Text copyright © 2014 Katie L Thompson
All Rights Reserved
Preview Extract: Christmas Mishap
“No, no, no no no.” I shook my head and cursed under my breath. The minute I’d turned onto the main road, I’d driven straight into a traffic jam.
Today was the first really cold day of winter. Before I’d left home I’d had to scrape ice off the front windscreen – it was the first time I’d done that this year.
Looking at the traffic in front of me, I cursed again. I wasn’t particularly worried about being late for work – people were late almost every day of the week and there never seemed to be any consequences – but the traffic meant that there’d be a lot of stopping and starting, hence a lot of hill starts.
I prepared myself for the first of many.
“You can do this,” I said out loud.
I wasn’t bad at hill starts, actually I was quite good at them, but the car was cold and it had stalled just pulling out of the driveway.
“It’s only a little one,” I told it, thinking how much worse it’d be a little further on.
I held my breath, put my foot down on the accelerator and lifted the clutch to biting point.
“You can do it,” I said again, pulling the handbrake up slowly and praying that the van behind me didn’t get any closer.
The car started to roll backwards. I pressed harder on the accelerator. There was a loud revving noise and the car lurched forwards.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. A metre or so up the hill, the cars stopped again.
“You’ve done it once, you can do it again.” I shivered – and not just because it was cold.
I let a bit of a gap form in front of me, before attempting another hill start. The van behind me revved its engine. I could feel sweat on my skin.
“Give me a chance,” I growled.
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
“Three, two, one.” I lifted the handbrake up.
The car juddered, but to my relief it moved forwards.
“Please don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
I could hear nothing besides the pounding of my heart in my ears. We were almost at the top of the hill now, just a bit further and the ground would flatten out.
“Don’t stop!” I shouted.
The car rolled slowly forwards, but eventually I had to give in and brake. This time I knew it was too much. The car would never make it. Why were we moving so slowly anyway?
The van behind me bibbed its horn as a gap appeared in front of me.
“Go to hell,” I whispered.
He beeped again.
“Stuff you.”
He gave up after that, knowing that I wasn’t going to move. He could overtake me if he wanted.
When the space in front of me grew large enough that I could make it all the way to the top of the hill, I decided to give the hill start a go.
“We’ll just take it nice and slowly. I know you can do it.” Although I said the words, I only half believed them. It was a second-hand car, I hadn’t had it very long, and I had no idea what it was capable of.
Taking one more breath, I pulled up the handbrake. The car balanced perfectly.
“Now just roll forwards,” I said. I was amazed at the control I had over my feet, despite the rest of my body being a shaking mess.
Shifting my feet, I felt the car begin to roll backwards.
“Forwards, forwards.”
The car continued to go backwards.
I yanked on the handbrake.
Taking another large breath, I gave it another go.
The outcome was the same.
“You’ve got to do it,” I said. What other choice was there? The queue behind me went back further than I could see.
When I tried to start the car the third time, it outright refused.
“Damn it.”
I turned the key again.
Nothing.
I picked my handbag up from the passenger seat, collected my phone and pulled the key out of the ignition.
“Why are you getting out?” The guy in the van behind me was hanging out of his window, staring at me.
“It won’t start.”
He swore.
“It’s not like I did it on purpose.” My legs were shaking, and a thin layer of sweat coated my body despite the cold. I didn’t need him to make things worse.
“Women.” He spat. “Shouldn’t be allowed to drive.” He shook his head and wound up his window.
I tried to push his words to the back of my mind. I fumbled with my phone, my fingers too numb to activate the touch screen.
“Let me help you.”
I was pretty sure that I’d imagined the voice coming from beside me, but I looked up anyway.
“Come and sit in my car while you phone.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
“Come on,” he said.
I let him guide me back to his car, but still I said nothing.
“I’m Chris.”
“Chris,” I tried it out.
Chris had to be the most amazing looking guy I’d ever seen, and I was ninety-nine percent sure that I wasn’t hallucinating.
“Car couldn’t take the cold any longer?” he asked. “I don’t blame it. This weather’s a joke. Global warming my ass.”
