When the two men pulled into the parking lot of the garage, the people standing at the door of the place turned around and watched them. Casey didn’t attract the attention that Esau and his loud custom chopper did, which was just as well.
“Sorry I’m late,” Casey said to the two people at the door, unlocking the garage first so that Esau could pull in and get out of the sunlight. “Ferry was running a little late.”
The two muttered “It’s all right”‘s and then Casey unlocked the door proper. He bent and scooped up the three envelopes holding keys and notes on new cars dropped off in the parking lot. He switched on the main power in the garage, and all the lights, the computers, the bays, and, most importantly, the loaded CD player popped on. The morning song was always “Mama Kin” by Aerosmith and would pump through the garage. After that, it was on shuffle. Thankfully Sophia, his new upstairs neighbor, didn’t have an issue with his choice of music: a collection of classic rock from the ’60’s through the ’80’s with a few bits of guilty pleasures of ’70’s psychadelic, ’80’s pop and assorted waltzes.
“You got the call yesterday. Sorry we closed early.” He took their keys down from the wall. “Alarm and locks are all set if you want to go test them out.”
The female of the pair went to the doorway and pressed the buttons a few times. The male was already pulling out his wallet and handing him the Visa card. “It’s $125,” Casey said glancing at the computer.
“That’s it?”
Casey turned from him and hung up his jacket on the wall, making sure his colors were prominently displayed. “That’s it.”
“Wow, you’re cheaper than the DeRienzo’s down the street.”
“Spread it around, if you would,” Casey said with a smile, and handed him a few newly-made business cards. “We just got these in on Saturday.” It had both Dono’s and his name on it, and the phone number went to the cell that Casey now plucked from the charger as he ran the Visa card through. The woman came back satisfied, and Casey finished the paperwork. “Any problems in 10 days, bring it back and I’ll look it over again.”
“Great, thanks.”
As soon as they left, Casey sat down at the computer to enter the information on the three envelopes. He knew how to type – not very fast, but he was a good touch typist. It helped that he had consumed the brain of an RIP detective upon disembarking in the Isles.
Esau squeezed through the doorway from the garage to the office. “Do you think you will be needing me?”
“Oh, if you have someplace to go, Esau…”
“I do not.”
“I don’t need you, but I’d like you to stay.” He smiled up at Esau. “I can teach you how to fix cars.”
He only grunted. Casey smiled to himself and finished printing out the work orders. He knew that was Esau’s version of “Whatever.”
Casey checked the phone, got a clarification on one of the orders from a voice mail, re-did that work order, and then went in the back to finish up the car he had started working on yesterday.
Two cars later – he never counted hours – and as he was explaining to a patient Esau what the catalytic converter did, the door buzzer went off. Casey and Esau both craned their heads out from the pit under the middle of a Toyota Celica to see a white-haired man in a fancy suit looking impatiently around.
Casey wiped his hands on a rag and headed to the office. “Yes, sir, how can I help you?”
“I’m here to pick up the A5.”
“Oh, yes, the Audi. We had a little trouble getting the brand radiator like you requested, but the one we found is perfectly good and guaranteed for a year.”
The man frowned. “I do not want aftermarket parts in my vehicle.”
“We got it from an 2007 A5. It’s still the same as your 2009.”
“Junkyard parts?” he huffed.
“Sir, we are guaranteeing it for a year. The junkyard doesn’t even do that.”
“How much is it?”
“Let me get it…” Casey called it up and printed it out.
The man’s eyes went wide.
Casey began, “I want to show you what was inv–”
“$583?! This is robbery!”
“No, this is how much the Audi parts cost. I charged the minimum labor, even though it really took me four hours to do, bleeding the lines and –”
“I can’t afford this!”
Casey eyed him. “Please just look this over,” he said, and grabbed a set of keys from the wall. He went to the door between the garage and the office. “Hey!” he called, and Esau came out from under the pit. Casey tossed the keys to Esau and made an additional motion with his arms. “Can you go get the blue Cavalier out there?”
Esau caught the keys, and smirked at the motion Casey made. “Yeah,” he said, and walked out of the garage.
Directly behind Casey was a clear window so that people could see beyond the office and into the garage itself. Right now, they were working on the Celica which was off to the side in the second bay. The man continued to protest, “I can’t afford this. I can only afford $300.”
“Well, I suppose we could take payments, but I’d have to clear it with my boss first.”
“You do that,” the man said, and folded his arms, looking past Casey into the garage beyond to see…
Esau came walking back in, carrying the Cavalier in his arms as if it was on a forklift.
Casey made a great show of calling some mysterious number on the cell, keeping the man’s expression of shock and awe in his peripheral vision. Esau called, “Where do you want it?”
“Bay one, please,” Casey said, not looking up and trying hard not to laugh at the man. Esau turned and gently placed the vehicle on the rails. He got up, having not even broken a sweat, and headed to the rear of the garage.
The man said, “Did he…did he…?”
Casey looked up and behind him. “Oh, oh, yes, he did.” Casey smiled at the man. “He’s also our debt collector.”
The man yanked out his wallet. “Do you take American Express?”
Words: 1067
Comment: Again, awaiting approval from Esau’s player. The muse handed me this scene on the way to work and I honestly laughed out loud.
By the way, the muse is very loud today. There’s more to come.