At the garage, the shop owner said that the car does not have to be scrapped, but some parts need to be repaired and replaced, mainly the deformed door and broken window of the co-pilot. The total maintenance cost is more than 2,000 dollars, which is the price of half a car. Danny paid the bill. He was fortunate that he had the habit of saving, so that he could maintain a little dignity in front of Kuze.
They went to the rental car shop next door and picked a spare car for Kuze. Kuze looked around and walked towards a row of familiar Nissan models. Before he started picking carefully, Danny had already settled on a Chevrolet.
Kuze wasn't quite used to the new car when Danny finished the rental process. He started the engine, fumbled with the unfamiliar operation panel for a long time, and finally successfully entered the address in the deep mountain. During this process, Danny stood outside the car, folded his arms, and watched from the sidelines. He has to admit that he chose this car on purpose. A bad-hearted parting gift.
He should have said a narrow wit, but at the moment his cleverness was as tantrum as he was. So the silence was broken by Kuze: "Where are you going? I'll take you off."
Danny frowned slightly when he heard this. He didn't expect Kuze to send him. They should have separated here. He said casually: "Salt Lake City Airport."
Salt Lake City Airport isn't even in Idaho, it's more than four hours' drive from here. Danny's original plan was to take the airport bus, but he wouldn't tell the Kuze waiting area address. He wanted Kuze to give up quickly. If parting is inevitable, why do they keep dawdling? Danny felt his nerves getting thinner and thinner by the tug of war. He couldn't take it anymore.
Danny waited for Kuze to say goodbye, but Kuze was only slightly startled, then leaned forward and pushed open the door on Danny's side, motioning him to get in the car.
Danny stared at the open passenger door, as if it was a summoned soldier from heaven, looking around blankly with swords in both hands. Who wants your help? Danny thought angrily. He was torn between denial and consent. This matter was not in his plan at all, and he had no reason to ask Kuze to send him. Come on, it's impossible for Kuze to have a farewell car shock with him. What's the point of seeing each other across thousands of miles
He reached for the door, ready to slam it back. This action caused Danny to bend down slightly, at the right angle to meet Kuze, who was leaning over to look at him in the car. He saw Kuze showing a relieved smile, obviously Kuze thought Danny was going to get in the car. Sorry, he didn't intend to accompany him.
… but it was the last time anyway.
Danny got into the passenger seat.
The town is at the foot of the mountain, but the mountains are endless, and when you leave the town, you drive into the mountains. They crossed the gap between the mountains, along the undulating road, all the way to the south. The mountains were gradually left at the end of the horizon by them, and the endless white gradually turned from snow-capped mountains to snow-fields, and the snow-fields turned into yellow fields.
Danny rested his forehead against the car window, staring at Kuze's blurred reflection on the glass. His lips were pressed together, and the line of his chin was rigid. He seemed unhappy, but also a little nervous. So did Danny—no, only Danny was actually unhappy. Kuze was simply nervous. Nervous about what? Danny thought, Chevrolet wouldn't suddenly grow out of self-consciousness and slam into the roadside guardrail. But he didn't speak, and the nervous Kuze didn't have the time to speak. They kept a narrow silence in the open landscape like a qualified pair of grievances.
After driving for another half an hour, the road was blocked. Obviously, the past long winter had not only hindered the two of them from traveling, but also the road in front of Kuishi's house was not the only road that was impassable. Kuze operated the navigation system awkwardly, trying to find a backup plan. Danny could see that he was more nervous and seemed a little more restless. Strange, Danny thought, he was the one who missed the plane, but Kuze was more anxious than he was.
"It's okay, I can change it," Danny said. "You don't have to worry."
After saying that, I regret it. It sounded like he was reluctant to leave. Danny wanted to push the door and get out of the car now.
Kuze did not comment on Danny's tone. He's concerned about another thing: "Will the change affect your arrangement with your lawyer?"
"It's okay," Danny said briefly. He endured for a while, but he still couldn't hold back his resentment, and said sarcastically, "Thank you for being in a hurry to drive me away, now I can even row to Florida in time to meet the lawyer."
Kuze glanced sideways at him in amazement, Danny just did not know, lowered his head and focused on straightening the folds on his shirt. He will never talk again, and now he is the second abandoned sad man in the TV series when he opens his mouth.
Jiu Shi was silent for a while, then said, "I didn't drive you away, I was just afraid of affecting you..." He paused, and then increased his tone, "I hope you succeed."
Danny was startled and didn't answer. Kuze is concerned about his progress and wants to make sure he catches up with the lawyer's meeting - an explanation that eases Danny's heart a little bit, just a little bit, a tiny bit, like a stone that's pressed against the ground when a grass seed grows Slightly open a line to see the light gap.
They took a long detour. Danny stopped when he passed an unfamiliar town. He was hungry and sleepy, sat stiff in the car, and wanted to go to the toilet.
