One Careful Owner - Jane Broughton
When we met your paintwork was gleaming, an expensive varnish of vibrant racing red. You were Italian, a Lamborghini way out of my league. Many drivers tailgated as you cruised the strip but only I saw the tremble in your cornering, the way your suspension sagged slightly when you changed gear.
Amazingly, you stopped next to me as I parked on the verge trying to capture the phoenix colours of a sunset. You admired my skill, I admired your elegance.
We travelled a lot those first few years. We funnelled our freedom, bounced across borders, stopped dusty and diesel drunk at serviced hotels. We gloried in our nights and accelerated into our dawns.
Eventually we had a near miss. You tried for an emergency stop, lost control and skidded off the road. You discovered a dip in your toned performance. An expensive diagnostic recommended replacement of your brake pads. “You’ll be fine,” the mechanic assured us. “You’ve got many more miles on the clock.”
Gingerly we navigated our way home, your headlights flickering as we negotiated speed bumps. I offered to pay for a re-spray to cheer you up but I knew your baggage wouldn’t be so easily unpacked.
You didn’t leave our garage for weeks. You stuttered and stalled, couldn’t fire up your usual enthusiasm. You became cranky, accused me of browsing the internet for a newer model. You said you felt fit for nothing but the scrap yard. I worried about the rust creeping into our relationship.
When I did persuade you to go out, on a familiar route, you took a wrong turning, blaming the sat nav. I joked about the good old days when we argued together over a map.
We were reaching the end of our journey and one morning you finally stopped, your oil pooled, no electricity left to ignite your spark.
My lights faded too. Without you my eyes clouded when I tried to see the road ahead.
Originally published by Reflex Press, 2022
Jane won Beaconlit Festival’s flash fiction prize in 2019. This unexpected success prompted her to start writing seriously in her sixties. It’s never too late! Her stories have been published in various magazines from The People’s Friend to Ellipsis Zine and online by Free Flash Fiction, Reflex Press, Full House, Paragraph Planet and The Wondrous Real. She’s been a LISP finalist, Commended by the Edinburgh Flash Fiction Award and had pieces shortlisted by Retreat West, Writing Magazine and Flash500. You can find her @janeb323 or janeb@.bsky.social
