Road to Anywhere (boyxboy)

Chapter 3: The man with the van

"She is my first love, but now I have to let her go."

☆

Oliver's eyes began to hurt as he scrolled through advert after advert trying to find a functioning car for sale for £300. He was beginning to realise that Morton was probably right. Maybe he should just admit defeat and give up. 

He sits back in his chair at the kitchen table, stretching his hands over his head as he lets out a yawn. He then hears a click of a door and realises he is not alone. 

"Hey." His older sister Clementine enters the kitchen, dropping her handbag on the table, before heading straight for the fridge. 

"Hey Clem." He replies as he again hunches over his laptop. 

Clementine takes a bottle of wine from the fridge and pulls a glass from the drainer and proceeds to fill it, just enough for her need to be satisfied, before drinking it in one go.

"Bad day?" Oliver says, glancing up at his sister's actions. 

"Ah, usual." She sighs as she refills her glass. She holds it in her grasp as she casually walks over to Oliver. She rests a hand on the back of his chair as she takes another sip of wine. "What are you doing?" 

Oliver sighs heavily. 'Trying but failing to buy a car for £300." 

"Good luck with that." She chuckles. "Why do you need a car anyway? You have an oyster card and London is a hassle to drive in." 

"Morton and I are planning a road trip. I just need functioning transportation." Oliver enlightens her. 

"You and Morton Strange?" She looks at her brother quizzically. "Going away together? Are you two an item?"

Oliver turns and looks up at his sister. "What? No! Why does everyone think that?" He looks back at the screen, feeling rather disgruntled. 

"Just teasing Olly." She ruffles his hair. "But can I make a suggestion?" 

"What?" 

"Widen your search. I mean, you'll both need somewhere to sleep for the night right? Why don't you look at vans for sale?" 

Oliver deletes the specifications he had entered and re-enters 'vans' into the mix. 

"It's no good. They're all in their thousands." Oliver sighs. "Look. The cheapest comes in at £1000." He points to the advert... 

Green camper 1976. In need of some restoration £1000.

"It's too much. Plus how much work would it need to get it roadworthy."

"I'll lend you the money." Clementine says, patting her brother's shoulder.

"You will?" He looks up at her again in surprise. 

"After the day I've had, one of us needs to break the wheel." She smiles. "Keep your £300 for the other stuff." 

"Aw Clem. You are the best!" Oliver pulls her in by the arm for a side hug as he stays seated. 

"It's a loan, not a gift." She adds. 

"I know I know. I'll pay you back, I promise." Oliver says with renewed excitement. He clicks a few more buttons before deciding to seal the deal.

***

"Hello?" Oliver calls out a little nervously as he sets foot inside the given address, where his new purchase resided. A working garage. He could hear the faint sound of the radio playing, indicating that there should be some form of life somewhere but was still yet to see a single soul.