Following the clues

Francis had felt like he'd been sitting in his car baking in the hot, Florida sun. The un-tinted windows and the running engine seemed to negate the weak a/c kicking out of the dash. He turned on the radio, the clock came on, but the audio was non-existent. There was a short in the wire somewhere, and it was one of the minor inconvenient, wear and tear issues, that seem to sit right outside the edge of "time to fix it", he knows the folly of electing 99 dollar re-wiring of his stock cd player versus his need for an oil change on this piece of shid.

He had grown accustom to the sound of a companion, a one-sided conversation found only in listening to podcasts and having no true friends to bounce ideas and opinions off of, at least without the risk of his job. True friends are willing to engage.