He loved her hands. They were strong and capable, yet gentle and loving too. She was a great nurse; she knew her stuff and remained calm in the middle of a storm. At a touch, her hands could soothe and calm him.
“Perhaps it is time I step up to the plate and stop sitting on the sidelines. I’m ready to get into the game, coach.” She grinned that big grin of hers, the one he loved so much.
He laughed, reached over, and pulled her into his lap. She laughed and wrapped her slender arms around his neck. She nuzzled him on his neck and he stood, holding her in his arms.
“I think I might be a little late to work this morning, woman; you’ve convinced me that I need to delay.” And he carried her into the bedroom, her giggles filling his head and his heart.
He headed to work some time later with a wide smile on his face. As the day progressed, his mind was occupied with thoughts of POSEIDON. He wasn’t even sure why it bothered him so much. The U.S. was always getting threatened with nuclear bombs, but this weapon…. It was for a specific purpose, small, and virtually undetectable.
Why was Russia so hellbent on destroying America? Jealousy? He knew it wasn’t fear, since Russia had the same capabilities as the U.S. Mutually assured annihilation.
He lowered the Toyota Corolla from the lift and wiped the excess grease from his hands. He’d done an oil change and a brake check. Mrs. Alan was the last customer of the day. He walked into the small waiting room and smiled at the elderly woman. She’d been coming to him for years, and he liked that aspect of his job the most.
He had had most of his customers since he’d first opened his doors. They were a faithful lot. Mrs. Alan always tipped him a dollar, and he would thank her kindly and help her into her car. He patted her veined old hand and smiled kindly.
He liked being a mechanic. He’d always preferred working with his hands to sitting behind a desk. It gave him more freedom and was never boring. There was always a puzzle to figure out. He had Mary Beth, a sixty-year-old widow to do the books and keep the register and appointments. She lived with her son and his family, four grandsons, all busy to the last man. “If I don’t get out of that house, I’m afraid I just might kill my son. I love him, but those kids are a rowdy bunch and get on my last nerve. Besides, he doesn’t let me smoke in the house.”
Mary Beth smoked like a chimney, and Sayer let her smoke to her heart’s content; but not in the customer lounge. She didn’t mind. She kept the office door open to the outside to let the smoke escape. The office smelled of smoke and had yellowed from the nicotine.
Over the years he’d had kids from the high school come, the ones who wanted to get a jump on a trade and gain some experience. He’d had a few girls in as well; they had smaller hands and did better with the finer aspects of mechanisms. At the moment he only had one senior from the local high school, Jerry Orbison, coming in a couple times a week to learn the trade. The kid was all thumbs but had a good heart and tried hard.
Sayer owned the shop and had a longstanding reputation as a great mechanic. So, he was choosy about his customers. There were a lot of deadbeats, promising payments. He’d had a few over the years, and over time had learned who was good on their word and who was not. Sometimes, the repairs were costly. He’d let some customers pay over several months. Not all, however, and he liked that he had the flexibility to turn them away.
That was how he’d met Joy. She’d come in with her old Ford truck needing some work. She’d said the other shops wanted an outrageous amount to fix a few problems. He took a look and saw there were quite a few problems, but knew they wouldn’t cost a king’s ransom to fix.
“Many of the problems are just wear and tear, and I can fix them,” he’d said. “Some issues will be a bit more expensive, but we can do those over time so it won’t cost you as much in the long run. For now, we’ll get her running smooth.”
She’d smiled that big gap-toothed smile and won his heart. He’d smiled back at her and saw a light go on. Her rich brown eyes had sparkled. It was almost like love at first sight. Her skin was a rich mahogany, she wore her hair in a short natural afro, and she had a slender build. She had expressive arched brows that seemed to communicate in a language all their own.
He smiled absently and went about closing up the workshop. Perhaps he would take her out to dinner and a movie. It had been a long time since they’d had a date night.
Harley Burk sat in the kitchen of his home in Rowland, NC. He looked out of the bay window of the kitchen to the pastures beyond. The two milk cows were over in the far field. His wife, Christy and their twin sons, Jackson and Jacob – now seven – cared for the two cows, thirty chickens, six rabbits, and three dogs. They had quite the menagerie.
Harley traveled a lot. He was a food broker and spent a lot of time going to different locals throughout North Carolina, introducing new product lines to stores. He also met with manufacturers. He had a whole room dedicated to his samples. He chuckled. Christy had threatened his life with all the clutter in the house.
They had twelve acres of partial woods and pasture, and farms surrounded them. He’d been a city boy and married a country girl. This house had been in her family and they’d decided to raise their family here. Though Harley traveled a lot, here was where his heart was.
He knew the world out there was rough. He’d spent three years in the Army when he was younger, just out of high school. He’d gone to Afghanistan and had been glad to get out of there with his skin intact. When his tour was up, he’d left the Army, knowing it wasn’t the life for him.
He worried for his family when he was away. He had to travel a lot, and watching the news made him trepidatious about leaving them for long stretches of time. But there was nothing for it. He had to earn a living. He’d tried jobs closer to home, but they didn’t pay as well. He knew Christy held the home and farm together; she always had. They missed him, but they also functioned well without him.
He shook his head. He didn’t know why he was thinking gloomy thoughts. He should stop watching the news. It was so depressing these days, about things he had no control over. Being in the Army had taught him that there were always threats, both over there and here at home. You just did the best you could.
He sipped his coffee. The twins were out in the fields running off energy. With school out, they were a big help to Christy. The boys had already milked the cows and fed the animals. The dogs, large gangly German Shepherds, were out chasing the boys. Christy raised puppies on the side, selling them for a handsome profit. The puppies were always well-loved by the boys, and by the time they went to new homes were very acclimated to busy children.
He was glad she had them here for protection too. They were sweet, goofy dogs, but they had a purpose too.
Christy came into the kitchen in her pink fuzzy robe and sat beside him, grabbing his coffee as she did so. He put his arm around her and kissed her soft blonde head.
“How long you gonna be gone this time?” she asked, sipping the hot brew.
“Only four days. Just heading over to Raleigh. You want anything while I’m there?”
“No, honey. Just come home safe.” She smiled, leaned over, and kissed his cheek.
His eyes crinkled in a smile. “The boys are out and playing. Wanna go fool around?” he asked hopefully.
She sniggered and got up, taking his hand. Pulling, she led him to their bedroom. With one hand, Harley began to tug at his bright red tie while he kicked off his shoes. Christy looked back at him, grinned widely, and jerked him the last stretch into their bedroom and slammed the door. All thoughts of the Army and bad news fled.