The Silent Garage
Ceritasakti.com - Jun sat on the cold concrete floor of his garage. The air smelled like old motor oil and dry dust. Jun held a small metal screwdriver in his right hand. He poked the inside of a large plastic car radio. The radio rested on a dirty towel. Wires stuck out from the back in every direction.
Kiki sat on a tall wooden stool nearby. She watched Jun work. She kicked her sneakers gently against the wooden legs of the stool.
"Is it completely dead?" Kiki asked.
Jun wiped sweat from his forehead. He dropped the screwdriver on the floor. The metal made a sharp sound.
"Yes," Jun replied. "The inside is burned. My car will not have any music today. We will have to drive in total silence."
Kiki looked at the broken radio. A long road trip without music sounded incredibly boring.
Then, they heard loud footsteps hitting the driveway. Lanny and Otto walked into the dark garage. Lanny carried a large flat box of pepperoni pizza. Otto carried a plastic grocery bag full of cold orange sodas. The smell of hot cheese filled the garage.
"Food is here," Lanny announced. She placed the heavy pizza box directly on Jun's workbench.
"Did you fix the car music?" Otto asked. Otto looked down at the mess of wires.
"No," Jun said. He stood up and dusted his jeans off. "The car is silent."
The Game Day News
Before Jun could open the pizza box, another person ran into the garage. It was Odinn.
Odinn wore a bright red sports jersey. He looked out of breath. He held his phone up high in the air.
"Are you guys ready?" Odinn asked loudly. "Today is Jaxson Dart Day. The whole city is going crazy."
Otto opened a cold soda. "What is a Jaxson Dart Day?"
Odinn looked at Otto with wide eyes. "It is the biggest college football game of the season. Jaxson Dart is playing today. The city closed the main downtown streets. They set up giant screens in the park. Everyone is going to watch the game outside."
Kiki smiled. She grabbed a slice of warm pizza. "That sounds much better than sitting in this dusty garage."
Jun looked at his old car. "We can go. But we have five people. And we have no radio for the long drive to the city."
"We do not need a radio," Lanny said. "We can just talk loudly. Let us go right now."
The Squeezed Car Ride
They ate the pizza very fast. Jun grabbed his car keys. The five friends walked out into the bright afternoon sun.
Jun sat in the driver seat. Kiki sat in the front passenger seat. Lanny, Otto, and Odinn squeezed together into the back seat of the small car. Odinn sat in the middle. His broad shoulders pushed against Lanny and Otto.
Jun started the engine. The car made a loud rumbling noise. Jun backed out of the driveway. He rolled all the windows down.
The drive to the city took forty minutes. The car was very quiet at first. The wind blew loudly through the open windows.
Then, Odinn started humming a fast song. Lanny tapped her hands on her knees to the beat. Otto started singing the words. Soon, all five of them sang at the top of their lungs. They sang terribly. They missed the high notes. Kiki laughed so hard her stomach hurt.
They did not need a working radio. The car felt full of life.
Jun drove past the tall city buildings. He saw thousands of people wearing red and blue colors. The streets looked completely packed with excited fans.
The Crowded Streets
Jun found a parking spot in an empty dirt lot near the edge of the park. They all climbed out of the small car. Otto stretched his long legs.
They walked toward the center of the city park. The noise hit them like a physical wave. People blew loud horns. Street vendors cooked hot dogs on open metal grills. The smell of grilled meat and sweet fried dough mixed in the air.
A giant digital screen stood in the middle of the grass field. The football game played loudly on the screen.
Odinn ran ahead. He pointed at the screen. "Look at the score. The game is incredibly close."
Kiki did not care much about football. But she loved the energy. She looked at the crowd. Strangers gave each other high-fives. Small children ran around wearing oversized jerseys.
Lanny bought a large bag of salty popcorn. She shared it with the group. They found a small empty patch of green grass near a large oak tree.
The Afternoon Sun
They sat on the grass. Odinn watched the giant screen very closely. He cheered every time a player caught the ball.
Jun leaned back against the rough tree trunk. He closed his eyes. The afternoon sun felt warm on his face. Kiki sat next to him. She watched Otto try to catch a piece of popcorn in his mouth. Otto missed, and the popcorn hit his nose. Lanny laughed loudly.
Jun opened his eyes and looked at his friends. The broken radio did not ruin the day. The crowded car did not ruin the trip.
The football game continued on the giant screen. The crowd cheered loudly again. Odinn jumped up and clapped his hands.
Kiki grabbed another piece of popcorn. She watched the bright blue sky above the city. The day felt perfectly long. The day felt incredibly good. They did not need to be anywhere else.
