Even though I wanted to curl up into a ball and hibernate because my headache was trying to kill me, I had a call with a potential client, so I couldn’t. I liked money coming in and was still waiting on Mrs Brightman’s money to finish jumping through hoops and turn up in my bank account. Not that I’d want to use that on bills anyway. That felt wrong, somehow. Like it was dishonouring her memory.
So, going against my better judgement, I got into my car and began driving to the client’s house, barely able to keep my eyes open. Even with sunglasses on, the sun was glaringly bright. The hum of the car engine caused my whole body to ache. I tried to focus on the radio, but the host’s voice annoyed me so I had to turn it off.
My eyes did not want to stay open. They flitted closed over and over. It wasn’t far to drive. I could do it.
I cranked up the air conditioning and turned up some rock music from my phone. If I was cold and deafening myself, I couldn’t fall asleep, could I?
Sure, it hurt my head. But falling asleep at the wheel was more dangerous than a headache. Wasn’t it?
The light in front of me turned to red. I hit the brakes, almost doing an emergency stop and jerking myself forwards at the hard braking. The driver of the car behind pipped his horn at me. Yeah, yeah.
The lights went green and I carried on driving, trying to be extra cautious so that I didn’t slam the brakes again. My driving was jerky and I was really glad nobody else was in the car. It was almost embarrassing how bad I was, as if I was a learner again and not someone who’d been driving for over twenty years.
Twenty years? Had it really been that long? Wow, I felt old.
Focus, Niamh!
There wasn’t much farther to go. I could get there. Just take it slowly.
Another driver honked their car’s horn at me. I checked my speed. I was doing thirty in a forty, but there was no room for them to overtake because of the bollards in the centre of the road. Oops. I’d failed one of my driving tests for being too far under the speed limit. I should’ve known better.
I sped up, hitting forty. When we got to a clear spot of road, the car that’d been behind overtook me, the driver flashing me a rude hand gesture as he went past. How lovely.
Just past where he’d overtaken me was a particularly bendy stretch of road. It was one of my least favourite spots to drive through, but one of the main ways to get out of Hucknall, so pretty much unavoidable.
Windy windy windy…and a stupid texture on the road that forced you to slow down and felt horrible in cheap cars like mine. I widened my eyes, forcing them to stay as open as possible and barely blinking. The last thing I needed was to crash into the house halfway around the turns. I wouldn’t have been the first driver to do it, but I didn’t want to be another name on that list. How those homeowners didn’t go mad I’d never know.
Made it past the house. Phew. Just a little farther. If I got to the end of the road, it was a win. Then, just a couple more turnings, and I’d be at my destination. It really wasn’t far. I could do it.
I reached the mini roundabout at the end of the road, checking both sides multiple times to make sure nobody was coming. It was better to be extra careful when driving tired, right?
I turned left, driving past an old pub I’d always planned to check out but never had, despite it having existed longer than I’d been alive. Just a bit farther. Not far to go.
I carried on down the road, keeping an eye out for anyone coming in either direction, on foot or in a car. I was so busy paying attention to them that I turned early, driving straight into a lamppost.
*
Well wasn’t that just bloody brilliant? Maggie and Ben were at work. Edie was at college and she was my daughter – it wasn’t her problem. I almost expected Javi to appear and try to help out, but for once, he didn’t.
Angry at myself, I got out of the car and stood near the pub, the smell of lunch wafting over to me and making me want to throw up. Pacing up and down the pavement, I called my insurance company. I was on hold for ages, but they were helpful and sending a tow truck to pick up my car.
Since I hadn’t been going too fast, it hadn’t done a huge amount of damage, but it was enough that my car would need to go into the garage for a few days. My timing was brilliant.
Mortified, I called the potential clients, explained what’d happened, and tried to rearrange the quote. They were really understanding and told me to take my time, which I appreciated. I was still hoping to see them in a day or two so that I could get them booked in, but it’d depend on if the garage had a courtesy car available.
What was I going to tell Edie? Or Ben? Or Maggie? If I told them the truth, I’d get a lecture and they’d worry about me even more.
But I couldn’t lie, either. I’d promised Edie I’d tell her the truth, even if it hurt.
Meh.
That was a problem for later.
The garage gave me a lift home, saying they’d drop a courtesy car off later. In the mean time, I was going to curl up on the sofa with Tilly and Spectre and have a well-earned nap.