Finally, the last person was out the door, and they could all go home after helping clean up. It was a tiring day, but it was all worth it after seeing the smiles on everyone's faces.
Suddenly, she remembered her boss, who had a grim expression, and the car, still parked outside. Quickly, she pulled the keys out of her pocket, taking a deep breath.
"Noreen, do you think I can park that car in your place?" Luisa asked her friend, wondering where she could put the car without being vandalized or snatched out of her sight during the night.
"You know that our neighborhood is almost identical to yours." Her friend reminded her. "Why don't you take it for a spin? I am sure you will figure something out." Noreen suggested instead as she sprinted across the street and waited on the passenger's side.
Noreen liked to ride fast cars, but unfortunately, she could not handle too much G force. The most she could manage was a hundred in speed on a good day, but still, it did not stop her.
She finally followed her friend and unlocked the car, still figuring out where she could park it for safekeeping. "This is my boss' car." Pointing to the car.
"I need to keep it safe, not play with it." Looking at her friend incredulously, reminding her why she had the key in the first place.
She should probably take it to the office and park it there for the night, even if she had to drive to the city. She could always take the bus back home afterward.
"Come on. I am not saying to bump it on a lamppost. All I am saying is to take it for a spin." Noreen turned to her as she made herself comfortable in the black leather seat.
"But you are right. We should not mess up with this baby. It is too beautiful." Her eyes drooped down, and her lips pouted as her fingers glided over the dashboard.
"Fine, just one spin." She hated it when her friend did that to her and used reversed psychology on her. Her friend knew how much it would make her want to drive it now.
"Great!" Noreen quickly tightened her seatbelt and looked ahead. "Let's see what this baby can do." Her face lit up like a flashlight.
Hearing the ignition was music to her ears. It was like listening to an orchestra fine-tuning their instruments. Then, when she revved the engine, it sounded like the conductor just waved his hands, and musical notes floated in the air to fill every space in the room.
"Here we go," Luisa said as she removed the gear from its neutral position and pulled the car out of the parking lot.
It was time to test this beautiful vehicle for what it was worth. Noreen was right. She might never get the chance again to drive such a well-oiled machine.
Listening to the engine roar to life as they cruised in the light traffic was heavenly. Suddenly, all her problems flew away. Thoughts of her boss marvelously vanished, replaced by an enchanting euphoria that seemed to bring her to a magical place.
"You see!" Her friend shouted over the sound of the raging motor. "This is fun. I think you need this to release some of the tension in your body."
Noreen was the doctor, so she was listening to her advice. She had been tense all the time since she had started working for her boss. So, this was just what she needed, glancing at her friend before focusing again on the well-lighted street.
Nevertheless, she realized good things usually came to a halt when the fun had just started. Suddenly, a siren warned her of incoming trouble.
"Damn!" Her favorite expression escaped her lips, seeing a flashing colorful light behind her through the rearview mirror.
Her eyes noticed earlier that she had exceeded the allowed speed limit in the city proper. But they were having so much fun that she forgot the rules for a minute.
The smoothness of the engine motor as she drove this magnificent piece of machinery and the lack of tension in the car while it glided on the street had her floating in the clouds.
In her defense, she got carried away.
"What is happening?" Her friend asked, but shock registered on her face when she figured out what was wrong as she slowly pulled the car to a stop.
She had no plan to outrun a police car and be at the top of the headline in a high-speed chase. That would make her mother go berserk on her. Then, her boss would kill her if she damaged the car.
"Well, I think I might have gone too fast." She told her friend as they waited for the police to come over.
"What are we going to do?" Noreen seemed to be shaking in fear. Unlike her, her friend was not the kind of girl to break any rules or laws, for that matter. "I can't go to jail."
She could talk the talk, but she could not walk the walk.
"I need you to stay quiet and let me handle it," Luisa said to her, acting confident. In truth, this was also her first time getting caught. "Nobody is going to jail."
How hard could it be?
Almost half an hour later.
"You said you can handle it," Noreen whispered, slightly trembling in her seat as they waited for the officer in charge of their case to interview them.
"I have an important exam tomorrow. I need to go home. We need to go home." Her friend rambled on, afraid they would spend the night in jail or longer.
"I am thinking." She told her, also not wanting to spend another minute in this place and add a record to her list of delinquencies. "I will find a way to get us out of this mess. It is just a misunderstanding." She hoped that the officer would see it that way.
"Why don't you call your boss for help? It is his car." Noreen suggested.
"Definitely, not." She did not want him to know. Fortunately, they had not contacted him yet, or she would get fired on the spot.
She could not call him. She had to think of someone else. But who? Not her mother, of course, not her uncle. That would send red flags and force her home.
"What about Sir Julius?" Suddenly, Noreen picked up her pocket until she found the card that the kind gentleman had given her earlier. "Call him."
She hesitated since he was the grandfather of her boss. If she called him, it was like she also called her boss. But before she could decide, the case officer approached them.
"Are you ready for your statements?" The officer asked.
"Yes, but before we do, can you call this man first? The name and the number are right there." Noreen handed the card to the officer. "Mention her name, Luisa Richmond. I am sure he would sort this misunderstanding out."
Her friend threw her an apologetic smile, knowing she had messed up this time, but she could see her point. Desperate matters required extreme measures.
She could not take that back since they would sound more suspicious. So, she had no choice but to go with the flow.
Would he remember her? If he did. Would he be true to his word and help her? What about his grandson? She guessed she could kiss her job goodbye.