Chapter 15: Knight of the DiDC

Sunday, January 15, 2012 9:30am

The weather had been dreary for the past two weeks since returning from Whistler. Rain off and on, with a cold wind from the North, the temperature never getting above 10ºC (50ºF). Kirsten had left on her road trip to Eastern Canada, Sue was now established in her Victoria apartment, and in general, life had become somewhat solitary for Jesse Peterson. Gregor and Sabina had returned to San Diego, anxious to see some warm sunshine once again, although not anxious to leave their daughter and grandson.

As expected, Gregor had no explanation or insight into what had happened to Jesse and the missing fifty years. However, he had accepted that the situation was as Jesse had described it and promised to keep the confidence. Eve had explained the lengths to which she had gone in establishing who the young man actually was. Gregor had not shared the information with his wife. She would have had a great deal more difficulty in understanding it.

Gregor did not envy Jesse’s future. He would always have to be on guard against a slip of the tongue or an unanswerable question that might lead to more difficulty. He was very surprised and concerned that his daughter had forged documents to obtain Jesse’s citizenship and other vital papers, but understood it was an act of necessity. She had surprised him with her commitment to Jesse’s future.

Jesse returned to his life of morning exercise and study, afternoons at Norwood Books, and evenings either at night school or at the apartment doing homework assignments. He hadn’t even thought about dating and there was no one on the horizon. With a six-day work week, his days were fully occupied.

That Sunday morning dawned bright, with a cloudless sky and near freezing temperature. He was up at his usual hour of six and sat at the computer in his room, “surfing the web” as Mica called it. He was continually fascinated at the incredible amount of information that was available to him within a few keystrokes. He began each day with at least a paragraph in his journal/diary, keeping it current even if there was little to report. Next, he would scan the news on the various stations to see what had happened in the past day. Finally, he would shower, shave, and head for the kitchen and his normal breakfast of cereal, juice, a banana, and his one mug of coffee. He was a creature of habit and that had not changed in whichever century he lived.

He was always the first to rise, just as Mica was always the last. Somewhere along the way, Eve had begun to give him a “good morning” kiss on the cheek. There was nothing sexual about it, merely the comfortable feeling the two of them had developed with each other. It had started during their week at Whistler. He was surprised and somewhat embarrassed at first, but then remembered his mother would do the same in his previous life.

“Is it alright if I go for a drive in the new car?” he asked. The Toyota had been delivered the Friday before Gregor and Sabina had left for San Diego. It was an impressive vehicle in Jesse’s opinion. Gregor had purchased a top-of-the-line model in a metallic red colour and Jesse marvelled at all the features at his disposal. The display screen and satellite navigation system were concepts he could only shake his head in wonder at. He was still learning all the various controls and accessories, trying to become familiar with them.

“Yes ... of course,” Eve smiled. She was pretty sure he really wanted to get out and spend some time in the new SUV. She had to admit, it was easily the equal of her Subaru, but the colour and shape were totally different. Jesse was drawn to it almost immediately. It was the kind and style of vehicle a young man would be attracted to ... and perhaps a young woman.

Jesse drove out to the university district, returning along SW Marine Drive, carefully staying within the speed limit. There was no hurry and it was a lovely bright morning. As he rode eastward along the two lane road he saw an older import car parked on the verge ahead. As he neared it, he saw the driver’s side door open and a young-looking woman get out, slam the door closed, and pound her fist on the hood. As Jesse absorbed the little drama, he made a decision that he wouldn’t otherwise have considered. He pulled over a few car lengths in front of the parked vehicle and stopped.

As Jesse climbed out of the Toyota, he saw the young woman with her hands on her hips and heard her cursing something or someone. He began to walk back toward her and see if he could assist her.

“I can see there’s a problem,” he said as he got closer to her. “Can I help?”

She looked up at him with a scowl. She looked like she was about to explode but must have caught herself before she did.

“My asshole soon-to-be ex-boyfriend has taken my car and returned it with no gas. It was over half-full yesterday afternoon. Now it’s out! On top of that, he stole $50 from my wallet! That’s the last straw! He’s history!”

Jesse was tempted to chuckle at her anger and frustration, but managed to refrain from making her even angrier.

“I can take you to a gas station and bring you back. There’s bound to be an open station nearby.”

“I guess,” she said, sizing him up. “I can trust you, I hope.” Her voice sounded wary of the unsolicited assistance Jesse offered.

“Yeah ... I’m harmless,” he grinned. “My name’s Jesse Peterson. What’s yours?”

“Joanna ... Joanna English,” she said, still sounding a bit wary.

“Well, Joanna, I’m the President of the DiDC here in Vancouver, so you’re in good hands,” he grinned.

“What the hell is the DiDC?”

“The Damsels in Distress Club. We rescue young and older ladies when they are in need,” he said, maintaining a straight face.

“Oh sure,” she said, not believing a word of it, but giving the faintest hint of a smile at the time.

“Your chariot awaits, M’lady,” he grinned, bowing and sweeping an imaginary hat from his head.

She took a moment or two to make up her mind, then realizing she had few options at 9:30 on a Sunday morning, she nodded.

“Let me lock the car,” she said, pulling out her keys.

The car was an import, a Mazda that had seen better days several years earlier.

Jesse used the key fob for the Toyota to unlock his car and walked slowly back to it, waiting for the young woman to join him.

“This your car?” she asked. “It looks new.”

“It is new, but it’s not mine,” he explained. “It belongs to my guardian’s parents, but I’m allowed to use it when they are away. I’m just getting used to it. It’s full of electronic stuff that I haven’t learned how to use yet. I’ve been studying the manual and learning all I can.”

