He tried so hard to hold back his tears that I could barely look at him.
I told him we’d make it, although I had no idea how.
Then, just over an hour into our journey, I heard a horrible knocking sound coming from under my hood.
My stomach dropped because I knew exactly how bad that could be in the middle of a blizzard.
I pulled over, stepped into the freezing wind, and lifted the hood.
Nothing looked obviously broken, but the sound I’d heard was unmistakable. After nearly 20 years of driving, I knew better than to keep running an engine making that kind of noise.
I climbed back inside and shut the hood as the wind rattled the cab.
“What’s wrong?” Walter asked.
“Something serious. We’re not going anywhere in this truck.”
He stared through the windshield.
“I’m sorry, Robert.”
“You didn’t break my engine.”
“But you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”