Melissa
Chapter 1

Copyright© 2018 by JRyter

There’s sure not much to do when you’re a sixteen year old boy living in Riverton, a small river town in southeast Missouri. Unless you can call going to school nine months out of the year exciting. I don’t really mind school, but I can’t say that I’m excited either, every morning when I have to get up and go to school.

Mom and Dad both work and they’re gone when my alarm goes off in the mornings. It’s a major feat for me to even find the energy to get out of bed, get a shower and get dressed.

What I need is a job. A part-time job that will fill the hours that I’m not sleeping or in school. I want a car – any car is fine with me, as long as I can get around without having to ride my bike or hitch a ride with Mom or Dad.

I know a couple of girls who I think look good, and I like being around them – they appear to like like me too and I’ve wanted to ask one or even both of them out ... at different times, of course.

It’s hard for a boy to ask a girl out, and have to pick her up for a date – when he’s walking or riding a bike.

I can’t really see me sacking groceries or stocking shelves and there just aren’t a lot of other jobs available in this small town.

The second Monday after school opened the third week of August in 1965, I was walking to school on the same sidewalk and the same street I’ve always walked, when I heard the sound of a car horn.

I looked up to see a young woman parked in front of the small wooden garage where Mr. Patch Coleman has his repair shop. Her hood is up on her car and she’s tinkering with something under the hood ... cussing like a sailor.

Well, the way I had always heard folks say a sailor cussed. I’ve never known a sailor myself.

This woman was really mad and just as I walked by, she looked at me with a scowl.

“Young man, do you know Mr. Coleman ... and what time he opens this God forsaken shit-hole of a repair shop of his?” She spoke as if she were mad at me.

She’s taller than me by two inches, with her high heels on. She’s not bad looking at all. She’s dressed in a conservative gray business suit with a skirt that comes to her knees and a short jacket over her white frilly blouse. Nope, she’s not bad looking at all, and I guessed her to be at least twenty years old.

“Well Ma’am, I know him but not personally ... that’s about all.”

“Do you know anything at all about cars? This damned thing is about to drive me fucking crazy and I need to get over to Martinsville to work.”

“Not really Ma’am, but I’ll look under there if you like, and see if I can spot something that might be wrong. I help my Dad service his car and watch him tinker with it.”

“Well throw them books on my seat and get your ass over here ... I’m in a hurry and it looks like Mr. Coleman’s going to sleep all day.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

I put my books in her seat – on the driver’s side and walked around to the front of the car.

“Start it up, if it’ll run,” I told her.

“Well of course it will run ... I drove it here. You must be a real dumb-ass.”

She growled at me, and I almost got my books and walked off.

But I didn’t.

She started the car and stepped on the gas. The engine was miss-firing so bad it was shaking the whole car.

Shut if off Ma’am, “ I hollered at her and started moving the spark plug wires and coil wires. Anything I could see that might be loose under there. I had seen my Dad do this lots of times and I did what he did.

Sure enough, I found two spark plug wires that had backed off the tip of the spark plug and I knew that was enough to make her car mis-fire. I shoved the rubber boot on the end of the spark plug wires up tight on all the spark plugs and looked the coil wires over.

There was a small strand of wire on one terminal, that was sticking out close to the main coil wire. I twisted it back on the terminal with the other strands. She was under the hood with her neck strained out to see what I was doing.

“Crank it up now, Ma’am and see if that’s any better.”

“Hell, you didn’t do a damn thing but fiddle with the damn wires. How in the hell do you think that would make the motor run better? I’m telling you there’s something bad wrong with this fucking, piece of shit car.”

She was madder’n hell, like it was all my fault she was late and her car was messing up.

She hit the starter, and the car fired off ... running like it was new.

I picked up a grease rag laying near the door of the garage, wiping my hands as she got out of her car and walked up to me.

“You need to open up your own shop ... How much do I owe you?” She asked as she finally smiled, and fumbled in her purse.”

“Ma’am, you don’t owe me anything. I’m just glad your car’s running good and you can get on over to Martinsville now.”

“Nonsense! Here take this dollar at least,” She said.

“Ma’am, you keep your dollar and have a good day...”

That pissed me off. If she hadn’t offered to pay me anything, I would’ve accepted that. But to offer me a danged dollar was like a slap in the face.

I saw Mr. Patch Coleman walk out of the side door of his house and head over here.

