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“I know that. I don’t help Mom because I have to.” Cam spent more time at my house than his own when we were kids. He knows better than anyone how hard it was for my mom. My dad dipped before my first birthday, and Skye’s dad was only around for a year or two after she was born. Mom had a lot to carry between me and my sister, and money was always tight.
She never asked for my help, but I hated that she was struggling, so I started working as soon as I could to take some pressure off of her. Mom struggles to keep jobs for long. Sheeither gets overwhelmed, bored, frustrated with management, or any number of other things. We got her house paid off years ago, which is the only reason I felt comfortable leaving. Still, I kept everything in the house fixed and her car running. No one’s there to do that anymore. “It’s not her fault I taught her to rely on me.”
Cam sighs and reaches a long arm up to rub at the back of his inked neck, pulling his lips into a tight line.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”
“I’ve said it all before.” Cam sighs again. “It’s not your job to take care of your mom. It was her job to take care of you.”
I sit up straighter on the couch, bringing my eyes level with his. “And she did her best.”
Cam sits up straighter, too, matching my posture. “I know she did. I know. I’m saying you don’t have to feel guilty for having your own life. She should be happy for you.” That last sentence sticks. Her response to my moving away and buying Station 19 doesn’t surprise me, but it stings that she’s not supportive.
“She’ll come around.”
Sensing I’m done with the topic, Cam suggests, “Next time I visit my folks, I’ll go by and check in on her.” The tension falls out of the room as quickly as it came.
“I’m sure she’d love to see you.” I lean forward enough to see Allie, who’s still pointing her ass in my direction, and scan the coffee shop to make sure I’m the only one enjoying the view.
Cam chuckles at me, leaning into my line of sight again. “Of course, she would. She always liked me better than you. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see this?” He holds his hands up, creating a frame around his face.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I know I’ve seen about enough of it for this week.”
“Bullshit. You love seeing this face.”
Standing up, I wave at him to do the same. “Come on, let mebuy you one more sandwich before you hit the road.”
~
Allie: I need another set of keys.
Me: Can it wait until tomorrow?
Allie: If it has to.
Me: Great. I’ll get them to you tomorrow.
Me: Have you had any issues with your power going out?
Allie: No.
Allie: Why?
Me: Having some troubles on my side.
Allie: k
That was the second time she’s asked me for a new set of keys in the last month. I get texts like that every couple of days, with more questionably legitimate things to add to my to-do list. If she’s trying to get under my skin, it’s not working. I like seeing her name light up my phone.
Cam left six or seven hours ago now, and I’ve just wrapped up my punch list and put the finishing touches on the shop. It still smells like a warehouse, but soon it’ll smell like a proper shop. Steel, oil, exhaust, and sweat. Tomorrow, I can get back to the closest thing I have to meditation—getting my hands dirty in a motorcycle engine.
Sitting down in the center of my newly polished concrete floor, I pop the cap off of a bottle of beer. Betty lies down next to me, leaning her boxy head against my hip. “Look what we did, babe,” I say as I hold my beer out and motion around the room.
The wallpaper is gone, leaving most walls in their original exposed brick, and the rest is painted a simple white. Darkbrown leather couches, a low coffee table, and a vintage, traditional-style red and blue rug take up the spot closest to the glass wall by the front windows. On the opposite wall, the refinished oak desk I repurposed from Mel serves as the front desk.
About halfway back—parallel to Allie’s counter closest to the glass wall—is the wide wooden work bench where I’ll disassemble, clean, and rebuild engines and parts. We added new black cabinets with butcher block countertops and a utility sink, with easy access from the workbench. On the opposite side are two motorcycle lifts, toolboxes, and loads of open shelving storage. Above that, a massive green neon sign shinesVoyeur Motors.
The wider back section is still split into three areas like it always was. There’s a small bathroom that shares a wall withTurbine’sbathroom, a large open area with a garage door that opens to the back parking lot, and Betty’s office on the opposite side. “First half of our plan is in motion.”
