Chapter Text
He is tired and grumpy. The flight had been delayed and to make matters worse the flight attendant spilt coffee all over him during their in flight service. If this wasn’t a sign then he didn’t know what was, he is just happy to be home again.
Once he disembarks and collects his check in luggage he finally muscles up enough courage to switch on his phone. Almost immediately his phone starts beeping with all the alerts of missed calls and text messages and he sighs. Particularly because he has to listen to numerous voice messages from the last person on earth he wants to hear from right now….Laurel.
‘Hi Oliver, it’s Laurel. Please come and pick up your car.’
‘Me again, your car is leaving oil stains on my garage floor, come and pick up your car.’
‘I know you don’t want to talk to me, but ignoring me is not really going to make this go away. Just come and pick up your damn car!’
‘The sooner you pick up your car the sooner we can both move on and you will see that this was the best decision for both of us.’
“Yeah right, the best decision for you maybe. You left me at the altar….for my best friend! How is that the best decision?” he mumbles to himself and deletes all the messages from her while he hails a cab to head to his ex fiancé’s house.
He tries to focus on responding to some e-mails when his phone rings. At least it is his partner and colleague John Diggle. He slides the answer button but doesn’t say a word.
“At least you’re finally answering my calls.”
“Yeah well what did you expect, I didn’t want to speak to anyone.”
“How are you doing man? I know it can’t be easy with Laurel leaving you at the altar and all.”
“Look Dig, I know that you’re trying to be a good friend but I’ve just got back from my honeymoon in Cancun, alone. I am not in the mood to talk about it…in fact let’s never talk about it again. That fine with you?”
“Whatever makes you happy and gets you to a point where you can concentrate on our new project. You did get my e-mail about South Africa right?”
“Yes I was looking at it when you phoned. How about you give me the info over the phone, it will save me some reading time.”
“It’s a documentary about poverty, alcohol abuse and things revolving around that in a small country town in the Karoo called Oudtshoorn.”
“Well I’m happy with small town, as long as we never do anything in Afghanistan again. Riding those camels nearly killed me, never ever again!”
Diggle laughs as he recalls their time in the desert and the camels. It wasn’t funny then, but it’s hilarious right now.
“I think it’s a good distraction for you right now, getting out of the country and doing something that doesn’t remind you of Laurel and everything else that happened. Maybe I can try and set you up with one of the natives while we’re there?”
“I’d rather marry one of those camels from Afghanistan before I get into another relationship thank you. I will meet you at the airport tomorrow afternoon, but first I need to go and pick up my car from Laurel.”
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He pays the cab driver and stares at the entrance of what was supposed to be their home. He becomes aware of a stinging pain in his chest. He’s angry but that doesn’t mean the love just flies out the door. He decides to concentrate on the now, and right now he has to get his car and get the hell away from this place.
He presses the button on the remote control and the garage door opens. He is greeted by his beautiful black Jeep waiting for him. He takes out his car keys from his bag and starts packing his luggage into the car, along with a few boxes Laurel left next to his car. He hopes he manages to disappear before they realise he’s there.
He walks around the car and he frowns. Oil leak? What oil leak? This car is brand new. This woman is delusional! Why did he ever think it could work between them?
He presses the start button of the car, but for some or other reason his car won’t start. He repeats the action about three times more, but nothing happens. Finally he sighs and grips the steering wheel.
“Look, I know you’re angry I left you here, and I don’t even want to think about what you witnessed in this garage, but please, I’m sorry okay, I’m so incredibly sorry. Will you please start so we can get out of here?”
He presses the start button again and the car starts.
“That’s it baby. I knew you couldn’t stay mad at me for too long.”
He reverses out of the garage and the door starts to close. He throws his keys and remote underneath the door before it’s almost completely shut and then with a big smile on his face drives away, hopefully putting enough space between him and the life he almost had.
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The flight to South Africa was exhausting and the jet lag hit them harder than they expected. Luckily Dig was sensible enough to make arrangements at a hotel first before they had to take another flight from Johannesburg airport to a small airport in George and then drive an hour before their destination in Oudtshoorn.
Both him and Diggle pick up their rental cars at the small airport and he wonders what Brian, one of his employees, has against him. The car registered under his name is an old rusted Land Rover, which sounds like it has definitely had better days.
Once they reach their destination at a farm house on the outskirts of Oudtshoorn he settles into his room and goes over Dig’s itinerary for the next day. He realises there’s not enough gas in the truck for the distance they will be travelling and decides to be vigilant and take care of everything before the actual work starts tomorrow.
He connects his GPS and it takes him directly to the nearest gas station. It’s a lot different here than in the States. A native man comes running towards him as soon as he pulls up next to the gas pump to assist.
Once he’s given the instruction to fill the truck up he hears a woman call for help. It sounds like it’s coming from the inside of the gas station building and decides to ignore it at first. However, when the screaming continues he chooses to investigate.
He follows the woman’s voice and finds a young blonde woman holding her phone outside the small bathroom window on the side of the gas station building.