Blame Kuze, he caused Danny's hormonal imbalance.
Danny left Kuze in the car and found a public toilet by himself. On the way back, Danny passed a truck selling desserts on the street. It was a fine weekday afternoon, the town was quiet and empty, and Danny didn't have to stand in line to get two sweet pumpkin pies and two cups of coffee. The truck only had paper bags and no cup holders, so Danny held a cup of coffee in one hand and fixed the paper bag between his elbows. The position was awkward, and he felt like a dancing clown made of pumpkins. Danny walked back to the car in embarrassment and shouted for Kuze to come and help.
No one responded.
Danny leaned down and put the paper bag down. The curvature of the hood made him unable to maintain his balance, and the coffee in his left hand spilled, leaving dark brown stains on the white body. He carefully placed the remaining cup of coffee and opened the driver's door. The interior space is small and unobstructed. No one was there, but Danny called Kuze's name again, as if he was still expecting Kuze to come out from under the back seat and say he was looking for some tools.
He got no response.
Danny stood by the door for a moment, then slammed it down. The only cup of coffee left on the hood was spilled. He turned a blind eye and started shouting Kuze's name.
He shouted with all his strength, almost screaming. Opposite him, someone opened the window and closed it again. Maybe they called the police and Danny couldn't care. His throat was burning hot. The overbreathing caused him to cough miserably, as if to squeeze all the air out of his lungs. Physiological tears quickly filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks in the blink of an eye, but Danny didn't want to cry at all.
He started to run.
Danny galloped down the empty street. The town is quieter on weekdays than on weekends. He ran to the intersection only to meet a pair of young people passing by. He grabbed their sleeves and asked eagerly if they had ever seen a tall oriental man. Oriental? local? No, no, we just arrived. Haven't seen it... Did you go to the square to see? thanks, thanks!
Danny was running. They haven't been to the shoe store before, and Danny hasn't had a chance to buy a new pair of running shoes. The doctor's wide boots made a crisp "da-da" sound on the flagstone road. The sound accompanied Danny across two blocks to the square in the center of town. There, he slowed down, resting his hands on his knees breathlessly.
Kuze was not far in front of him, talking with the owner of the hot dog shop on his mobile phone. Danny was standing at the intersection, and the wind brought the sound of their conversation. Danny heard them discussing the route to Salt Lake City.
Danny watched Kuze as he struggled to communicate with the locals. Kuze's English wasn't as good as he boasted. Not compared with the Asians in those universities, or ordinary tourists in Florida, not necessarily comparable, as if they hadn't spoken in three years. The frustration and panic on his face made such a tall figure look small.
The owner of the hot dog shop was eager to give directions, but did not pay attention to Kuze's expression. He took the mobile phone and gave some pointers, but he didn't think it was clear enough and convenient, so he simply took out a pen and wrote and drew on the packaging oil paper. Kuze stood beside him in embarrassment, apologizing while thanking him.
Kuze took the hand-drawn schematic, looked up, and saw Danny not far away. He immediately froze in place, as if he had just done something bad and was caught on the spot. Danny tried to give him a smile and motioned Kuze to continue, but he couldn't control his expression. He didn't even have the strength to walk past. Those boots were too big to fit at all and shouldn't be used for running. It made Danny's foot swollen and swollen high against the side of the boot, and the heel must have been frayed.
Danny stood where he was, watching Kuze say goodbye to the hot dog shop owner, and then walked towards him. Kuze's face was so stiff, mixed with embarrassment and lingering fears. When he was close to Danny, the expression came alive again, and the facial features and facial muscles were rearranged and combined, becoming the Kuze that Danny was familiar with. Danny watched the change intently. Did this just happen? Or are there signs in town? Danny's brain was a mess of running and crying, and he couldn't remember anything. He didn't want to think about anything.
Before Kuze could speak, Danny opened his arms and pounced. Kuze was stunned in place. Danny hugged him tightly. After a while, he felt Kuze raise his hand and wrap his arms around his waist.
"Hold me." Danny said hoarsely.
"—What's wrong with your throat?" Kuze asked.
Danny ignored him. He is busy with grievances.
Kuze had no choice but to support his thighs and hug Danny whole. They walked back to the car like conjoined twins. There are no pedestrians on the road. Even if there is, Danny doesn't care. He whimpered and sobbed loudly, wiping all the tears he had tried so hard to endure on Kuze's shirt collar. He could feel Kuze's panic, but he didn't want to console him at all. This is what he deserves!
Danny didn't stop crying until he got back in the car. He got back into the passenger seat and roughly wiped the tears from his face with a tissue. Kuze originally wanted to follow, but was caught by the coffee stains on the hood of the car. He stared at the spilled coffee for a moment, then bent over to clean up the mess in silence.