by Nancy Adams
Allen was one of the latter, and particularly liked to eat at Merv's Diner, a little spot that featured some really great cooking. Granted, it wasn't Judy's cooking; Allen was of the opinion that nobody could out-cook his wife, though the fried chicken dinner the girls had made the night before came pretty darn close. And when he'd found out that it was Kylie who actually cooked the chicken, he was doubly surprised, because it had always been Katie Lou who did the cooking, and Kylie who was the tomboy.
Merv's was only a block away, so he didn't even bother to fire up a vehicle. The walk took him about two minutes or so, and always gave him a little time to shake off the morning and its stresses, so he could sit down and relax over an open-faced beef sandwich, or a plate of beef stew. There wasn't a better way to let go of stress, he thought, than to just eat.
“Allen! Hey!” That was Janice, the waitress. She made a point of calling every regular customer by name as they entered, and everyone else in the place would echo it. It always reminded people of the TV show, “Cheers,” where “everybody knows your name.”
“Hey, Jan, hey everyone! What's the special today?”
“Yankee pot roast, eight ninety-nine,” Janice said, and Allen smiled.
“Just bring it on, then,” he said, “and don't forget the coffee pot. I'm ready for a cup.”
“Be right there!”
Allen sat down at the counter and said hello to Jim Morrison and Frank Tate, its other two occupants at the moment. “How you guys been?”
“Been okay,” said Jim, and Frank nodded with a smile. “I hear that girl of yours is doing pretty good, after her accident. My wife said she saw her in Walmart yesterday, and she seemed to be in pretty good spirits.”
“Yeah, we're pretty thankful that she's doing so well. I gotta tell you, at first I wasn't even sure she was gonna make it at all, y'know? When we first saw her, there at the hospital, she looked so bad I was afraid we were gonna lose her, but God wasn't ready for her yet, I guess. He brought her through it.”
Frank nodded again. “I know what you mean,” he said. “I've seen people come through things you wouldn't believe they could possibly survive, and the only possible explanation is the Hand of God. I know a lot of people at the church were praying for her, and for you and Judy.”
“We appreciate it,” Allen said, and then wanted to change the subject. “How's your family doing, Frank?”
That got the man to smile once more. “Oh, good,” he said. “Trish is all excited about the grandkids coming to visit next week, and the only one of our kids still at home is Jake; he's sixteen and driving now. We got him a little Subaru, gets good mileage and he just loves it. I told him if it has any problems, he should always bring it to you, that you're the best mechanic around.”
“Well, thanks,” Allen said, “I'll treat him right.”
Janice brought Allen his coffee, then, and it gave him the chance to break off the conversation. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy visiting with the other customers, but sometimes he just wanted to sip his coffee and think about things. Today was one of those days. The whole thing about the Corvette was still bothering him, and especially the fact that Darren couldn't be man enough to admit the truth. Allen had always felt that a man had to own up to responsibility, no matter the consequences, and he supposed that a part of him had still hoped that Darren and Katie Lou might work things out, but if the boy would lie about something like this, and then use it as an excuse to back out of the engagement—well, that wasn't someone he wanted his daughter to marry.
“Hello, Allen,” he heard, and looked up to see James Allsip sitting down beside him. James was Darren's father, and his law firm was the biggest in the area. Allen knew he should have been expecting a visit from him, after faxing the report to his office that morning.
“Hello, James,” Allen said. “I'd ask what brings you out here, but I'm sure I can guess. You don't like the report on the accident, right?”
“Not really, no,” James said. “It implies that my son was somehow negligent, but he says the car had some sort of problem that caused it to go off the road.”
Allen shrugged. “I can't help what he says. The fact is that there was nothing in the steering mechanism or anywhere else on the car that could possibly have done that. You don't have to take my word for it, have someone else go over the car. I'm ready for it to get out of my shop, I'm sick of looking at the windshield that my daughter went through.”
