2022-01-07 - Welcome To My Life

From down the street a low growling of a sexy motor can be heard, growing ever closer as a Maserati creeps towards Jack's shop. Erin is behind the wheel, perhaps now a veritable stranger to the owner, but there she is anyway, pulling into a parking spot, the nearest available slot.

After cutting off the ignition she remains sitting there behind the wheel contemplating getting out. There's a quick glance down over her clothing, not her usual scrubs, but more her casual attire. An oversized sweater, soft and touchable, in a neutral off white color worn over beige colored chinos. A quick twist of her lips. Not very fashion forward like her old self. After a glance towards the open garage door she reaches for the handle of her car door and with a deep bracing breath, she pulls it, swinging open the door before climbing out. A quick pep talk, mentally, and she closes her door, tries out a neutral expression (and fails) then walks with a confidence she is far from feeling towards the garage.

Jack was there, it was his place, sometimes busy, sometimes not. A while back it got really busy, he was absorbed in his work apparently. There he is under a 78 Ford Lariat, the body needs work but that's always his last project when its his own. Engine and underwork first, a solid base before he pretties it up. White shirt, blue jeans, some work books to protect toes. Just sound shops, not always air impact, he'll use regular tools on special projects. Treat the cars nice not with force. But he may know the sound, or a variant of it. As she walks towards the garage, she'll see him hip against a counter, back hunched a little. A good rag in his hand to clean grease off it, but his eyes turn up. Following chinos to sweater to her eyes. "Hey stranger," he greats in a nonchalant jack fashion. Calm and collected. Almost as if expected, even though her walking into his garage is not expected at all. Just his stoic manner, playing right along with whatever rolls his way.

Indeed, there he was. Jeans and white shirt, despite working in a garage and around grease. Stopping just inside the large door, Erin regards him a moment, uncertain of her welcome. As his eyes lift, dark eyes meet his and a tentative smile is offered. "Not so strange," she laughs off her stupid remark. "Or maybe I am, who knows?" Another couple of steps in and she's debating how to proceed. Small talk just didn't seem fitting so instead, she motions to her car in the distance. "Just came to see about scheduling a tune up. Oil change and all that. I realized it's been a little while." Business was always a safe topic. "Will you have time soon for it?"

His eyes stay to hers but look to her lips at the laugh, or maybe the not so strange parts. "You're always a welcome site around these parts," he says giving a nod in agreement even. Then he's look off towards where she gestures to her car. "I can make some time for you Erin. You got anywhere to be now, or want me to give her a look?" He pushes off the counter, drop the rag to clean his hands. They're good, maybe a smudge near his cheek. Maybe on his jeans, yet his shirt is entirely clean. He doesn't move fast in the garage, like a dance, careful and meticulous. He move towards the garage bay opening but not too much near or out, just to let her decide. Though he turns back to look at her, "Good to see you around here, been awhile."

The fresh, crisp, brisk air should be cold, but the way Jack looked at her, or maybe it was that welcome he offered, warmed her from the inside out. "I appreciate it, Jack," her voice is soft, the more tentative quality back in her tone. "I don't have anywhere to be. School has slowed, work isn't so much. I don't feel like I am drowning any longer in between the two." Her keys are in her hand and she holds them out in her palm, hand up and opened when he approaches. Eyes drop briefly to the smudge of grease on his cheek then his hands. Perhaps she misinterprets, but she offers, "It's good to see you too, Jack. It's been far too long."

His eyes turn between her hip or something behind her and her eyes, he stands closer to the open cold out there, her even. Jack nods at her appreciation of the welcome, finding her eyes again. "That so," he asks about no where to be. "Seems that way around here too, not drowning in work." Even time for personal car projects again, his favorite thing to do when not taking car of others cars. He reaches over to grab keys, palm down, but fingers wrap a little more around her hand than just the keys. A little hint of grin, the sort he gives to no one else but shows up sometimes around her. "Then don't," be away so long, but he amends, "Be a stranger. Whey don't you bring her in, I'll brew us some coffee?" That seems like more than a car check up, like stay and catch up a little if she likes.

