We see here that Carlos was late meeting Dave because his car had issues on the way and broke down coupled with the fact that his phone had died.
Carlos apologized to him telling him that he had a flat tire. Here is textual evidence that supports the answer.:
""Dave!" he shouted. "Dude! I'm so sorry!" He ran across the grass to greet the two of them. "I got a flat tire on my way to the 7/11, and I had to hitch a ride to the nearest gas station. Took forever! My phone died just when I was leaving the house.""
A story is a narrative, often in prose form, that presents a sequence of events involving characters, a setting, and a plot. It typically follows a structure, progressing from an introduction or exposition, where the characters and setting are introduced, to a series of events that form the main body or conflict, and finally reaching a resolution or conclusion.
The complete question:
In the story "Nighttime in Texas," After waiting for Carlos for two hours, Dave begins to wonder whether Carlos has the night sickness that Patricia described. Why was Carlos actually late to meet Dave?