“Good Morning folks ... sorry I was a little late this morning. I had to help my wife. She’s in a wheelchair and can’t do some things for herself at times. What can I do for you folks this morning?”

“Well it’s about fucking time you got out here. My car engine was running bad – this young man fixed the fucking thing for me – no thanks to your lazy ass. I tried to pay him a dollar and he refused,” She railed at him.

“What was wrong with it, Danny?” He turned to me...

I didn’t even know that he knew me, let alone knew my name.

“Just some plug wires that had backed off the plugs a bit and a small ground wire on the coil that was jumping fire from the main coil wire running to the distributor cap.”

“Ma’am, you owe this boy fifteen dollars, and unless you pay, I’m impounding your car,” He said as he walked past her and took the keys out of the ignition.

“You can’t do this! You’re sorry son-of-a-bitch ... You weren’t even open for business and you never even touched my car. I’ll have the police on your sorry ass before you can turn around.” She was really mad and cussing now.

“You’re vehicle is on my property. You pulled in here for repairs and your car has been repaired. This young man works for me as of this morning ... If you don’t pay him, I’ll be the one to call the police and have them impound this car at the city hall until the repair bill is paid. You’ll have to pay the fee to get it out, as well as the bill for the repairs,” Mr. Coleman looked her in the eye and talked to her in a steady voice that left no doubt he was telling her the truth.

“Here’s your God Damned money. I’ll have my daddy come down here and take up this matter with you. You won’t get away with this ... You just wait until you find out who my daddy is. You’ll wish you had never met me.” She screamed, threw a five and a ten dollar bill at me and started crying.

“I already wish I had never met you Ma’am. Now clear my driveway so I can open for business.

“By the way, tell your daddy to come on down and have a cup of coffee with me sometime ... I ain’t seen the Mayor in a while.” Mr. Coleman smiled at her and handed her the keys to her car.

She slammed the car in reverse, backed out of the driveway and took off down the street like she was in a race.

“Danny, I appreciate what you did, by helping that girl. I hate that she was rude to you and that she acted like a fool out here. You come back by here after school today, and you can help me clean up this place and do small repairs like the one you just did. Most of my mechanical work is just what you did ... maybe changing points and plugs once in a while, and I’ll teach you how to do that. I’ve been needing some help anyway,” He told me.

“Thanks Mr. Coleman, I’ll be here as soon as school’s out,” I said as I turned to leave. I was running late myself.

I stopped and looked around...

My books are in that young woman’s car, and she left here just mad enough to throw them out.

“What’s wrong Danny?” Mr. Coleman asked when I stood like I was in a daze.

“I left my books in her car ... with my homework in them,” I told him.

“You go on to school and tell the principal and your teachers what happened. If they need to check your story, tell them to call me.”

There wasn’t a lot that made Patch Coleman lose control of his thinking. I would learn that about him even more as I got to know him better. He was just as calm and collected as they come.

“Yes Sir, I reckon that’s about all I can do right now.”

I had a little trouble at first with the teachers believing me about my books and homework, but I had never failed to turn my homework in and they kinda believed me. Mr. Walton, the principal, did call Mr. Patch. I found that out when I stopped by his garage after school.

I had no idea what I was going to do about my books. I knew Mom and Dad wouldn’t be real happy with me if they had to buy more books. I was almost sick to my stomach worrying about all this ... and all I did was try to help somebody.

“Well Danny, how did it go at school when you told them the story of how you lost your books and homework?” Mr. Patch asked, when I walked into his garage.

“They finally believed my story. I figure Mr. Walton called you is the reason.”

“He did and I told him that he should give his students the benefit of the doubt, not all of them would lie about their homework,” he said.

“I sure appreciate you letting me clean up around here and help you out. I really thank you too for sticking up for me with Mr. Walton,” I told him as I picked up the broom and started sweeping.

He went back to working under the hood of an older model pickup. I swept the whole shop and picked up the sweepings with a grain scoop and put them in the barrels out back.

I found the Oil Dry and sprinkled some fresh onto the heavy oil puddles around where he was working.

“Help me get this hood off this old truck Danny. I reckon I’m gonna have to pull this motor, it seems to be froze up from sitting out back so long.”

“Yes Sir,” I said and looked at where the hood was bolted to the hinges and got some wrenches to take it loose.

I got my side loose and he got his side loose. We set the hood over on some empty oil drums in the corner of the garage.

