Early Friday morning in mid-July, a group of Puzzle Exchange volunteers are gathering at the ¡Jugamos! toy store for a field trip. Your destination today is an auto repair shop called Tireless Mechanics, located on the north side of town across the river. You have brought coffees and teas for everyone from Cafe Frances, along with chocolate croissants from the French bakery. Even with the extra stops, you are the first to arrive. As you sit on the front stoop of the toy store, the sun casting a glow over the town, you sneak a bite of croissant. The buttery chocolate melts in your mouth, and you take a slow and savoring breath.
The Jessicas show up a moment later, with their usual clipboards in hand.
“Good morning, You!” they say in unison. “Is all of that for us?”
You say, “Yes! I thought we might need sustenance for our journey.”
The first Jessica says, “That’s true. It might take us ten whole minutes to walk there.”
The second Jessica says, “Is this a latte I see before me?”
You say, “Sure is. I hope I got it right.”
She picks up the drink, studies the scribbles on the side of the cup, and says, “You got it exactly right. Thank you so much.” Jessica takes a sip, and says, “Oh, that’s perfect.”
As the others arrive, you distribute drinks and croissants to all. They stand in a circle around the entrance of the toy shop, chatting quietly and enjoying the breakfast you have brought for everyone. There are numerous mumbled “thank yous” through bites of food.
The group shuffles into motion, crossing the river on the College Avenue Bridge, and you marvel once again at the Greenhouses perched atop most of the buildings on the north side. Kerri, another volunteer from the Puzzle Exchange, catches your eye and says, “Aren’t they great?”
You say, “Yes. I haven’t been up to visit them yet, but I’d really like to see.”
Kerri says, “Well, you’re in luck. I work for the Land Trust, and I organize tours. Let’s wait until the weather cools down a little bit, and then we can find a time to get you up there.”
You say, “Thank you! I’d really appreciate that.”
She says, “You’re welcome. I’m so excited about what we’ve built here. Every time I see our veggies at the grocery store, I feel proud of this town all over again.”
As promised, the walk to Tireless Mechanics takes about ten minutes. One of the mechanics, a younger woman, is waiting outside the service bays for your group. She is bouncing on her feet as you approach, and gives each of the Jessicas a quick hug.
“Good morning!” she says. “My name is Jacey, and I’ve gotta be honest… I’m a little puzzled about why you’re here today.”
Kerri leans over to you and whispers, “Jacey and I play rec softball together. It’s just dad jokes all the time. Brace yourself.”
Jacey continues, “Today we’re doing a car clinic together. Everyone will get to practice changing a tire, and we will show you how to do things like replacing your wiper blades. I promise you, we’re gonna have a wheel good time together.”
Someone in the back groans softly.
Jacey leads everyone through the waiting area, which has a lending library of car repair tools and manuals. She says, “Here at Tireless Mechanics, we service all of the cars in the Jubilee Station car share program. In fact, we service every make and model car that’s out there. We even work on cars that are made for eggs… you know them as Yolkswagens.”
At the far end of the shop, there are two cars sitting in bays with their hoods open. The cars both have the Jubilee Station Car Share logo on them. Jacey says, “These cars are here for their state inspections. We heard that one of them has been humming a little bit, so we need to check that out. But I think it’s just humming because it can’t remember the lyrics.”
You hang back from the group, taking a moment to enjoy the hum of the shop. You hear torque wrenches and the hiss of their air compressors. You watch as the Puzzle Exchange volunteers gather around one of the cars, grinning broadly at Jacey’s dad-joke energy despite themselves, and you take a deep breath.
Jacey looks over your way and calls out, “Pardon me, You? Are you good at math?”
You say, “Yes, I’m all right at it.”
She asks, “Then maybe you can tell me… what did the zero say to the eight?”
You say, “I’m not sure.”
Jacey answers, “Nice belt! Speaking of, this is the serpentine belt, and here’s how it works….”
Two hours later, everyone’s hands are properly dirty, and the group has cheered each other through changing tires and adjusting brakes. Jacey disappears into the back office, and comes back with a bouquet of flowers in her greasy hands.
She announces, “You all did so great, I wanted to give each of you something from the Greenhouses. It’s a mechanic’s favorite flower… the car-nation.” She hands one to you, and you turn it in your grubby fingers, admiring the brilliant white color. You hold the flower to your nose, its scent strong and sweet, and breathe deeply.
One of the Jessicas says, “Jacey, this was wonderful. You’re the best.”
Jacey says, “Oh, it’s nothing. But I’m glad we’re together right now, because this is a special day for me. It’s actually my 5-gear anniversary at the shop. I didn’t want to talk about it, though, because I was afraid I’d have… a breakdown.”
The other Jessica says, “You just never run out of those, do you?”
Jacey shakes her head and says, “Nope. But if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go have my lunch. I brought it special from home. It’s… car-patch-io.”
The group laughs good-naturedly, and waves farewell to Jacey at the garage door.
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