James ordered coffee, but declined a menu. “Here's the thing, Allen,” he said. “With that report, the liability all falls squarely on Darren, and we'd like to avoid a big, messy lawsuit. I was wondering if you might have a figure in mind, something we could settle on, so both these kids can get on with their lives?”
Allen turned and looked at the lawyer. “Get on with their lives? Let's see, James, your son wrecked his car through sheer negligence, nearly killed my daughter, then broke off his engagement with her because of the handicap she developed as a result of that wreck—I'm having trouble seeing how she's supposed to just go on with her life, after all that. And as for Darren, frankly, right now I couldn’t care less if he ever even crawls out of bed again. You want a figure? I'll ask Katie Lou, and let you know. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat my lunch alone.”
James nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “I can understand your bitterness, but there are reasons for Darren's actions. Let me know where we can start negotiating.” He tossed a ten-dollar bill on the counter and got up, walking out without another word.
Allen shook his head in disbelief; they wanted a settlement? He hoped Katie Lou would sue Darren's pants off!
Janice brought him his lunch, and it took him a moment to shake off the anger and focus on the good food, but once he finally shoved the first forkful into his mouth, he let it all go. Yankee pot roast was almost like an antidote for stupidity; one bite, and you could forget all about the idiots in the world around you. He ate it all, and then topped it off with a slice of coconut cream pie, and was ready to get back to work.
He made it back to the shop at just after one, and found the whole crew there and already working on their respective jobs. He went to where the Riviera's engine block was on the stand and waiting to be reassembled, checked to make sure all the parts were there and ready, and rolled Kylie's tool chest over to stand beside it.
She had built up quite a set of tools, over the years, usually by wheedling the guys out of extras they had. If a man bought a new set of wrenches, for example, it wasn't a bit surprising if he offered Kylie any odd wrenches he had left over from older sets. By the time she was sixteen, she had a better set of tools than most shade-tree mechanics ever even dream about, and since she liked working on her own car at the garage, she kept them there, locked up in Allen's tool room.
She finally came in around two, wearing the kind of old jeans and t-shirts that she liked to work in. All the guys called out their hellos, and she smiled and waved, and even flirted a bit, with all of them.
“Hey, Dad,” she said as she caught up to him. He was working on putting the Chevy back together. “You are not gonna believe what Katie Lou is up to, right now.”
He looked up at her and smiled broadly. “Well, tell me anyway,” he said.
“Rob gave her a walker,” Kylie said. “Dad, she's out of the wheelchair. With this thing, she can't just roll around, she has to get up and push it along with her as she walks.”
Allen's smile got even bigger, and he laughed in delight. “Honey, that is awesome! Is she up to it, though? I mean, aren't her legs weak?”
Kylie shook her head. “Rob says it isn't that they're weak, it's that the nerves that control them have been damaged, and so she's having to find different ways to get the message to the muscles. The more she walks, the better it works, I guess. He said he thought she'd need a few days of practice to get ready to really give up the wheelchair, but she showed him today that she can handle it. She can even put it in the truck and get it out, all by herself. I'm
really proud of her, Dad, and you will be, too.”
He laughed. “Of course I am,” he said. “And I'm so very proud of you, too. You've been there for her through this, and she'd be having it a lot worse if you hadn't.”
Kylie rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Hey, she's my sister. Of course I'm gonna be there for her, if I can. That's what sisters do.” She looked over at her car, sitting in its bay all alone. “I'm gonna go start on my baby, okay?”
“Okay, Honey, just yell if you need anything.”
Kylie went to where the engine block was waiting, and began inspecting it. Since she had decided to build it into a much more powerful engine, Allen had sent the block out to be cleaned and to make sure that everything in it would align perfectly. In a normal car's engine, a little bit of imperfection might go unnoticed for the life of the car, but in a performance engine, everything had to be absolutely correct. The machine shop had done its job, she was sure, and the block looked like a new one.
