your little sister won't stop talking—she laughs and handed her the clamp when she asks me.

I watch Angie on a motorcycle that has no wheels and pretends to ride. Thomas is next to her fixing I don't know what and they both laugh at my sister's stupidity.

— She is the sympathy and I am the unsympathetic one — I tell the whole truth.

— I like them.

When it got dark, Angie and I asked Arnold if he would let us make dinner, since we wanted to repay him in some way for putting us up at his house and lending us one of his vehicles.

We made a meat lasagna with what we found on the shabby countertops. We prepare the table and serve the food.

"It looks delicious," Arnold says, bringing his fork closer to the plate. But I saw his dirty hands.

- Did you wash your hands?

He looks at me and grumbles. She gets up and goes to the bathroom. I look at the other. He exchanges glances between Angie and me and huffs when he sees that we beat him. She gets up and also washes her hands. Very rude and manly, but they can't even wash their hands.

Angie and I like to cook together, we are like a team in the kitchen. For my part, I'm a very lazy person, my sister would say the laziest in the fucking world, but when it's time to cook, she forces me to help her and that's what I do, that's how we end up making delicious dishes.

****

Arnold let us shower in his dirty bathroom. I took the opportunity to clean it up a bit. This man doesn't clean anything here.

Angie prepared breakfast for the four of them and when they went to the workshop, I saw how she began to clean the small room that was there. I laughed, she's a cleaning maniac, she's been putting up with it pretty well.

"But what the hell...

We turned around with a start when we heard Arnold's voice. He wasn't happy.

— Did you tidy up my house?

— Yes, I'm sorry, it was a pigsty.

"They didn't have to, I love my pigsty." He picks up a toolbox from the floor and leaves annoyed.

"We just wanted to help," Angie murmurs dejectedly.

- Peaceful.

The morning passed quickly. We prepared lunch and again no one washed their hands. Men.

After lunch they took a break and went to watch TV in the now sparkling living room.

I fumbled for the USB that had been in my pocket all this time, except for when Martha did our laundry. I need to know what's inside, it could be important... and it's also curiosity.

— Arnold — I called him and he turned to see me — Is there any cyber around here?

— There is one a few streets from here, why?

- I'll go for a while - I got up.

"WoW WoW, stop there, you're not going anywhere," Thomas interposes.

- I have something to do.

"Well, you won't go alone.

“Okay, Angie, come with me.

— No, I'll go with you — he also gets up.

— You can't come, it's private — Grandma said that you can only trust the family, and I don't know what this USB could have.

— Without me they will not go anywhere — he crosses his arms determined.

I raised my hands in exhaustion and sat down. But this is not over yet. When I'm distracted I'll leave. If he thinks I'm giving up, he won't watch me. I just have to pretend it doesn't matter what I have to do.

They were concentrating on watching the soccer game, so I got up and pretended to go to the bathroom. I closed the door and checked my phone, the signal was disgusting but I was able to observe a connection for a few short minutes in which G****e Maps found that two streets away there is a cyber. Perfect.

When I opened the door Angie was on the other side.

— It's because of the USB, right? I nodded. We can go now, they are very excited about their winning team.

We listened as they yelled at the screen as if the players and referees could hear them. Silently, we go behind them to reach the door of the workshop. We successfully got out, ran to the front door.

"Stay right there!" — We stopped instantly when we heard her scream.

"We need to go to the cyber, Thomas," I asked.

— It is more necessary that they be safe and out there they will not be.

We walked towards him head down, like two girls who had just scolded. He makes a mock bow for us to enter the house. Moron.

Arnold came out before we could get in. He was annoying.

- They won - he hits a table where it was full of nails and screws. I guess the opposing team won.

- Fuck! But we were winning.

- A penalty. I'll finish this - he sits on his bench and puts on his glasses -. Aria, get me the oil drum that's by the fridge.

I nodded and went for what he asked me. Drum, drum, drum. Next to the fridge there was nothing. I hear Angie approach me, she smiles when she sees that I didn't find that jerry can. She points me over to the fridge. There she was.

- Old fool.

Angie brings me a chair, since it was too high for me. It was heavy, I passed it to her and jumped down from the chair and left her in her place. I took the can and we both got out.