“You’re right handy to have around, Danny. I think I made a good call when I told the Mayor’s daughter I had just hired you,” he said, just as we heard a car horn outside.

“You mean that was Mayor Deans’ daughter that was cussing like that?” I said, as I looked out to see who it was.

“Mr. Patch, you better go out there and handle this ... Mayor Dean just drove up.” I stepped back into the garage. I didn’t really want to be jumped on by the mayor ... even if Mr. Patch was here with me.

“Patch, I thought I may need to come by and make things right, after my girl made an ass of herself this morning. She called me from work, cussing and hollering,” Mayor Dean said as he walked into the front door.

“Well Harold, she was a might upset - but my new hired help fixed her car for her and I think she was still upset because she was late for work.”

Mr. Coleman talked with his smooth easy way of talking.

“I understand Patch, I sure do. That girl is high-strung like her Momma and they just about keep me busy going around behind them, putting out fires. I’m sure glad Missy took after me.

“Missy, bring this boys books in here for me, girl,” He looked back at the car and I saw someone getting out on the passenger side.

“Hi Danny, here’s your books,” Missy Dean said, as she handed me my books and smiled.

“Thanks, I sure hope your sister isn’t still mad at me.”

“She stays mad. She’ll get over it and one day she’ll be back to get her car worked on again. She drives it like it was a race car anyway,” Missy said, smiling at me again.

I’d seen her at school, but didn’t really know her. She’s fourteen and I’m sixteen – so we didn’t even have classes in the same building at school. I was starting the ninth grade and she was starting the seventh. She sure does look good though. She has freckles across her little short nose and her eyes are big and brown.

She has a smile that seems to just spread all over her face and she’s beginning to get some titties too. They look good to me, poking out against her tight shirt and I knew I had better stop looking at her, or her daddy would whack me.

“Danny, Mr. Dean asked you if he needed to pay you anything for helping his daughter ... after she was so rude to you.,” Mr. Patch said.

“Oh ... sorry Sir. Uh no, Sir. She’s already paid me what Mr. Patch told her to pay,” I stammered, as I looked at Missy again, she was smiling.

“Well, I need to get back to the office.

“Missy, are you going with me or are you going to walk home from here.”

“I’ll stay a while Daddy, and then go home. I’ll see you when you get home,” Missy said and hugged her Daddy.

I saw her short skirt ride up in back and I felt my face turn red as I looked.

I turned to see Mr. Patch grinning at me. I smiled at him and went to the back of the garage.

“Mr. Patch, may I talk to Danny for a minute? I won’t keep him from work long.”

I heard Missy ask Mr. Patch and I whipped my head around to make sure I really heard what she said, and didn’t just think I did.

“Sure Missy. He needs to take a break anyway. He just cleaned this whole place up ... did a good job of it too. Here’s two dimes, get him and you a Coke and sit there under that tree out there and cool off,” Mr. Patch said, as I looked just at both of them.

“Here Danny. I sure hope you don’t mind that I asked Mr. Patch if we could talk a while,” She said as she handed me the bottle of Coke she’d bought from the old Coke machine in his shop.

“Uh no, Missy. I sure do appreciate you and your Dad bringing my books by. You could’ve just brought them to school and I’d have gotten them.”

I looked at her freckles as she smiled. Her nose kinda wrinkled up and made her eyes crinkle in the corners when she smiled. We were sitting beside each other and I could see her face good.

“Oh, but I wanted to come with Daddy when he told me he was stopping by here. Mom has been over to Martinsville today and she stopped by to see Helen. That’s when Helen told her all about this morning. Then Mom brought your books back by Dad’s office and I was there after school was out, so I rode with him,” she explained it all to me.

“How old are you, Danny?” She asked, smiling again. She sure smiles a lot, and I like her smile.

“I turned sixteen in July.”

I looked into her eyes and then at her shoulder length hair, that hugs her neck and the sides of her face.

“I’ll be fifteen next March. There’s not much difference in our ages, is there?”

“No, not that much. I just started the ninth grade and you’re in the seventh aren’t you?”

“Yes, how did you know that?”

“I saw a girl talking to you one day and I asked her who you were and how old you were.”

“You did?” Her eyes flew open.

“Yeah, I thought you were older and maybe a new girl or something.”

“You really thought I was older?” She asked and her nose did that little crinkly thing again, as it raised way up when she smiled.