It was mounted on a stand, and was rotated so that it was upside down, allowing her to install the new crankshaft. She carefully put the main crankshaft bearings in place, then smeared Vaseline on them. That would make sure they were lubricated when the engine was first cranked over, before the oil could be circulated. Turning the crankshaft dry could cause scratches that would eventually make the bearings fail, ruining the engine forever. She wasn't taking any chances on that.
Once the shaft was in, and the main caps in place to keep it there, the turned the block over on the stand, and began assembling and installing the piston and connecting rod assemblies, carefully making sure to seat each rod onto the crankshaft carefully, using the Vaseline to lubricate them as well. This was one of the most critical parts of the job, and it had to be done right.
Three hours later, Kylie stood back and admired her handiwork. There, before her, was a fully assembled Buick engine, and the components she had installed would make it a terrifically powerful one. She wiped her hands on a rag, getting the worst of the greasiness from the Vaseline off of them, as her father came over to see how she was doing.
“Well, well,” he said. “I remember the days when you used to need my help, now and then. That is one beautiful motor, Sweetheart!” He nodded at the clock on the wall. “It's almost five, want me to stay and help you put it back in the car? I got the transmission back this afternoon, so we could probably get her all tucked in and back on the road by eight or nine.”
Kylie shook her head with a soft smile. “No,” she said, “you go on home. I can handle this, and I could use a little time alone right now.”
Allen lowered his eyebrows and looked at her. “A little time alone? Sounds like guy trouble, am I right?”
“No,” Kylie said, but then she shrugged. “Well, I dunno. Maybe. The thing is that Rob, Dr. Christopher, he asked me out on a date for Saturday—but when I watch him with Katie Lou, I can tell he really, really likes her, not me. I mean, he likes me, I think, just not that way; but it's pretty obvious he's got it bad for Katie. Even his sister sees it, I know, cause she watches me to see how I'm taking it, and that’s pretty obvious, too.”
Allen nodded. “I see. And how does Katie Lou feel about him? Is she showing any signs of interest?”
“Not particularly,” Kylie said, “but then again, she's just been through a pretty bad breakup. It'd be totally understandable if she wanted to ignore guys for a while, but that doesn't mean the guys are gonna ignore her. Personally, I'd say Rob is falling in love, but I'm scared she'll run him off and he'll get hurt—and at the same time, I'm afraid for her, because if she did get involved with him right now, I don't know if it'd be real, or just a rebound thing, y'know?”
“Yeah, I can see the problem,” Allen said. “The problem, as far as I can see it, is that you've got a sister who's a grown woman, and she has to make her own choices, even if it turns out to be a mistake. One of the hardest lessons I had to learn, and I learned it mostly from watching you, is that each person has to make all their own mistakes, that no one can make your choices for you, or take your heartaches for you. It's up to each of us to learn how to live in this world. If Dr. Christopher likes her, then it's up to him to let her know it, not you; and it's up to her to let him know if she isn't interested. And if she is, then it's up to her to find out if it's real or not. That's the way the world works, I'm afraid.”
Kylie smiled and gave him a hug. “Sometimes, it's good to have you for a Dad, just because you’re so easy to talk to. I've always known that I could come to you, no matter what the problem was, and you'll know the right thing to say, or give me the right advice. Like now, when I've been trying to figure out whether to go on this date or not; I mean, if he really likes Katie Lou, and if she decided she wanted to give him a chance, then I don't think it would be good for her if she knew I went out with him before she did, right?”
Allen shrugged. “I don't think she'd hold that against either of you, to be honest. I think you're more worried about how you'd feel. Do you, how did you put it—do you 'really, really' like him? Like that?”
Kylie stared at him for a moment, and then laughed. “You know what? Today, we were at lunch and I suggested that she open her counseling practice right in his office, and he lit up like a big Christmas Tree, so I'm pretty sure I'm right. I thought I did like him that way—but when it hit me that he likes her, I think maybe I realized that I just liked the idea of going out with him. Does that make any sense at all?”
Allen chuckled at her, and tousled her hair. “It does, believe it or not. Sometimes, people get more excited about what they think they should want than they do about what they really want. It's human nature, and there is very little in life that's more confusing than human nature.”
