She reached into her hair and pulled out a bent bobby pin, using it carefully to guide the cable back into place before wrapping her sleeve around her hand to tighten the connection as much as possible. Her arms trembled with effort, but she did not stop until the cable felt secure.
Raymond watched closely, his attention shifting from casual curiosity to genuine focus as he realized she was not pretending. June stepped down from the stool and moved away from the car before saying, “Try it now, and do not touch the gas.”
Raymond paused briefly, then got back into the driver’s seat while the crowd leaned in slightly. One of the young men lowered his phone without noticing, and the tension in the air shifted into anticipation.
He pressed the ignition button, and the engine started immediately with a smooth, steady sound that erased all doubt about what had just happened. The silence that followed was not awkward but stunned, as people processed what they had witnessed.
Raymond looked at the dashboard, then through the windshield, and finally at June, who had already picked up her bag and turned slightly as if ready to leave. The men who had been laughing earlier now looked uncomfortable, though none spoke.
Raymond stepped out slowly and asked, “How did you know, who taught you that,” with a tone that had lost its earlier confidence. Before June could respond, one of the men muttered, “Maybe she loosened it herself,” trying to recover his pride.
June lifted her eyes and looked directly at Raymond for the first time, and the honesty in her gaze made it impossible for him to hide behind his usual composure. She said quietly, “You said that money because it was funny, because you did not think someone like me could do anything.”
The words landed with more weight than any loud accusation, and Raymond found himself without a response despite the audience around him. June adjusted her bag and stepped away, clearly ready to leave the moment behind.
“Wait,” Raymond called, “what is your name,” but she hesitated briefly before turning and disappearing into the moving crowd without answering. The young men quickly drifted away, their earlier energy replaced by discomfort.