Recapitulation: Despite agreeing to partner up to rob graves, Barry and Jenna discover quickly their partnership will be most difficult to work within. After an awkward trial run, they prepare on this day to make a stab at Gertrude Wilborough’s funeral at Willow Grove Funeral Home. It is early, and there is yet much to do.
He reached out for the overalls, then caught himself and took a suit from the closet. The loose hangers jangled against each other. Jenna slept like the terminally ill, only a good shake would wake her from her stupor. He left the bedroom to change in the living room, a peculiar proposition, but it made more sense than changing in front of Jenna. Walked back, noticed her keys on his dresser, a stupendous mass of tchotchkes and knick-knacks, a car key ensconced somewhere within that pile. Barry looked down at his charge, still oblivious to the world at large. He noticed yesterday in the car that either her gas gauge had broken, or she was low on gas. Either way, it would do him good to get outside. Slipping her key plus rings into his hand, he stole away from the apartment, leaving her locked inside.
Some wag left a yellow flier on the windshield. Barry went to toss it away, then realized it was a yellow envelope and she’d gotten a parking ticket. Forty dollars. Forty dollars he’d somehow end up paying. He tossed the ticket onto the passenger’s seat. Just another substitute for a dead president. Then, he stepped in, sat down, turned the ignition. Nothing happened Then, he released the parking break, looked for drive. He took his foot off of the brake pedal, and nothing. Then, wondered why there were three pedals. What was wrong with this machine?
He reached over to the glove compartment, sprung it open. A slew of yellow envelopes spilled out, vomited from the dash’s belly. He picked one up at random. Eight years ago, unpaid. This would work out well, as did everything so far with Jenna. Beneath the crumpled pile, he excavated a fresh driver’s manual, pristine and untouched. There were a few brief pages that described how to operate a manual transmission.
Learning how to drive a manual transmission from a book is possible. Learning how to drive a manual transmission well from a book, not so much. Applied theories involve much experimentation, mistakes, practice once you have a handle on the basic theory underpinning the procedures. Barry looked up at his bedroom window and wondered if she could do it, why couldn’t he?
The car, as if controlled by an unwitting master, crashed into the car in front of it. Barry shuddered in his seat, then looked up. The mindless Volvo rolled into the car in front. He stared at the steering wheel, then got out to examine the damage.
Busted taillight, scratched bumper. At least it was a boxy Peugeot from twenty years ago, but the shiny green paint and meticulous finish implied the owner wouldn’t be ecstatic about this development.
Again, book learning for practical things proves impractical. However, necessity and a need to extricate a car from a crash tends to spur one on.
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