“Yeah, you don’t look like the other fourteen year old girls ... you act older. You sure have changed a lot and you’re growing up really fine.” I felt my face turn red and I looked away.

“Yeah I guess I am growing up more now that I’m a teenager. So what did you think, when the girl told you who I was and how old I was?”

“I thought she was kidding at first, then she turned to another girl and they both said the same thing.”

“I see you riding your bike to school sometimes. Do you ever ride over on Baker Street, on your way to school?”

“I did ride that way once or twice. It was right after I saw you and asked that girl who you were. I never saw you outside and I stopped going by your house. I didn’t want somebody to see me and think I was about to steal something.”

“I had a flat on my bike this morning and didn’t ride it. I reckon I’d have been better off if I had ridden it.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have made your sister mad at me. I would’ve cut through by your house and gone to school that way.”

“Yeah, but then we wouldn’t be here talking and drinking a Coke together.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Are you going to get your flat fixed today?”

“Yeah. I’ve got an air pump and some patches. I carry in a little tool bag on my bike. I’ll fix it when I get home.”

“Ride by my house in the morning, and I’ll ride to school with you. That is, if you don’t have a girlfriend who’ll get mad at me.”

“No, I don’t have one. I bet you’ve got a boyfriend though.”

“Nope ... I don’t. What time do you usually leave home when you ride your bike?”

“About ten minutes to eight. It takes me five minutes to get to your house and another ten minutes to get to school.”

“I’ll be ready when you get there. Can we be friends now that we’re going to ride to school together.”

“I’d like that ... and I like you,” I felt my face get red.

“Thanks, I like you too. I can’t have boyfriends yet ... but I can have friends.”

“Then you and I’ll just be friends.”

“I better go before Mr. Patch tells me I can’t come back. I’m glad we talked and I’m really glad we’re going to be friends, Danny.”

“Me too Missy, and thanks.”

“You can call me Melissa, if you like. My Dad just calls me Missy cause I’m his little girl.”

“See you in the morning, Melissa.”

“See you Danny.” She looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

“Bye Mr. Patch.” She hollered as she walked back through the garage and out the door.

“She’s a nice girl Danny ... pretty too.”

“She sure is. Her name’s Melissa and she’s in the seventh grade ... She’s fourteen.”

We watched her walk out to the sidewalk and turn back to wave, her skirt swirled around her long legs as she turned. We waved and went back to work.

“Danny, take the spark plugs out of this old engine and I’ll shoot the cylinders full of penetrating oil. We’ll let her set over night. I’ve seen the rings come unstuck by doing this and we can get this old piece of junk out of here.”

“Yes Sir, Mr. Patch.”

“Danny, just call me Patch. We’ll be working here together, and I’m just Patch to everyone.”

“Yes, Sir. Whose old Studebaker truck is this anyway, Patch?”

“It’s mine. It’s been sitting out yonder in the shed for about fifteen years. I parked it out there when I bought a new one in 1950. The man wouldn’t give me but $250.00 for it on a trade. Said a 1937 Studebaker wasn’t worth anything – so I kept it. That old shed is about to fall in and I thought I’d get this old truck out – get it running and sell it.”

“Really? How much do you want for it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s according to how much it costs to get it running, I reckon. Why? Do you know someone who may want this old thing?”

I saw him look at me with a smile.

“Shoot yeah I do. I mean ... I’d love to have it. But I don’t have the money. I’ll have to ask Dad and see if he’ll get it for me and let me pay him back with what I make here. I’ll get a couple more part time jobs and try to get it paid off.”

I was really interested now.

“Danny, you can’t work three jobs and go to school. You won’t have time for yourself.”

“I’ll think of something, Patch. Just don’t sell it until I work something out.”

“I’ve had it since 1937 and I’m not in any hurry to sell it. Even with you helping me, it’ll take a while to get it all checked out. The tires are almost dry-rotted. It’ll need new tires and probably rims too.”

“Yeah, I see two of them are almost flat now.”

“Yeah, I just aired them up yesterday. It’ll definitely need tires.”

“Tell you what I’ll do Danny. You can have it for the $250.00 the man offered me on a trade in 1950. I’ve got a set of 15” wheels and tires I can put on it and we’ll sand it down and prime it here in the shop when we’re not busy. You can paint it later. That old six cylinder motor still has a lot of miles left on it ... if we can get it running. They were tough as hell back then.”

