I retrieved the tools from my truck and took a squat by Tarah’s wheel well. I went to work on the quick fix, but couldn’t get the terrible state the young woman seemed to be in out of my head. Obviously, someone would be pretty freaked out given the accident that just happened, but the fact that she actually seemed to be less “freaked out” and more “zonked out,” than the situation would warrant was what bothered me.

I got to work on the wheel well, made the fix in about one minute and spent a few minutes attaching the tracking device in a place where I didn’t think anyone would be able to find it.

Once finished, I got to my feet and walked back towards the driver’s-side door.

I was shocked to see Tarah jumping out of the car before I even got to the door.

“Oh, I uh, wanted to let you know you can start the car to see if my fix worked,” I said.

Tarah didn’t answer back, just jumped back into the car and fired the engine.

I waved Tarah back out and she followed, almost fell on the ground once her feet hit the pavement, but she made it back out to me and I bent down by the wheel well.

Tarah suddenly started to grow hesitant out of nowhere. I worried she somehow knew I attached the tracking device, but there was no way she could have.

I watched as Tarah started to slowly back away.

“That’s okay,” Tarah mumbled.