“I’m going to need you to support the driveshaft while I disconnect it from the differential,” Sam said and dropped to the ground again. She fished out a handful of open-end wrenches and slid under the truck so that only her bare legs extended out. Tusker went around to the other side and joined her underneath. The metal was hot and there was already a puddle of oil collecting under the gearbox.

Sam tried a couple of wrenches before finding the right fit and grunted as she twisted on the bolts that held the driveshaft into the rear differential housing. Tusker watched her work admiringly. She caught his look.

“Make yourself useful and hold up the driveshaft,” she told him. “It’s gonna come loose here shortly, and be careful. It’s a lot heavier than you think it will be.”

When the last bolt came out, the full weight of the shaft dropped onto Tusker’s hands. She was right, it was heavy.

“OK, just hang on for a bit while I rig up some wire to support it.” She slid out from under the truck and he could hear her fishing around in the tool roll. Tusker’s arms started to quiver from the weight. He could see Sam’s legs and those of all the spectators on the road side of the vehicle. The crowd had grown.

Sam dropped back down and joined Tusker underneath. She was clutching a wad of wire and a snips. “You doing OK there?” she smiled at Tusker, who was sweating profusely, both from the effort and his proximity to the hot exhaust pipe. “Fancy a tea break?”

“Just get on with it!” he barked back.

Sam laughed and wiped her nose, leaving a black streak of grease. She threaded the wire around the driveshaft and then up around the crossmember of the truck’s chassis. After four loops, she told him to let go. The wire held. Sam cut the excess wire and shimmied out. Tusker followed. The old man rolled his bike forward and said something to Sam in Tamil, smiling toothlessly. Sam replied and the two shared a hearty laugh.

“What did he say?” Tusker scowled, feigning hurt at being left out of the joke.

“Oh, something to the effect of what a capable and confident man you are for helping me,” she winked. “Now give me the keys. Let’s get going.”

Sam put the Land Rover in neutral and started the motor, then pushed a red lever forward to engage low range four-wheel drive. Now, instead of the rear wheels driving the truck, the front wheels would pull them back to town. She eased them back onto the highway, where traffic had swelled in the hour it took to make the repair, and steered the Land Rover back towards town.