“Oh ... it is nice. It’s got a new car smell,” she said, looking around the interior.

“Yeah, it’s got four wheel drive for when we go to Whistler.”

“Are you rich or something?” she wondered.

He laughed. “No, but my guardian and her parents are quite well off. I get the benefit of that. My guardian is a doctor at Coast General Hospital. I live with her and her son in their apartment.”

“What about your parents?”

“They’re dead,” he said simply.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy. What did you say your name was?” she asked, glancing at him.

“Jesse Peterson. And yours is Joanna English? That’s a nice name.”

“Thanks. My friends call me Jo.”

“Oh,” Jesse said with a nod, but choosing not to get too familiar with her yet. “It’s a good thing I found you when I did. It’s longer than I thought to the first open gas station,” he said, turning up Granville Street. “There’s one now.”

Jesse pulled into the station and got out of the vehicle with Joanna following him.

The station attendant didn’t have a “loaner” gas canister but was quite happy to sell him a new plastic one for $10. Jesse didn’t flinch, handed the man the ten, then another five dollars for the gas to fill it. When they were done, he put the canister in the rear of the SUV and the two of them headed back to her car.

“I haven’t got enough money to pay you for the gas and the container,” she said. “I’ll have to owe you.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all part of the DiDC service,” Jesse grinned.

“Yeah ... okay ... so you’re my white knight, huh?” she smirked.

“Sort of. It makes it a lot easier to ask you for a date, don’t you think?”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I can give you references,” he said with a genuine smile. “I bet your other boyfriend couldn’t do that. You can check with my guardian, Dr. Mikeska, you can check with my employer, Grant Norwood of Norwood Books, or you can even talk to my former girlfriend, Sue Chen. I can give you their numbers.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You’re kidding. You’d let me talk to your ex?”

“Sure, why not. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

She looked dubious and sat staring out the windshield for a few moments before she turned to him. “Okay. Write it down for me when we get to my car.”

“So ... assuming I get a good report, will you allow me to date you?” he asked.

“I guess so. I can’t do any worse than that loser Eric.”

“Well, let’s talk about it after you’ve talked to Sue. Then we can discuss what you’d like to do. You can think about what kind of date you would enjoy.”

“Alright ... let’s do that,” she said, showing a bit more enthusiasm.

Jesse made a U-turn just past her parked car and pulled up behind it. It took only a couple of minutes to empty the canister into her gas tank and stow it in her trunk.

“Turn the key and let’s see how much gas is in your tank now,” he said.

“No point,” she shrugged. “The gas gauge doesn’t work.”

“Oh ... that’s unusual. Does everything else work?” he asked.

“No ... the lights on the dash only partly work. The glove box light doesn’t work.”

It took a minute or so for the starter to move enough gas from the tank to the engine, but finally it sputtered to life before smoothing out and running properly.

Jesse thought for a moment. “Don’t go yet. I want to check something out.”

He reached into his glove box and took out a small LED flashlight that Eve had given him at Christmas as a stocking-stuffer. Jesse crouched down and looked under the dash for a small, plastic covered box like the one he noticed on the Land Cruiser. Sure enough, it was mounted above the wheel well on the passenger side. With a little effort, he popped the cover open and shone the flashlight on the contents. Two rows of fuses were easy to see and it didn’t take him long to spot one of the fuses with discoloured glass and burn marks.

“I think I’ve found the problem,” he said after pulling the questionable item out of the box, holding it out for Joanna to see.

“This is a fuse. If they fail, they stop allowing electricity to the various items they service. They are pretty cheap and easy to replace. If you follow me, we can get these replaced this morning and your car will be in proper condition.”

She looked at him and shook her head. “Who are you? Do you always come along just to save hopeless cases like me?”

“Nope ... this just happens to be your lucky day,” he grinned.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I can see that.”

She followed him to the big auto parts store further along the road and within five minutes they had a new fuse of the correct size. He inserted it into the proper slot and asked Joanna to turn the key on.

“Hey ... the gas gauge is working. I haven’t got much, but it is working. Thank you.” It was the second hint of enthusiasm from the girl.

Jesse opened the glove box and the light came on as expected. “I think that should put an end to your problems. When was the last time you had this car serviced?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t remember.”

“How long have you owned the car?”

“About three years. It was used, but it was all I could afford,” she explained.

“Okay. While we’re here let’s have a look at the oil in the engine.”

Joanna popped the hood latch and with a bit of fumbling, Jesse found the latch and opened the lid. There was a prop fastened to the side that he used to hold the hood in place while he went to find some paper or a rag to use on the dipstick.

“Oh, wow, this doesn’t look good, Joanna. This oil is very low and very dirty. You really need an oil change soon. You don’t want to ruin this engine.”

“How much will that cost?” she wondered, the return of a look of worry on her face.

“Have a look at that,” he said, pointing to a sign on the side of the building. Oil changes were being offered at $24.95 during the month of January.

“I really don’t want to spend any more money this month if I can help it,” she moaned. “I’m still paying for Christmas.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get it done now and I’ll lend you the money for it. It isn’t much and I’m in no rush to get it back. Hell, I would probably spend more than that on a date with you,” he grinned.

She looked at him and shook her head. “I don’t know what to make of you, Jesse.”

“Talk to Sue, she’ll probably give you the unvarnished version. In the meantime, let’s get this oil change done. While we’re waiting, there’s a coffee shop across the road. You can buy me a coffee and we can kill some time there.”