Recipe for Disaster

Andy put Brookie back in her walker and pushed her out to the bar area much to her delight and squeals of laughter.

"Hey Steve, I’m off now to pick up my car I should be back around four and I’ve already got everything prepped for tonight."

"Kay, Andy be safe." Steve came around the bar and propelled Brookie to the end where he could watch her.

Andy got a ride into Coffs with Richie and strolled into the bakery waiting for Lucy to get off.

"Hi can I help you?" asked the girl at the counter

"Nah I’m waiting for Lucy," Andy smiled

The girl walked to the back, "Lucy there’s a very handsome man out front for you."

"That’s Andy," she smiled, "I’m outta here, see ya later."

Andy directed Lucy to the garage and paid for his car tossing the receipt on the front seat he followed her back onto the highway. The car seemed to be running okay and he increased his speed trying to keep up with Lucy. It was good to be driving he thought after a month without wheels.

Lucy slowed turning into The Glen and Andy hit his breaks, nothing happened he swerved onto the road behind her and his steering went, blowing his horn to get her attention he was headed for a deep ditch.

Lucy looked in her review mirror to see him going off the road and hit her breaks, "Oh my God!" she shouted and stopped her car getting out and running back calling his name.

His car flipped landing back on its wheels at an odd angle, Andy was stunned having hit the windshield and banged up a bit but otherwise okay. He tried to open the door and couldn’t.

"Andy!" cried Lucy running and falling down the hillside. Reaching the car she came to his window, ‘Andy are you okay? Oh you’re bleeding; oh my God I have to call somebody." Fumbling for her cell phone she called the Sheriff’s number.

"I’m okay," groaned Andy, "I can’t get out of the car."

Lucy tried opening the door and ran around to the other side but the door was crushed. "Can you get out the window?" she cried frantic now smoke was coming out of the hood.

Sheriff Biebe arrived and ran down the hill he also tried the door and talked to Andy making sure he wasn’t hurt too badly.

Colin arrived with his tow truck and ran down the hillside, "hey we gotta get him out of there, it’s going to flame!"

Between Colin and John Biebe they got the door off the car and pulled Andy out dragging him well away from the car just as the motor caught fire.

Lucy was all over him trying to find out what injuries he might have. Andy just sat on the ground and watched five hundred quid go up in smoke.

The Sheriff wanted to call an ambulance but Andy was so angry he wouldn’t hear of it. Lucy and Colin got him back up the hillside and into the back of John’s vehicle. John called the fire department to put out the fire before it spread.

"Hey man, you okay?" Colin stuck his head in the vehicle

"No, I’m not fucking okay, my ride’s burned up and I’m out five hundred quid."

"For what?" asked Colin

"Repairs." He pulled out the receipt he’d had the presence of mind to pick up and stuff in his jacket pocket.

"Let me see that," Colin reached for the paper, "mind if I keep this for awhile, I’ll check up on it."

"Yeah for what ever good it will do you."

Lucy ran back to the Sheriff to see if she could take Andy to the doctor and he sent her on while he waited for the fire truck. Lucy led Andy to her car and sped off up the road toward the town. Andy was livid and Lucy kept making soothing sounds.

"Every time I think we’re getting ahead…" he lamented

"Its all right Andy, it makes no difference." She parked in front of the doctor’s office and went in with him.

The cut on his forehead cleaned and taped he sat on the table while Dr. Knight wrote out a prescription for pain medicine. Sheriff Biebe came by to check on him.

"You wanna tell me what happened Andy?"

Andy told him everything he could think of about how the car handled before he went off the road. "It was worse than when I took it in to be fixed, at least I had brakes before."

"Colin’s gonna pull the car in when it cools down and see if he can find anything that might have caused the accident."

"It’s probably a pile of ashes by now." Said Andy truly dejected

"No, the fire department put it out, wait and see." He made some notes and left.

Lucy came and took him by the hand, "come on love, let’s go to the boarding house."

He stood up a little dizzy and shook his head, bad mistake. "Oh crikey," he held his head.

Dr. Knight told him to go home and lie down, take it easy for the rest of the day.

"I’ve got dinner to cook," Andy told Lucy when they got in the car.

"No you don’t Andy, you’re going to bed, Millie and I can handle it." Lucy’s hands were still trembling when she started her car. "You scared me to death Andy."

Andy took her hand, "Scared me to death too, I thought I’d bought it when the car flipped. Thanks Lucy."

Back at the boarding house he recounted the accident to Steve and Millie who insisted he go straight to bed. Lucy pulled on an apron and picked up the evening’s menu noting a recipe penciled in on the side of the paper for an upside down pandowdy.