Lips quirk at his signature comment, "Yeah.." Erin's lips tilt up further. "That's so." Tearing her gaze away from him, she looks towards the garage bays, perhaps the empty one if that's what he is alluding to. He has the keys though.. or grabs them but doesn't take them. There's a look to their hands before she peers back up at him, heading for his eyes but stopping at his lips when he gives that elusive hint of a grin. Finally, she lifts her eyes to his. "I won't be away so long." She takes the keys, fingers brushing his as she does, "Coffee sounds good and if you've got some coveralls, you can show me what all you're doing on the car," remembering the times they had worked on the truck together.

A slow "Yeah", from Jack. His eyes watch her as her gaze tares away towards the garage bay. There is an empty one indeed she can pull right into. A humph that is maybe a chuckle at her words, letting her eyes find his easy. "Good, looking forward to it." her not being gone long that is as she takes the keys. "Always an pair around somewhere, we'll keep you clean." She's welcome to work together is implied, "You can do your oil after this, I'll keep some to myself, keep you coming back." Some of the work he does, maybe belt changes or filters and such as needed. Walking a couple steps backwards, he'll turn about the time she does maybe, to go make some coffee.

Erin watches him too until she turns, then as she looks back over her shoulder, she notices him turn too, but she has to look, because jeans and white shirt look so good on him. Biting her lip, she heads for her car and opens the door, slipping back inside the still warm interior. A few deep breaths before she pushes the button on the fob, starting the car. (Belatedly realized it wouldn't be an actual key likely - sorry!) Putting it in gear, she pulls in slow, letting him guide her if he would like, so she can straddle the center part and not get her undercarriage caught on it or anything. As soon as she's in the bay and secure there, she turns off the car again and climbs back out, placing the keys on a table near him and his coffee pot. "You will have to show me how it's done. Like you showed me how to bake the Christmas cookies." Of course that was forever ago.

As she gets in to start and move the car, Jack does move over to pour some water into a pot, some grounds in a filter to start an old pot. More on the office side, not on the cleaner ceramic tiles of the garage itself. Priorities. As its percolating, he's there to guide her in, they move closer to the pot, some counter between both garage and office most likely. "I just follow the instructions." Modest, or honest, one of the two. Like cars are logical to him to fix, remove nuts x, y, z, remove part, check it at points 1, 2, 3, etc. Its more than that, but a logic to Jack just the same maybe. "Got them coveralls, you look cozy, but you're right, coveralls would be better." Protect the clothes, hers looks cozy but maybe worth a bit more than his t and jeans. "You can put it on in the office if you like, I can get the tools read." That and he moves to first hook up the equipment, no need to pull out sticks and check levels with computers these days, he'll hook it up and probably be to lifting the lift by the time she's ready to start doing the oil change and tune up itself. He's buy the hydrolics and has moved over his personal red tool cart near her car. Watching it go with one hand operating the lift, ready for a cup of joe maybe.

Once she's out and near him again, Erin does reach for the coveralls. Since they cover her current clothing to protect it, she just slides them on over what she is wearing. Once she's all zipped in, she turns to him, watching the way he prepares his tools, gets her car lifted, the routine of it for him. "You like your job, I think, as much as I like mine." An observation and opinion, of course, but it's something she assumes. The coffee is done and while he finishes getting things ready, she reaches for a couple of the stained mugs to pour them both some, preparing both like each likes it. Of course she remembers. When she's finished, she carries them both over, offering him one of them. "You realizes you will have to walk me through this all over again?"

Jack looks her way when she comes over, reaching for his cup. Like he may have done plenty of times before, and its the way he likes it. Routine, an old one lost some time ago, but familiar. Her ways of quietly being kind to him. "Yeah, its more a way of life, its a bonus I get paid for this stuff." He lifts the cup up towards her car where its lifted, then takes a little sip from the hot liquid. The sort where its too hot but just to get a little wake up one takes a tiny sip anyways. "You know me," he comments after the taste, then setting it down to cool off just a little. "I don't mind taking it slow with you," he says, a slight eye roll himself, was that him being straight forward, or a stoic tease/flirt from Jack even, in a way he does with only those that know him. A down look from his head, which generally has a tilt of sorts, eyes looking up from the lean of him towards her. The pause is enough to affirm that suspicion perhaps before he says, "Come over here, get a (correct measure in fraction inches) socket, we can start draining your oil." A tease, but keeping on track for the task too.