“Hi there.” he greets as politely as possible. “Can I help you?”
“I’m trying to find signal on my phone to call someone for help but apparently a screaming woman is not so much of a priority around these parts as you would think.” she answers clearly frustrated by her situation.
He immediately picks up that her accent is definitely not local. It sounds American but he decides not to put that on the list of topics right now.
“Are you stuck?” he asks innocently.
“Actually no, I really love the décor inside, that’s why I’d rather stand at the window screaming for help and finding a signal.” she answers sarcastically and it immediately stirs some unresolved feelings about the fairer sex inside of him.
“Well in that case I’ll leave you to your browsing then.” he answers with no remorse and turns around to leave her right there. If that’s her attitude then she can stay right where she is.
“No no, please I’m sorry. Yes I’m stuck and I could really use your help.”
He nods and moves around the building to the door of the bathroom. He tries the handle of the door and pushes but it won’t budge. He decides to try and kick down the door.
“Stand back, I’m going to kick down the door.” he instructs.
He moves back a bit to give him some space for momentum and kicks, but the door doesn’t shift one bit.
“What happened to ‘stand back I’m going to kick down the door’.” she remarks from the inside.
“Look miss, if you want my help then you will have to go through the window.”
“Fine.” she answers with an exasperated sigh and starts handing him all her belongings; her handbag, phone, satin scarf and shoes, which he then places on what seems to be tractor tyres next to him.
She reaches her arms through the small window and he tries to steady her when she slides through on her side with her butt right in his face. Her frilly skirt pushes up by her movement and in risk of letting her fall he has no other alternative but to leave her one hand and catch her fall gripping her right butt cheek.
“You better keep your hands and eyes to yourself!” she yells as she tries to wiggle herself through the small space.
He rolls his eyes at her comment, “oh believe me, I’m trying to contain myself, especially with that wonderful 'flowery' toilet smell.”
She finally gets her legs through the window and he helps her to her feet.
“Thank you.” she says as he hands her back her shoes.
“Oliver.” he introduces himself and reaches out his hand for her to shake.
“Felicity, with a ‘c’.” she greets back shaking his hand.
“So, what brings you to a small country town like this?” he asks curiously, her accent intriguing him again.
“Well I’m busy with a project,” she starts to explain and then he can see as she back pedals, “not that it is any of your business.” she finishes. “Thank you for your help.” she greets and walks around the building shouting at the gas attendant sitting in front of the shop door playing on his phone.
He shakes his head and chuckles when he walks into the shop to pay. What a welcome to Oudtshoorn!
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He’s well on his way on the highway when he hears the car make strange noises. He isn’t that familiar with these types of trucks but he knows those sounds aren’t good. He decides to pull over to the side of the road before the unimaginable happens.
Like any man worth his salt he pulls the cap and opens the hood. He can’t see anything out of place. He starts to pull and shake the front of the truck and the next moment there’s an explosion. He’s covered in smoke and grease, including his very expensive Ray Ban sunglasses. He takes them off and finds his reflection in the front window of the Landie. His whole face is pitch black except for the area where his sunglasses protected his eyes.
He sighs. This is the last time he lets Brian make the car rental reservations.
He’s in the middle of nowhere. His phone has no signal. How is he going to get home or even get help?
A miracle happens when he spots a car approaching him and he tries to flag them down. He almost stands in the middle of the road but the car isn’t even remotely slowing down. He waits until the last minute and then jumps out of the way when the car almost hits him swerving from side to side.
Finally the car stops and none other than Felicity gets out of the car. She’s furious as she stomps towards him with her phone in one hand.
“What the hell are you thinking?! I could have killed you!” she yells packing numerous punches against his shoulder.
“Well maybe if you paid attention to where you were driving we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” he yells back trying to fend off her punches.
She finally stops, breathing heavily, the anger clearly not gone yet, but she controls her tone, “what are you doing on the side of the road?”
“My car broke down okay and I don’t have any signal to call for a tow in.” he explains.
She checks her phone and shrugs her shoulders, “well I can’t help you there.” and starts walking back towards her car.
“Wow! Very nice coming from you since I literally just saved your butt!”
Her face spells out immediate regret, “look it’s not that I don’t want to help you, I can’t help you. I’ve never towed anyone before and if you don’t have signal what makes you think that I do?”
“I have everything we need to tow in the truck and you don’t have to do anything. Please I really could use your help.” he pleads.
She eventually relents and he starts to hook up the Landie to her mini cooper.
“Your accent,” he says making sure the rope is securely fastened, “it sounds American.”
“I’m from Boston.” she answers when he helps her into his Landie, but it seems that’s all he’ll be getting from her today. She doesn’t elaborate.
He explains to her what she needs to do during the towing and gets into her car in the front, opening the window.
He’s been all over the world, but the strangeness of driving on the left side of the road, almost all vehicles being stick shifts, will never get old.
He pulls onto the highway and laughs when he hears her yelling at him, “not so fast!”
Welcome to South Africa!