“Well, I mean down to the curb.” He smiled wide, his perfectly white teeth shining and a small dimple popping out. Wow, talk about handsome,
“I can’t leave Levi up here by himself.”
“Bring him with. This is for him as much as it is for you.”
“I thought you were just going to get whatever you could for the car and just send me a check. Did you leave the check in your car?”
“No. And I don’t have my car today. I’m driving the car hauler.” Mitch stepped around me and hollered into the apartment. “Levi! Come see the surprise I have for you and your mama.”
Levi came barreling out of the room and ran straight into Mitch’s arms again. Mitch picked him up and headed down the hallway and looked over his shoulder at me. “You coming?”
I didn’t really have a choice. A man I had only met once before was carrying the one thing in this world I loved down the stairs. I grabbed my purse off the counter, double checking to make sure my keys were in my pocket and slammed the door shut behind me. I sprinted down the stairs catching up to them just as Mitch opened the door.
Levi was babbling on and on about the latest episode of the Transformers he had seen and Mitch nodded his head and gave the occasional one-word answer in between all the talking. “Wow! Did you drive that big truck here?”
We were standing in front of a large car hauler that had a huge flatbed, and a car was on it. Mitch must have been on his way to drop off a car when he came here to give me the check. “I have to be to work, soon, Mitch.”
“This will only take a second.” Mitch set down Levi and opened the door to the truck. He reached in and turned around to look at Levi and I. Levi was bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet with excitement, and I was doing everything in my power to not demand Mitch give me the check and get out of my life so I could get back to my pathetic life.
“You wanna help me?” Mitch asked Levi. Mitch walked to the side of the truck where four handles operated the bed of the truck.
“Mitch, I really need to get to work.”
“I know, Sparky. Just give me five minutes to get this unloaded.”
“You’re going to have to give me a ride to work.” I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot.
“Fine.” He turned his back to me and started telling Levi which levers to push and pull. He walked around to the back of the truck, unhooking straps and told Levi to push levers at certain times. The two big hooks that were holding the car in place loosened as Levi pulled on a lever and he oh'd and ah’d as Mitch hooked them to the bed of the truck and walked back over to Levi.
“Now, pull this one hard.” Levi pulled the red lever, and the bed of the truck started moving. I grabbed Levi, pulling him away from the truck and wrapped my arms around him.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?”
“Um, unloading a car?” Mitch looked at me like I had lost my mind and I had to agree with him. I had no idea what was going on right now, and I felt like I was in the twilight zone.
“I see that. I meant why are you having my four-year-old son unload a car? He’s four.” I think I might have already said that but at this point I was happy to still say coherent sentences. For the most part.
“Because I thought it would be neat for Levi to unload his new car.”
“What!” Levi screamed and lunged out of my arms. He jumped up and down like a jackrabbit in front of Mitch and threw his arms up in the air. “Mama, we got a new car!”
I felt the earth move from under me, and I stumbled to the curb. My legs gave out from underneath me, and I landed in a mess of confusion on my ass. I vaguely heard Mitch tell Levi to climb into the cab of the truck and see if he could find the lights. They both headed off to the truck, but only Mitch came back and sat down on the curb next to me.
“You can’t give me a car,” I mumbled.
“I can and I did.”
“People don’t give people they don’t know brand new cars.”
“It’s not brand new. It’s over ten years old, but it runs good and has low mileage. It should last you awhile.”
“OK, people don’t give people they barely know cars that are reliable and ten years old. That’s insanity. I don’t even want to know how much you spent on that car.”
“Enough to where it’s reliable.”
Mitch was insane. Crazy. Mad. A fruit loop. “You have to take it back. Or not unload it. I can’t repay you.”
“I’m not wanting you to repay me. It’s something you need.”
“I’ve been getting by just fine the past two weeks without it. I only work a mile away. Levi and I walk to and from work. I don’t need it.”
“What about when you need groceries?”
“I’ll get a cab, or my work has most things I need. I don’t need it.”
“So you’re just going to stay in this one-mile bubble? What happens when Levi starts school?”
“I hope to not be living here by the time Levi starts school.”
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you, Sparky? How about this? What happens if God forbid, Levi gets hurt. How are you going to get him to the hospital?”
“I’ll call an ambulance.”
“Sure, if you’ve got an hour to spare. Ambulances and cops don’t come to this part of town. You’d be better off hitching it to the hospital. Take the car.” He dropped the keys in my lap and stood up.
“How would you know how long it takes for an ambulance to get here?” Mitch did not look like the type of guy who had ever lived here. Sure, he looked a bit rough and menacing, but he had a polished way about him.
“I’ve been around. Now, can I finish unloading the car?”
“No.”
“Come on, Scarlett.”
“Why are you doing this? I know you said because you’re a decent human being, but why? What are you hoping to get out of this?” There had to be something. I knew absolutely nothing about cars, but I knew I could never afford this car. “What kind of car is this?”
“Whoa, calm down.” Mitch held his hands up laughing and walked back over to the controls of the bed.
“Mitch, do not put that car down without answering my questions first.” I sprung up from the curb and marched over to him.
