Why was there always a line when he was in a hurry? He didn’t love his job packing boxes, but he didn’t want to lose it by being late again. He hopped back into his car and crunched it into reverse. The Honda Accord was way overdue for an overhaul, although even that wouldn’t do much for its ancient transmission. It was toast. Half the time, he didn’t know what gear he was selecting. The Accord stuttered in the parking stall. “Get in there, damn it.” Gears snarled as Todd struggled to find first. He jumped off the clutch, and the car leaped backward, slamming into a Porsche Boxster’s headlight. “Shit!” he muttered. His antics had drawn quite a crowd, and they’d all witnessed his screwup. Nowhere to run, he thought. He found first gear without effort this time and eased the Accord forward to assess the extent of the damage. Everyone had an opinion and no one had a problem telling him where he’d gone wrong and how much it was going to cost him. He crouched in front of the Porsche and picked at the broken headlight and buckled bumper.