The routine of it was comforting, the familiarity maybe. The mornings when she had done just that, but at her home or his. Or when he'd been the one bringing the coffee and some breakfast he had made. The moment isn't lost on her and the memories are pronounced in her dark eyes as she lifts her mug for a sip. Lowering the mug, she also lowers her eyes to place her mug down beside his for the moment. Lifting them again at his words, she catches the eye roll and smiles at him for it. Then he gives her that look and her breath catches, which just has her speaking without thinking. "Such a flirt, Jack. You also make me realize how much I've missed being around you." His business mode though, the mention of the socket, has her reaching for the proper one. That wasn't difficult with it printed there on the socket. Once it's in hand, she offers it over to him. "The oil pan and plug right? Drain it then remove the filter?" Seeing if she remembered things correctly.

"Yep, wanna grab the pan over there," he indicates with the socket wrench he has in hand that she handed over. Jack likes older stuff, its a classic metal oil pan with concentric like rings on the bottom as it gets dipper in the middle, letting oil pool there first. Its banged up like old thick metal trash can lids that no one has these days as they're all aluminum or plastic these days. "Drain then filter yeah you're spot on." He'll get on that oil pan bolt to check it to loosen it, see if she finds the pan to bring on over. No comment about missing him or not it seems. At least not until their under the car and working, waiting for them to progress together, seeing how much clicks for her to work along with him versus the refresher course. Then out of the blue when oil is smoothly falling from the under tray in the carriage, "Only when I know someone, not out of the blue." His seldom flirts that she at least recognized. "Miss you around too, maybe we can fix that part." Being around that is.

The pan.. it takes a few moments before Erin identifies it, but she finally does. Without wearing gloves may be weird for her, but she doesn't look like she minds getting her hands dirty. Hefting the pan, heavy because it's one of the old, sturdy ones, she lugs it over to place as centered as she can beneath the screw that is the plug of the oil pan. There's a moment where she looks proud of herself and her accomplishment before she looking up at the said plug, to watch him loosen it so the oil can drain. As the oil is running out, she steps back slightly, mostly just a reactive thing, she hears his comment and can't help but to smile towards him. "I know," she agrees softly. Just random flirting wasn't something he usually did. The offer surprises her and she can't keep that look from her features. "Yeah?" Pleased, of course, she smiles. "I would like that Jack. A lot."

With a torn look between her and the pan, Jack is giving her his attention while still monitoring the process at hand. They can talk and get it down as they move one. He'll reach his hand up into the guts to unscrew the oil filter as well, maybe a big orange canister. But a little shove with his foot, just in case oil hasn't drained enough and comes out the second opening once that filter is loose to be removed. "Good," when she agrees, as if settled there. "I'd like to know what you've been up to." The filter comes the rest of the way off, "You want to put the new one on?" Just a little ask while they work, he can take care of the dirty one, toss it where it needs to go for recycling and all. "I got a good chassis to go with the engine on that stock car, but got to busy to finish. Its in the yard," he head thrusts there. They had one before, but he pulled the engine to get a more sound chassis under the good engine before reworking the frame it sounds like. No telling what state its in, just he shares she may recall the idea of a stock car from before.

Erin could never get tired of watching him work, the slow methodical way he did things, confident in his own abilities. Even without glimmer! There's admiration in her eyes and she doesn't realize for a moment he's talking to her. "OH! Yes, sure, I can do that." She reaches for the new filter and slips it into place, trying to line it up correctly before slipping it fully in and putting the cap back in places as Jack had shown her. Him mentioning the car has her looking his way, hands down at her side for the moment. "Oh you did? I guess you did get busy also. I've just been working at the hospital mostly. That and class. I'm almost finished with the school part, thank GOD. And it's paid off mostly too. So I'm keeping my head above water." With things in place, she tightens the bolt down from the oil pan then faces him again with a smile. "Am I still able to ride with you on her maiden voyage?" His stock car, she means.