“I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do and you need it. That’s it. I don’t want anything out of it other than knowing that you and Levi have a safe, reliable car to get you from point A to point B.”
Well, I guess that was an OK answer, but I still knew that I couldn’t take this car from him. “I’ll pay you fifty dollars every week.” That would really tighten up my budget and delay Levi and I getting out of this hell hole, but I didn’t see any other way around it.
“You don’t need to do that, Scarlett. This car is meant to help you get ahead, not get behind.”
“That’s it. You agree to that, or you can take this car right back to where you got it from.” I propped my hands up on my hips and waited. I was dead serious. If Mitch didn’t agree with me paying him, I wouldn’t touch this car.
“Fine. Pay me whatever you can whenever you can.”
I held my hand out for him to shake. “Every Friday, fifty bucks.”
He grabbed my hand and shook. “Fifty bucks, whenever you can pay it.”
I rolled my eyes at him but agreed. “Fine. Now, I need to get to work.”
“Let me unload your chariot, Sparky, and you can be on your way.” Mitch pulled a lever, and the bed started sliding backward and tilting down.
“Mama! The truck is moving.” Levi jumped down from the cab of the truck and raced over to Mitch. “Can I do it?” he pleaded.
Mitch looked at me, and I shrugged my shoulders. “As long as you guarantee he doesn’t get hurt.” A slow smile spread across Mitch’s lips, and he nodded his head. Levi jumped up and down, and Mitch showed him which levers to push and pull.
Within five minutes Mitc
h had the car unloaded and the bed of the truck back in place. “What kind of car is it?” Levi asked as he climbed over the front seats and into the back.
“2006 Toyota Avalon, bud.”
“It’s like a spaceship,” he oh’d and ah'd as climbed back over the front seats and pretended to drive the car.
“Oh, crap. I left his car seat in your truck.” Dammit. I hadn’t even realized it since I didn’t need it this past week.
“You did, but I remembered to bring it along.” Mitch grabbed the keys from my hand and popped the trunk. He pulled the seat out and quickly strapped it in. “You’re all good to go.”
“OK. Come on, Levi. Mama needs to get to work.”
“No, I want to stay with Mitch. I don’t want to go to work. It smells like dirty feet and Cheetos where I have to stay. Can’t Mitch watch me while you work?”
“No, he has his own job, Levi.”
“I can watch him,” Mitch said at the same time.
“Yes!” Levi shouted as he jumped out of the car.
“Hold on one second.” I clamped my hand down on his shoulder, holding him still. “Mitch has done enough for us. He doesn’t need to become your babysitter now.”
“It’s really not a big deal. Levi can hang out with me at the shop. He can meet Luke, Kurt, and Leelee. Violet and Frankie will be there later too.”
“Who’s Violet and Frankie?” Levi and I asked at the same time.
“Well, that was a little strange,” Mitch laughed. “Violet is Luke’s girlfriend and Frankie is my sister.”
“You named your sister Frank?” Levi asked.
“Well, I didn’t, my parents did, and they called her Francesca but she doesn’t really act like a Francesca. She’s more of a Frankie.”
“How old is she?” Levi put his hands on his hips ready to give Mitch the fifth degree about his sister.
“Fifteen, I think.”
“You don’t know how old your sister is? If I had a brother or sister, I would know how old they are, right Mama?” That was one thing Levi was right about. He was a wiz when it came to numbers and remembering random facts. If you tell him one time how old you were, he would remember forever. He amazed me by only being four.
“You’re right, big man, but you’re coming to work with me. I only have to work for four hours, and then you and I are chilling for the next day.”
“I really don’t mind watching him. Especially if you only have to work for four hours. He can have lunch and help me work on the ‘Vette.”
“Mitch, you don’t have to do this,” I whispered.
“You know what I’m going to say. If I didn’t want to watch him, I wouldn’t have offered.”
“Mama, pleeeaaassseee!” Levi clasped his hands together and fell to his knees on the grass, begging.
A huge smile spread across Mitch’s lips, and he knew that I was going to say yes. “Please, Mama?” he said winking at me.
I couldn’t say no. Partly because I needed to get to work and the other was Mitch winking at me completely threw me for a loop. “Fine. But, as soon as I get off work, I’ll be over to pick him up.”
“Whenever you get there we’ll be ready. Like I said, we’ll have some lunch, hang with the boys and Leelee and then work on the car.”
“Fine. I’ll be there a little after three.” I crouched down in front of Levi and put my hands on his shoulders. “Listen to Mitch and try not to get in the way, OK?” Levi nodded his head and threw his arms around me.
“I’ll be good, Mama. I promise,” he whispered in my ear.
I stood up and brushed my hands off on my jeans. “I’ll run and get his bag. I’ll make sure everything he needs is in there. He’s not allergic to anything, and as long as it’s edible, he’ll eat it.”
“Sounds easy enough. I was thinking of ordering pizza.”
“He’ll love that. I can’t remember the last time we ordered pizza.” Six months ago? A year ago? Money had been tight for too long that I couldn’t remember anymore.
I sprinted to the door but turned around. “You know you’re going to have to take the seat out of my car and put it in the car hauler, right?”