All Rights Reserved
Preview Extract: Christmas Mishap
“No, no, no no no.” I shook my head and cursed under my breath. The minute I’d turned onto the main road, I’d driven straight into a traffic jam.
Today was the first really cold day of winter. Before I’d left home I’d had to scrape ice off the front windscreen – it was the first time I’d done that this year.
Looking at the traffic in front of me, I cursed again. I wasn’t particularly worried about being late for work – people were late almost every day of the week and there never seemed to be any consequences – but the traffic meant that there’d be a lot of stopping and starting, hence a lot of hill starts.
I prepared myself for the first of many.
“You can do this,” I said out loud.
I wasn’t bad at hill starts, actually I was quite good at them, but the car was cold and it had stalled just pulling out of the driveway.
“It’s only a little one,” I told it, thinking how much worse it’d be a little further on.
I held my breath, put my foot down on the accelerator and lifted the clutch to biting point.
“You can do it,” I said again, pulling the handbrake up slowly and praying that the van behind me didn’t get any closer.
The car started to roll backwards. I pressed harder on the accelerator. There was a loud revving noise and the car lurched forwards.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. A metre or so up the hill, the cars stopped again.
“You’ve done it once, you can do it again.” I shivered – and not just because it was cold.
I let a bit of a gap form in front of me, before attempting another hill start. The van behind me revved its engine. I could feel sweat on my skin.
“Give me a chance,” I growled.
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
“Three, two, one.” I lifted the handbrake up.
The car juddered, but to my relief it moved forwards.
“Please don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
I could hear nothing besides the pounding of my heart in my ears. We were almost at the top of the hill now, just a bit further and the ground would flatten out.
“Don’t stop!” I shouted.
The car rolled slowly forwards, but eventually I had to give in and brake. This time I knew it was too much. The car would never make it. Why were we moving so slowly anyway?
The van behind me bibbed its horn as a gap appeared in front of me.
“Go to hell,” I whispered.
He beeped again.
“Stuff you.”
He gave up after that, knowing that I wasn’t going to move. He could overtake me if he wanted.
When the space in front of me grew large enough that I could make it all the way to the top of the hill, I decided to give the hill start a go.
“We’ll just take it nice and slowly. I know you can do it.” Although I said the words, I only half believed them. It was a second-hand car, I hadn’t had it very long, and I had no idea what it was capable of.
Taking one more breath, I pulled up the handbrake. The car balanced perfectly.
“Now just roll forwards,” I said. I was amazed at the control I had over my feet, despite the rest of my body being a shaking mess.
Shifting my feet, I felt the car begin to roll backwards.
“Forwards, forwards.”
The car continued to go backwards.
I yanked on the handbrake.
Taking another large breath, I gave it another go.
The outcome was the same.
“You’ve got to do it,” I said. What other choice was there? The queue behind me went back further than I could see.
When I tried to start the car the third time, it outright refused.
“Damn it.”
I turned the key again.
Nothing.
I picked my handbag up from the passenger seat, collected my phone and pulled the key out of the ignition.
“Why are you getting out?” The guy in the van behind me was hanging out of his window, staring at me.
“It won’t start.”
He swore.
“It’s not like I did it on purpose.” My legs were shaking, and a thin layer of sweat coated my body despite the cold. I didn’t need him to make things worse.
“Women.” He spat. “Shouldn’t be allowed to drive.” He shook his head and wound up his window.
I tried to push his words to the back of my mind. I fumbled with my phone, my fingers too numb to activate the touch screen.
“Let me help you.”
I was pretty sure that I’d imagined the voice coming from beside me, but I looked up anyway.
“Come and sit in my car while you phone.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
“Come on,” he said.
I let him guide me back to his car, but still I said nothing.
“I’m Chris.”
“Chris,” I tried it out.
Chris had to be the most amazing looking guy I’d ever seen, and I was ninety-nine percent sure that I wasn’t hallucinating.
“Car couldn’t take the cold any longer?” he asked. “I don’t blame it. This weather’s a joke. Global warming my ass.”