They keep working on the oil change, to finish that and do more tuneup. When he's letting oil go to drain, or watching her, he has one or two hands up on the chassis and other parts to lean a little on them. Instead of the car mostly, his eyes are watching how she works and moves under the car. From putting the filter in place to hands at her sides. Coveralls, sweater underneath, and his eyes still find her, watching her movements with interest. His head give affirmation, a nod, to her getting school more down and making her own way in the world with the work and all. "Proud of you," he admits freely, few words but honest as he always is when being to the point, as he always is the same. "If I get to her again and finish her up, you'll be the first one I let know." He offers, then pauses, "Like most of 'em, A good car is worth the wait, always get back to finish what was started." Maybe double meaning in that. "Not sure how we fell out of touch, but glad you came back around." Not to push blame away or suggest one is at fault or another, "Maybe I won't get to her fast, so I can focus on other things more important." Like life and living it a little.

Much like him, Erin moves with deliberate and slow, methodical movements, the hands of a nurse, used to mending and fixing things, not cars but bodies. Indeed, she is now making her own way, no help from her family any longer and very little, if any contact. His comment surprises her though. "Thank you," she says simply. Lifting her eyes to his, trailing along that casual movement of his where he rests so easily beneath, she can't look away. Especially at the words he so rarely gives, more insight into himself, ceding things she never imagined coming from him. "I didn't know. Usually we're both so closed off, I didn't know. I don't want to stay out of touch any more, Jack. And if it means coming over and helping you work on your car in my off time, then that's what I will do. I will make more effort."

He'll let go the chassis as things are in place, grabbing the oil pan to move it out from under the car. The rest can be done with hood up, he stands and walks to a nearby counter, can take care of it later, add it to the recycle barrel. He turns to her, listening to her take on things as well. More effort. A finger lifts to a belt loop on the coveralls, he pulls her closer, "Then, lets make some effort." Active role, less his stoic self maybe. "I missed you girl." Somber, true, deep. He pulls her near and offers a hug, his other hand going around to hold her close, and tight. "We wandered off, lets wander back." No other questions about who was where. Its a deep hug, before he finally releases, the arm around her, the one at the loop, that finger, stays latched at a belt loop, but to pull her out from under the car. Still focused on tune up a little, but close to her, closer at least.

The way he moved just drew her eye and Erin doesn't look away when he moves away to take the oil pan containing the spent oil and put it away. Nor when he reaches for her and tugs her closer. For a moment, time is suspended as she is uncertain what he will do, but surprise flickers in her eyes just before his arms wrap around her. Leaning into the embrace, there's no hesitation on her part, eyes close and she just breathes in the scent of him, resting her head somewhere near his shoulder, or tucked just beneath his chin, holding him back. Likewise, it's a solid hug, tight, even if briefly, before he's releasing her and she doesn't cling. Even so, it takes her a moment to open her eyes and trace a hand down his arm to touch the hand that still holds her clothing. "I missed you too. I don't want to miss you anymore."

Everything felt good in that, the sense of her, the feel, she smell. Hard to let go, but the hand lingers and she rewards with a touch to his hand too. "Sounds like agreement," returns Jack to her words. Obvious agreement statement not that he needed to say it. They stand not far from the controls as he moves away from under, taking her with him. But he doesn't finish the functional move of both as well to the safe area. Instead he stands and looks into her eyes on the heels of their words of missing each other. "Whatever plans you had after this, break 'em." Just that, he is straight shooting, "We should take my truck, go look down at the waters at the beach. Grab a thermos and a blanket, get caught up?" An offer, not lets go back to our places and do more. There is plenty of road in/around Two if by Sea to find their own spot to watch the surf along the rocky beaches below.

"Agreement," Erin murmurs easily, obvious or not, she wanted it to be clear. When he tugs her with him, she goes, and tilts her head back the marginal distance it took to meet his eyes. The 'order' brings a lopsided smile, "Consider it done, I'd like nothing better than to go with you." Wherever it is he suggests, she's game for, her tone seems to tell him. "I have my coat in the car, and I imagine you have plenty of blankets and the thermos. We've got the coffee made so whenever you're ready, we can go."

"I do, lets wrap up in here, give me 30 to close down." Jack wants to go, but the shop had to be in order. She can get her coat, make sure cars locked up, assure its closed in the garage. He still has his regular ford tuck, a few years earlier than the lariat he's working on now in the garage. He does have blankets and thermos, and they can get the coffee poured in. Maybe she does while he gets all tools and shop material where it needs to go. "Come on, lets blow this joint," he offers over to her when ready to hop into his truck and get out of dodge so to speak.