xp_logs | Callie and Fred: Needing a Lift

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Callie takes Fred to see a flick, and a parking situation requires a different angle.

In theory, having a small car should be an asset when trying to find a parking spot in the city. Normally, Callie didn't have any trouble finding a place to pull in, but today was turning out to be different. She wasn't the best judge of how much space she had, and everywhere she tried to park she was just somehow an inch too big, or at least in her mind. She didn't want to be boxed in between two cars, unable to get out, so she kept circling around the blocks near the cinema, trying to find a spot, as the clock ticked down to the time of the movie.

"Maybe you should just get out and go in," she said, turning to the passenger on her right. "I don't want you to miss the film, I know how much you want to see it."

Fred had been excited about 'Zombieland' since he'd seen the trailer for it, and even the fact that he had to ride there in a compact (a Mercedes no less), couldn't dampen his spirits. When Callie suggested he go in, he scoffed, "C'mon, Cal. I ain't gonna see the flick without you. I'm sure there's a spot somewhere..."

Her eyes scanned the road and finally landed upon a spot. While a normal car wouldn't be able to get in to it, Callie was confident that she could. "Found one!" The only problem was, although she had passed her driving test with flying colors, parallel parking was not something she was fond of. So as she struggled to back in and not hit the car behind her, Callie couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "Ugh. I can't make it. I don't want anyone to hit me as they try to back out."

Fred looked from the spot...to the dash of the car...then back to Callie. He opened the door and, after checking for oncoming traffic, managed to squeeze his way out of the tight fit he'd found himself in while riding, "I gotta idea. Stay buckled," he said as he closed the door behind him, but left the window open.

She quickly put the car in neutral and killed the engine. Although she was unsure of what Fred was doing, she didn't want to take any chances and hurt him accidentally. "Uhh Fred," she called out through the open window. "What are you doing?"

Fred rubbed his hands together and stretched out his arms a bit, "You trust me, right Calliope?" He never used her full name.

Callie nodded slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me and hold onto the steering wheel."

Fred squatted down and, careful with the placement of his hands, hefted the car up by it's undercarraige until it was about head height with him as his strained to make sure he didn't injure the car.

Her knuckles went white as she gripped the steering wheel with one hand and the suicide bar with the other. A cry of fear escaped her lips as Callie found herself being hoisted in the air, inside her car. There was nothing she could do except close her eyes and pray that Fred wouldn't hurt himself, or her, or her new car.

Fred's voice floated through the open window as his face and body, unseen, slowly plodded the car toward the spot, "Hey, what's the tonnage on this thing? Ton? Doesn't feel that heavy..." Hm. Maybe there was something to these compacts after all...

Callie said nothing, but trembled in fear as she felt the car move beneath her. "...Fred?"

After checking to make sure the car would line up right, Fred began the slow, arduous process of setting the car down without hurting it. Finally, when the tires touched the pavement, Fred sighed and stood up, dusting off his hands and lighting a cigarette, "There. Problem solved."

Hands still trembling, Callie managed to unfasten her seat belt and fell, literally out of the car, grabbing her purse en route. She stood up slowly, pulling her shirt down, straightening it out, a wide eyed expression on her face. Partly amazed that she had survived the ordeal, as well as the fact that he had been able to pick up her car and park it for her. "You... carried my car?"

Fred smiled broadly as he came around the side of the car and offered his hand to Callie, "If you're jealous, I could carry ya into the theatre iffen ya'd like," his accent thick from the humor of it.

It was at that moment that she realized the absurdity and humor in the situation. Fred had successfully managed to pick up her car with her in it, carry it, and successfully park it. And there didn't appear to be a scratch. In contrast to the minutes prior, Callie found herself throwing her arms around Fred's neck, and laughing as she jumped up for her to carry him. "My hero!" She batted her lashes like they did in movies. "To the cinema!"

Mutation and hormones were odd things: Fred had hefted Callie's car with little to no effort but, holding her with her eyelashes fluttering at him, Fred found it much more difficult to get his legs to go anywhere.

Life is a funny thing, huh?