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Chapter Forty
Kean had never felt this way before. Being the center of attention from two old guys, who… made him laugh, made him feel safe, and best of all, made him feel worthy, boggled his mind. He didn’t know how to behave. And was scared he’d step out of line.
He circled a car that stood off to the side; the paintwork was eye-catching due to its bright colors and Polynesian scenes. Waves of frothy turquoise water flowed up to a shoreline where palm trees and sand dunes waited. Whales and other sea life frolicked in the water. The bright sky dazzled from sunshine and multi-colored clouds invested with pinks, mauves and yellow. And every so often, one saw the brown and black Maori symbols like tattoos painted against this soft background.
“Did you paint this, Les?” Awe filled him and sounded in his voice.
“Yep. Still working on it.” Les stood close by, hands on hips, waiting.
Kean liked the attention and felt comfortable to ask more questions. He stepped over to a strange-looking machine that was connected to one of the scattered tools on the counter. “What’s this?”
“It’s the compressor for my airbrush.” Les picked up one of the instruments. “I have a few different kits but this here is my favorite.” He held up a chrome airbrush that intrigued Kean. It looked like a weird pen, but with a cup on the top beside a lever and with a cord attached. “With this sucker, I can create the smallest details and it keeps a steady spray.”
Before he could stop himself, Kean asked, “How does it work?” Les gave him a very brief lesson while actually using the instrument. The words became jumbled together, but when Les actually let him try, he understood that one had to press down on the top lever to make it spray and pull back on the same lever to bring the paint out thicker.
“He’s a natural.” Roy joined them and sat next to Kean. “You like painting at school?”
“Nah! This is way more fun.” Kean noticed the two men grin at each other and his pride swelled. They liked him.
“Where do you work, Roy?” For some reason, Kean felt connected to Roy the most. The older man looked like Santa Claus, had blue eyes like his and his mom’s and a smile that soaked right inside a person.
Somehow, he just knew that Roy liked him too. No, it was better than like. Whenever he was in Roy’s presence, he knewhemattered. Not Kean the son, or Ruby’s Kean. But the personhewas, his ideas… shoot. He didn’t know the words.
Les gestured for him to get up off the high bench and settle himself down next to Roy. “See, now you’ve gone and done it, kid. He’s gonna yak your ear off, and all the time he’s bragging, he’ll get you to clean up the place.”
Roy stiffened and came back at Les as usual. “Only because you leave a gawd-awful mess everywhere, so someone’s gotta pick it up. If we left it up to you, we’d be tripping over your crap and… Hey, Kean, it’s no biggie. We talk like this all the time. Old Les would live in a pigpen if we let him.” Roy grinned and pointed at himself. “Me, I like order.”
“You should get a Ruby. She looks after all of that for me and my mom.”
Les began laughing. “We do have a Ruby. Only we call him Roy.”
“Is this a private joke or can anyone join in?” A woman had come into the shop and now stood facing them. Kean recognized her as the lady who sometimes parked on his street. Only this time, her blonde hair wasn’t quite so poofy.
“Sorry, we’re actually closed on Sundays.” Roy stepped forward.
“Darn. I wanted to talk to the man who repairs fenders. Last night, I cut off some jerks and they smashed into my front end. It’s not a biggie but it kinda looks bad.”
Les had stood back, his arm around Kean’s shoulders. But now he stepped forward. “It’s okay, Roy. I’ll take her to the office and fill out some forms so she can bring the car in tomorrow.”
Kean thought that Roy looked stunned. He even mumbled, “You will?” But he moved aside and let Les take over.
Once they were out of hearing, he shook his head at Kean. “Some days that Les blows my mind. I would have bet a million bucks that he’d have brushed her off. He does that, you know, doesn’t care who people are. But this time, he put on the charm. It’s strange.”
“Maybe he likes her.”
“Or maybe he’s learning some manners in his old age.” He winked at Kean. “Pffft!Just kidding.” Grinning, he waved his arm. “What do you say we leave this mess for now and get us some ice cream? I just bought a big tub of Rocky Road.”
Kean loved Rocky Road and headed in the direction Roy had pointed out. They went through a back door that led into an apartment. There was a kitchen that opened into the sitting room full of old-man chairs, coffee tables and a huge TV. “Is this where you live?”
“Uh, huh. Used to be where everyone lived at one time. Sloan and his Dad shared that area and Les and I had those two bedrooms. We were a bit crowded but they were the good old days. Until Sloan bought his own house and moved. Then his dad was killed in a car accident, and now it’s just me and ole pain-in-the butt Les.”
A kitten’s meow cut off their conversation and Kean swiveled in time to see the fluffy tabby jump to the windowsill near the kitchen door. It sat, peering inside, yowling for attention.
“Awww. It’s a baby cat. It’s so pretty.” Kean’s heart swelled and his excitement grew until he noticed that Roy was watching him. He cooled it, not wanting to seem like a little kid. But cats were special animals. His classmate had brought his to school the other day for Show and Tell, and the cat had been really smart, even came when it was called.
Roy opened the door and lifted the kitten off its perch. “She’s homeless, the poor little thing, keeps coming around to get fed.” He passed her into Kean’s waiting arms. “She needs a good owner who can look after her.”
“You can take care of her, can’t you?”
“Well, you see there’s a slight problem with allergies. Nothing that can’t be handled with some shots, but when you’re dealing with a stubborn jackass, one who’s scared of needles, well… let’s just say, this little girl and I have been keeping our relationship on the sly.”