“Patch, I don’t have $250.00 ... But I’ll get the money somehow,” I told him. I wanted this old truck.

“You tell your Mom and Dad what I offered to sell it for. If they can’t swing it right now, I’ll let you have it and you can work out the price right here in this shop. I’ll even help you fix it up a bit in our spare time. A boy needs a pickup to ride around in ... and the way that cute little Melissa Dean was smiling at you – you’ll have a passenger soon after we get ‘er running.”

Patch reached out to shake my hand.

I’ve never shook on a deal before in my life, and I knew this wasn’t something to take lightly. I shook Patch’s hand with a firm grip ... I had just become a man. I was shaking inside too, I was so nervous about what I was doing, but it was time I started being grownup about things.


“Mom - Dad, guess what? I got a job today, and I got a chance to buy me an old pickup truck, too.” I yelled as I ran in through the kitchen door ... after running all the way home with my books bundled up in my belt.

“Whoa, slow down there a bit, Son. Let’s get one thing at a time talked about. Now tell us about the job you got,” Dad said.

“Well, I fixed a young woman’s car for her right in front of Patch’s Garage before he opened and he came out and hired me on the spot. I went to work there after school today.”

“How much are you making at this new job, Danny?” Mom asked.

“I don’t even know, Mom ... but it’ll be more than I’m making now ... by not working.”

“You got a job and you don’t know how much money you’re making?” she asked.

“Now Bess, the boy was excited about the new job. I know Patch, he’ll treat Danny right. Now tell us about the old pickup you found.”

“Well, Patch has this old 1937 Studebaker pickup that he never traded, cause the man wouldn’t give him but $250.00 on a trade. He’s kept it in a shed all these years. He wants to get it running and sell it to me for the same $250.00 that he turned down in 1950 when he bought a new pickup. He said he’d put some rims, tires and tubes on it and we’d fix it up when we’re not busy in the shop.”

“Well, sounds like he’s taken a liking to you. That old truck’s not worth much like it is, except to a collector or some hot-rodder.”

“Just how are you figuring on paying for it, Danny?” Mom asked ... and now comes the hard part.

“Patch told me that if you and Dad couldn’t swing it right now, he’d let me work out the price of it there in his shop. I sure hope you and Dad will at least think about it. I really do need a pickup ... and we’d have a truck to haul things, Dad.”

I looked from Dad to Mom and back again.

They looked at one another, then Mom went back to cooking and Dad went back to reading the paper.

Neither of them said another word about the pickup and I was scared to death to say any more.

“I’m going to fix the flat on my bicycle before supper, Mom. I’ll be right outside the door ... just holler when you get it done,” I said and hung my head ... totally disappointed and went to get my bicycle out off the porch.

It didn’t take but a minute to turn the bike upside down on the handle bars and seat, then roll the front tire off one side of the rim. I pulled the tube out and pumped it up with my tire-pump and found the hole. I whittled a point on a match stick and stuck in the little hole, then felt inside the tire for whatever made it go flat. I found a small tack and pulled it out.

I sanded the tube and cut a cold patch about the size of a postage stamp off the roll, and put some glue on the tube. I took the match and lit the glue and let it burn out then placed the patch over the hole. I held my thumb on the patch real tight for a few minutes and then put the tube back in and the tire back on. I pumped it up until it felt as hard as my back tire and put my tools in the little pouch behind my seat, with my air pump in the bracket on the bike frame. Then put my bike on the porch.

I was really dreading going back in the kitchen. I had always hated to ask my Mom and Dad for things. I know they work hard and save their money. I sure didn’t want them to give up something they needed, just to get me a truck. I was going to ask if they’d let me get the truck and work it out like Patch suggested.

I crossed my fingers on my right hand ... took a deep breath and went back inside, scared half to death.

“Danny you’re right on time, supper’s ready,” Mom said, and I washed my hands and sat down.

Dad said the blessing and we started heaping our plates full.

“I reckon we could use a pickup around here, Danny. Tell Patch I’ll be by to talk with him Saturday morning,” Dad said. I looked at Mom ... she was smiling too, with tears in her eyes.

I had some in mine too, I was so happy.

“Thanks Mom.

“Thanks Dad. I’ll take good care of it and Patch told me he’d help me work on it if something went wrong.”

“We’re proud of you, Danny. I guess you’ll be wanting to go out with a girl next,” Dad said and I saw Mom cut her eyes at him.

