Contrasts on the trailing vine

 Small town village about 70 kilometers from our home closer to town.
"Let's get of here now, there'll be a storm and no doubt we'll get stranded." I said.
"You are probably right, clouds looking dark out there." My wife responded.

Ten kilometers down the road a tyre exploded on the highway, "fuuuuck"
swerving to keep the car on the road, then bringing it slowly to a halt.
"Hey look staglands petrol station and mechanics is open, t's only about 600 meters."
Ok lets walk up see if they can tow it in, it'll be too difficult to push"

There were two guys working at the mechanic, Locky and Steve.
"Thanks for helping us guys."
Neither of them responded. My wife looked at me. "Not very friendly are they?"
they brought the car in and started working on repairing the damage to the rims.
Behind the roadside shop was a small boutique village with shops full of kitsch and ornaments.
A small restaurant and cafe. Big fruit trees surrounded, local farmers teenage children mobbed about curious and teasing.

We spent an hour walking around and sampling some of the local food.
The owners were from India and really let the Hindu themes stand out.
Back at the car Steve spoke up "They bring their stupid culture here to this country."
Locky didn't make a peep. 
Both in their early thirties, both had worked there for their entire adult lives.
Locky long dark here and yellowish white skin, Steve extremely thin short curly grey brown hair.

Their boss came in. "Steve stop ranting about the foreigners again"
My wife tapped me on the shoulder "This is racist Steve"
A couple we had run into earlier had commented on the mechanic shop boys.

"So how long is it going to be, do you think?"
"Oh not long, Put a new tyre and you guys can be on your way."
Locky gave my wife a wink. "I stared at him. He just pretended I wasn't there. 
A skill I used to have when I was younger and somehow lost.
We got into the car "It was four hundred and fifty dollars."
"Could have been more expensive"
Thunder clapped and it started raining heavily.

The road almost became invisible and the wind pushed and pulled the car.
Something crashed from behind us. 
A large tree crossing the road directly and cutting off traffic both way. Also taking down powerlines.
"Thank god" she muttered.
"Hey thats a bad thing, now they are all cut off completely."
"Yeah but we actually got out of there before."
"Typical summer disasters, right?"

The rain subsided enough to see the road again the two thick layers of grey sky met on the horizon one on top of the other. The darker higher and expanding.
"What a contrast the weather is, sunny and idyllic one minute, stormy and hurricane like the next."
My wife looked into my eyes. "Just the way you like it, isn't it"
"Living a life without contrasts would be quite boring I guess" I admitted.