“Algebra is,” Kylie said. “Algebra is, like, something evil that was put on earth to make high school students miserable. I hated algebra with a passion; that's why I'm majoring in English.”
Allen gave her a hug. “You staying here, then?”
Kylie nodded. “Yeah, I'm gonna work on my baby a bit, and think about things for a while. Tell Mom not to hold dinner for me, I'll grab something in a bit.”
“Okay,” he said. “Transmission's over there by the parts room door. I left it on the cart so it'd be easier to move around for you.”
He kissed her forehead and walked away, waving over his shoulder as he went. Kylie had always liked the fact that her father said goodbye like a cat, simply walking away. He had always seemed to know the right moment to do it, too, especially when her friends—whether male or female—were around, and all of her friends respected him for it.
She turned back to her car, and decided it was time to put her baby back on the road. She went and got the transmission, which she would have to bolt onto the back of the engine before she could hoist them both up and put them into the car.
* * * * *
Allen got home twenty minutes later and told Judy that Kylie would be working late on her car. Judy had only gotten home a little before he did, so she and Katie were just getting ready to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Allen said that sounded great, and then turned to Katie, who was sitting on the folding seat of her walker.
“So, I hear you got some new wheels,” he said, and she grinned.
“Yeah,” she said, grabbing the handles to help herself stand. “Meet Willie the Walker, a girl's best friend. With this, I can get up and walk around again, and not feel like a prisoner of some sadistic monster with wheels.”
Katie Lou sat in a chair at the table, as Allen looked the walker over. He tested the brakes, spun each wheel to check its bearings, and pronounced it fit for her to use. “Pretty snazzy,” he said. “Baby girl, I'm so proud of you. I can't imagine what it must be like to go through what you've been through, but you've taken it head on and kicked its butt! That's amazing to me, and I want you to know how proud I am.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Hey, you were the one who always used to tell me that we had to deal with wha
tever reality was at the moment, right? If my legs weren't working, then whining about it wasn't going to solve the problem, and I knew that, even if I did want to whine a bit, now and then. And Dr. Christopher is pretty awesome; he's the one who keeps coming up with new ideas to get my legs working again, and he's been doing an awful lot right. I can't imagine what this would've been like without his help and guidance.”
Allen nodded, and Katie saw the twinkle in his eye. “Yeah, Kylie's been telling me about him today. She seems to think he's got a bit of a crush going for you.”
Katie's eyes went wide and she turned to look into his. “Me? She's the one he asked for a date!”
Allen chuckled. “Yeah, but she thinks maybe that was because he didn't think you'd want to go with him. She's pretty sure it's you he's really interested in. What about you? Is he a guy you might like to know better?”
Katie felt a sudden flush come to her face, and it hit her that she did think Rob was pretty good looking, and she knew she'd let herself daydream about him a few times. Still… “Daddy, I'm just getting over what happened with Darren; I don't think I'm ready for a relationship with anyone else, right now. Rob's cute and all, but...”
“Katie Lou,” Allen said, “I had to call Darren this morning and tell him that I couldn't find anything wrong with his car that could have caused the wreck. I told him flat out that it was my guess that he just fell asleep behind the wheel, and do you know, he still tried to convince me that he was telling the truth? I know there's a part of you that still loves him, and that's okay, but you need to make up your mind that he's gone out of your life, and that you're better off that way.”
Katie stared at her father for along moment, and then grinned. “To be honest, Daddy,” she said, “I don't think I was ever really in love with him. I mean, if I was, then shouldn't I be more upset about the fact that I lost him than about the way he called it off? I'm not all heartbroken, I'm just mad, mostly. I want to tell him off, but I don't think there's any part of me that wants him back, not even a little bit.” She bit her lip. “As for Rob Christopher, though, I'm not sure what to do, there. I know Kylie has a thing for him, and she was so excited about going to the dance with him that she almost died on the spot. If I let on that I liked him, she'd be hurt.”