“Well Bess, he’s growing up now and he needs to get out and enjoy this time in his life.”

“I know, but did you have to talk about all this in just one night ... it’s happening too fast for me.”


The next morning, I was out of bed, eating my toast and drinking my OJ when my alarm went off. I had forgotten to turn it off when I got up early.

I looked at the clock in the kitchen and took off for the shower, it was already 7:30. I took a fast shower and was so excited about meeting Melissa that I got a real big hard-on. I decided not to beat my meat as much as I wanted to, and got out with water dripping all over the place.

I was really messing up this morning. I got myself dried off and wiped the floor, then hung my towel on the shower rod.

I ran to my room and pulled a clean t-shirt on and my fresh starched jeans with the neat creases Mom can make in them. I slipped my sneakers on without socks ... I was ready.

I combed my hair, grabbed my books and ran out the door. I was five minutes early, but I didn’t want to be late.

I looked at my Timex watch ... I was still five minutes early when I turned the corner onto Baker Street. I saw Melissa sitting on the porch swing...

She saw me and jumped off the porch, her skirt flying up and I wished I was earlier now as I saw a flash of her white panties and her long tan legs from three houses down.

“Hi Danny. I was waiting for you so we could have plenty of time to ride slow on the way to school.”

“I was early but I had to make myself slow down and not get here too early.”

“I would’ve been ready. I get up early, and this morning, I just got ready for school and sat on the porch,” Melissa said and her nose made her face crinkle up again.

I wished I had jacked off now, so I wouldn’t get a hard-on in front of her.

“You’re looking at me sorta funny ... Do I have something on my face?”

“A bunch of pretty freckles,” I said, and felt my face turn red.

“Danny, my freckles aren’t pretty – they make me look funny.”

She smiled and then she blushed real red.

“We better go so we won’t have to hurry,” I said.

All of a sudden I didn’t know what to say.

“Guess what happened after you left yesterday?”

“I don’t know, what?”

She looked at me as we rode side by side down her street and turned west on Summer.

“Patch told me I could buy his old Studebaker pickup for $250.00, and I could work it out in his shop,” I said proudly.

“Wow Danny! That is great news. Does it run? I saw him working on it.”

“No. But he said he’s going to get it running. He and I are gonna do some other things to it that needs. We’re even going to sand it down and prime it ... he said we would paint it later.”

“Wow, I bet you can hardly wait to get it running. What did your Mom and Dad say when you told them?”

“Well, at first they didn’t say a lot, just asked a few questions. Then I went out and fixed my flat and went back in. They both kinda smiled and then Dad told me he thought we really did need a pickup around to haul things with.”

“Gosh, your parents must be some really neat folks.”

“They are. I’ll take you over there some time when they’re home, and you can meet them.”

“I’d like that. Do you think they’ll like me as your friend?”

She looked at me with a worried look, and I could have grabbed her.

But I didn’t.

“They were kinda teasing me about wanting to go out with girls, now that I’m getting a truck. I know they’ll really like you, Melissa ... you’re so neat.”

Now it’s my turn to turn red.

“I am? You think I’m neat, Danny?”

“I sure do. I really like you. I want to take you for a ride in my truck when we get it running.”

“Really? I’d love to be the first girl to ride in your truck.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m making a list or anything. I was kinda thinking that maybe you could get your Mom and Dad to let us go to a movie one Friday. The early movie that is.”

I was getting bolder now and I didn’t even know where my courage was coming from. I guess it’s the fact that Melissa is with me and she wants to be my friend. Besides that, she’s very pretty and I really do like her eyes, her smile, and her freckles.

“Danny, you’re about to run up on the curb ... if you don’t watch where you’re going.”

“What’s wrong Danny?” She asked when I stopped.

“Nothing, I was just looking at you.”

“You make me feel funny, when you tell me things like that.”

“I feel funny when I say them, and sometimes I don’t even know where they come from. I hope you don’t think I’m crazy or anything ... I’m really not.”

“No, I think you’re just about the kindest and handsomest boy I know,” She said, turning as red as a stop sign.

“We better hurry or we’ll be late,” I said, when neither of us knew what to say next.

We weren’t late, we were actually ten minutes early and when we parked her bike in the bike rack and locked it. We stood and talked about my pickup and us riding home this afternoon.