Mitch waved his hand and opened the back door of the car. I dashed up the stairs, stabbing the key in the lock and quickly gathered all of Levi’s toys he had scattered around his room and shoved them into his bag. I grabbed the lunch I had packed for him and stuck it in the fridge figuring there was no point in wasting food. He could eat it tomorrow.
By the time I made it back down to the truck Mitch had the car seat, and Levi strapped in, and the truck was idling. I climbed up and leaned into the backseat to see Levi with a big smile on his face and bouncing in his seat cheering for Mitch to drive.
“I love you, big man,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He promised he loved me too, but in the next breath shooed me out of the truck. I slammed the passenger door shut after I managed to climb down and walked over to Mitch, who was standing by the driver’s door.
“See ya around three, Sparky.”
I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous nickname and stepped back as he opened the door. “Hey,” I said, grabbing his arm before he climbed up. “He’s all I have Mitch.” My words were heavy, but he knew what I meant.
“Nothing will happen to him, Scarlett.”
“Promise me. You’re taking my whole life with you for the next four hours.”
“I promise that no hair on his head will be out of place, and I promise to return him to you with a belly full of pizza.”
I couldn’t ask for more. I had only known Mitch for a little bit, but I strangely felt at ease leaving him with Mitch. “I’ll call in a little bit to see how he’s doing.”
“Call all you want, Sparky. I’ll answer.” He winked at me and then climbed into the truck and shut the door. He rolled down the window and leaned out. “Don’t worry, Scarlett.” He shifted the massive truck into drive, pulled away from the curb and managed to turn the truck around all while Mitch had a huge grin on his face and I could hear Levi laughing and shouting. Mitch waved to me when they drove by, and I managed to give a lame wave, then they were gone.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys to my new car. I had a new car. Holy hell. This was not at all how I had pictured the day going. Levi spending the day with Mitch and I was driving my awesome new car to work.
I opened the door to the car, tossed my purse into the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel. My hands caressed the steering wheel, and I couldn’t help but squeal as I realized this was my car. As I turned the key, the motor purred to life and didn’t rev out of control like my last car. I was in absolute heaven just sitting here.
Things were changing. Slowly but surely I was starting to see the end of a long, shitty tunnel I had been traveling down the past five years. It was time to reach the end of that damn tunnel and claim the life that Levi and I both deserved.
But first, I had to go to work.
____________
Chapter 7
Mitch
“It’s about fucking time your ass got back here,” Kurt called as I walked into the front office with Levi following close behind. He had been talking nonstop the whole ride here, but now that we were out of the truck he had clammed up and was sticking to me like glue.
“Knock the swearing off,” I growled. Levi held onto my leg and peeked to look at Kurt.
“Holy shit, that’s a kid,” Kurt cursed and jumped up from his stool behind the counter.
“His name is Levi and the next time you swear I knock your head off.”
Kurt looked at Levi and me, confused as hell. “You left here to drop off a car and come back with a kid. I have to say you got the short end of the stick on that one.”
“His mom is the one I dropped the car off to. She had to run to work, and I offered to watch Levi for her.” Levi gripped my leg even tighter, and I knew Kurt was making him feel uncomfortable. “Say hi to
Levi and then order pizza for lunch.”
Kurt nodded his head, finally realizing he was scaring the kid. “What’s up, little dude? I’m Kurt. The younger and more attractive brother.”
Levi giggled but didn’t let go of my leg. “Order pizza, get your head out of your a- butt, and I’m going to show Levi the shop.”
Kurt pulled out his cell phone as Levi and I walked into the shop and saw Leelee working on Luke’s smashed up car. “Whoa, what happened to that car?”
Leelee looked up at Levi’s words and leaned back from the car. “Hey.”
“Levi, this is Leelee. She helps fix all the cars.”
Leelee walked over to us and kneeled in front of Levi. “Your mama is Scarlett, right, buddy?” Thank God someone listened around here. I had told both Kurt and Leelee about Scarlett and Levi, but it seemed that only Leelee remembered. Levi nodded his head. “You wanna see what I’m doing to the car? I need to get all of the smashed up parts off so Luke knows what new ones he needs to order.”
“You know how to work on cars? You’re like, a girl.”
A huge smile spread across Leelee’s lips, and she threw her head back, laughing. “I most definitely am a girl, but I know more about cars than any of these guys.”
“Really, even Mitch?”
“Well, maybe not Mitch and Luke, but definitely Kurt.”
“My mama doesn’t know anything about cars.” I snorted at Levi’s randomness and his outing of his mom.
“That’s OK. I bet she knows lots of stuff I don’t know. You wanna come see the car?” She stood up, holding her hand out to Levi.
He looked up at me, unsure. “I’ll be right here, bud.”
“How about Mitch comes over and looks with us. You and I can take the parts off, and Mitch can make the list for Luke. Deal?”
“I get to work on a car?” He asked, awed.
“Sure do. Besides, it’s Luke’s car. He won’t care if you break something,” Leelee winked. Levi grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the car.
“Don’t forget a pen, Mitch,” Levi called over his shoulder.
PowerShift: Skid Row Kings Series, #2 Page 4
