He realized his dad wasn't going to save them. Not because he didn't love them, but because he had already decided that this was the day they would learn to save themselves. At the 55-minute mark, Mack stopped trying to brute-force the lug nuts. He watched the way the wrench slipped. Then he remembered a YouTube video Jeff had shown him about leverage. He found a heavy rock, placed the wrench at a specific angle, and jumped with all his weight.
And then he did exactly that. He climbed into the truck bed, pulled out a weathered paperback, and began to read. The rain started ten minutes later. For the next sixty minutes, chaos reigned. Mack, frustrated and soaked, tried to loosen lug nuts that hadn't been turned in three years. He didn't know about the trick—standing on the wrench, using body weight. He just pulled, swore under his breath, and slipped in the mud. mack and jeff dad---------s tough love 1
Mack blinked. "Okay. Jeff, hand me the—" He realized his dad wasn't going to save them
"Because next year, Mack will be driving himself to school. In two years, Jeff, you'll be riding your bike five miles to practice. In ten years, you'll both be in situations I don't even know about—a broken car at midnight, a failed exam, a boss who yells at you, a relationship that falls apart. And I won't be there." He watched the way the wrench slipped