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God, it felt like it had been ages since the quarantine began. With school out and society as good as dead, Gabi'd begun to get even more stir-crazy than usual. Sitting at home while her grandpa Yusuf wasted away in Portland ate at her already. Not being able to visit him during the duration of the lockdown only served to exaggerate her discomfort. The night before the quarantine was officially lifted, she'd barely slept. Promises were exchanged the night before, and finally having something to look forward to after the dreary state of half-existence she'd been floating through was elating.

[i]"Hey, Gabs. Soon as all this is done, we'll go see him, alright?"[/i] Her father, Martín, had offered. Dozens of failed video calls and weeks of radio silence bored a hole through her heart, the guilt of abandoning Yusuf in some other city almost too much to bear. It wasn't really [i]her[/i] fault, of course, but emotions rarely cared for the logical details. A cruel bit of coincidental timing or not, she [i]felt[/i] like she could've been doing more. Fuck, even trying to give him a call had become next to impossible now. First it was the video chat constantly getting dropped, then an inconvenient dive off a table busting her phone's forward camera altogether. Finally being able to go and visit again was just about the only thing that could finally knock some of the built-up stress away.

It made the engine failure that struck the family van that morning even harder to accept.

The old thing had been on its last legs for the past six years. Between financial troubles and the constant pre-quarantine back-and-forth between Everbrook and Portland, the miles built up alongside the natural wear and tear it was already subject to. Something had apparently gone kaput in the engine, judging by the cloud of smoke flowing from the hood. Martín, as much as he was trying, couldn't just fix it by hand.

"Damn it," He mumbled under a defeated huff. "Something's gotta be wrong with the fuel line. Gonna need to take it into the shop to get that fixed..." The hood of the car slammed shut, and Martín returned to the driver's seat to mercy kill the engine. He sat the keys atop the dashboard and looked to Gabi, who silently seethed in the passenger seat. "I'm sorry, mija. Soon as this is fixed, we'll get out there, yeah?"

Gabi sniffed hard, rubbing the back of her wrist against her eye. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, sure, alright," She answered, a slight but clear wobble under each word. A few quick blinks were supposed to disguise the tears beading up at the corners of her eyes, but one managed to escape. "Shit, shit, shit." 

Martín reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a few pats. Though he could only offer small reassurances in place of an actual visit, he hoped that they could at least lessen the emotional burden. "It'll be alright, Gabi. You know he's not gonna blame you for not showing up, yeah? Between the lockdown an-"

"No, no, yeah. I know. Thanks, dad," Gabi interjected, forcing a smile. She glanced away for a moment, just in time to see another car drive by. [i]"Fuck you,"[/i] she thought, directing the insult more at the vehicle itself than whoever happened to be driving. 

And then it clicked. Other people driving meant they were going somewhere. Now that quarantine was over, maybe she could at least go somewhere else in town. The internet at her house had been the best Xfinity plan they could afford (that is to say, awful), but the library had to have [i]something[/i] better, right? Even if the speed was the same, it had to at least be more stable. "Hey, dad? I'm gonna head to the library for a while, yeah?" Gabi asked. 

"Oh, yeah, 'course. When do ya think you'll be back?"

"I'unno. Later, not too late. Gonna try to see if I can get a call through to grandpa over there, though," Gabi answered. Martín nodded, taking a moment to retrieve his wallet. He procured a ten and a five and handed them to Gabi. 

"Just in case you're not back in time for lunch. Be careful out there, ya never know if someone on the road'll be a little too excited to be back out there." Martín smiled to Gabi, who leaned in to give him a fuller hug. "See ya later, Gabs."

Gabi smiled, much more sincerely this time, as she tucked the bills into her pocket and got out of the malfunctioning van. "If anyone runs me over, let's sue 'em for a better car. Bye dad!" She said with a wave, slinking out of the van and onto the porch. Her bike was stored just inside the house for safety's sake. Once she had it, she walked it down the steps and mounted it, waving Martín off as she rode past him and down the street.

[i]"Just look on the bright side,"[/i] she thought. [i]"Even if the library's a bust, least I can get something from Luigi's again."[/i]