I felt the heat rush out at me as I opened the car door.
When I slid onto the seat, the warmth from it seared my skin through my pants.
Sweat was streaming into my eyes, and I could hardly keep a grip on the wheel. Unfortunately, the air conditioner wasn’t working, so I couldn’t start the car and wait to get back in until it had cooled down. My car was getting hotter than the tarmac temperature of 95 degrees because the air conditioning unit had broken. I contacted a nearby repair shop and asked if I could bring in my vehicle for some Heating and Air Conditioning maintenance. If I could get there in fifteen minutes, he said, he’d back the car into a bay to inspect the heater and air conditioner. Any later and he’d be leaving for the day, forcing me to wait until Monday. Over the weekend, he took it easy. I got into the car and crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t black out before reaching the gas station. The car was quickly towed into the bay, but he said he would be unable to begin repairs until Monday. He promised to inspect the HVAC system, but if it required replacement components, fixing it would have to wait. I wanted him to check out both the heater and the air conditioner and let me know what was wrong with them. After waiting for ten minutes, he summoned me to the counter. He suggested replacing the HVAC system in its entirety. He asked whether I wanted to pay in full now, or whether I would prefer to set up a debit card account and pay when he brought in the new heating and air conditioning system.