“I’ll come over here and get you when I get out ... if that’s alright with you,” I said, as I looked at my watch.

“YES ... I mean I’ll be waiting for you right here, Danny.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

I rode over to the junior high building and locked my bike in the rack.

I was on cloud nine the rest of the day, but I had my homework for yesterday and today and I had my books back.


“Hey Danny, where are you going in such a hurry? You want to ride down to the river and see the boats?” Johnny Parker asked as I hurried to get over to the junior high building.

“Can’t Johnny, I’m meeting a friend ... then I need to hurry home. I’ve got a job at Patch’s Garage now,” I yelled back at him as I steady gained speed.

Melissa was waiting with her feet on the ground, standing in front of her seat, straddling her girl bar, and smiling as I rode up.

“Danny, meet my friends Claire, Julie and Dottie,” she said as I looked at the three girls standing beside her, grinning at me.

“Hi Claire, Julie and Dotty, nice to meet all of you.”

“We’ve got to go ... Danny has a job now and he’s getting his own truck soon,” Melissa told her friends.

“We know Melissa ... you’ve already told us a hundred times today.

“Bye Danny,” Dotty grinned at Melissa, and they stuck their tongues out at each other.

“They wanted to meet you, and I wanted them to,” Melissa told me.

I’ve waited all day to see her smile when she looks at me.

“I’ll let you meet a couple of my friends too ... but they’ll probably slobber all over their chins when they see you.”

“Oh Danny, they won’t either.”

“I hate to hurry, but I really need to get over to Patch’s Garage and go to work. After all, I’m buying a pickup so we can go to the movies one night.”

“I know Danny, will you ask Patch if I can come by and see your pickup sometime.”

“Sure, but Patch likes you and I know you’ll be welcome to come over any time.”

“Really? You don’t think he’ll mind if I stopped in on my way to see Dad at his office?”

“Heck no. Patch is a really neat man, you’ll see,” I said as we pedaled hard toward her house.

“I’ll be here in the morning Melissa, and we’ll ride again if you want to.”

“I want to, Danny. I’ll see you then ... and if I do go see Dad, I’ll stop by Patch’s Garage to see you ... and your truck.”

“OK, I’ll be looking for you.”

I raced home to get me some old clothes to wear while I was in the shop.


“Danny, you made good time. I see you got your flat fixed,” Patch said, when I rolled into his shop.

“I sure did, how did your day go here at the garage?”

“We’ve had a good day so far, but it’s slowed down now. Look over here at our old truck,” He told me, as we walked over to look down at the little motor.

He reached down and grabbed a long flex-handle, fastened it to a socket wrench and turned the engine with the crank pulley.

“Wow, it did loosen up didn’t it? Have you tried to start it yet?”

“No I thought I’d wait for you to get here.”

“I’ll get these old clothes on and be right there. I said as I walked over to the corner of the shop to change my clothes.

“Here put these on and you can just come here from school and not have to go home first,” he said and handed me a new pair of shop coveralls ... just like his.

“Thanks Patch.”

Then I thought of Melissa, and not getting to ride home with her in the evenings.

“I talked to Mom and Dad about the truck and they’re going let me get it, Patch. Dad said he’d come over Saturday morning and get with you about it,” I told him.

“Great. I’m tickled they’re letting you get it, Danny. You’ll be the envy of all the boys and the girls now.”

“Well, there was something else I wanted to ask you about. I told Melissa about the truck and she wants to stop by and see it on her way to her Dad’s office today,” I looked at him to see how he took this. He smiled and told me that she could come by anytime.

“We’ll make her a shop gopher and let her go for our tools ... as we work on the old truck”

“Thanks Patch, she sure is a nice girl and I really like her. She can’t have boyfriends yet ... but we’re going to be friends for a while and wait.” I tried to sound grownup and hoped I did.

“Sounds like the thing to do. You just keep that pretty little girl happy and she’ll make you a great friend. Danny ... she’s a keeper.” Patch slapped me on my shoulder.

“Put the plugs in that little engine. I took a wire brush and cleaned them today,” Patch said, and we went to work.

He put a used battery on the truck and hooked it up to the battery charger.

Patch had already drained the gas tank and put five gallons of fresh gas in it. When I got the spark plugs in and the wires on the right plugs ... I backed up to look at it.

“We’d better open the doors behind it, Danny. She’ll smoke for a while, with all that penetrating oil I poured down her yesterday,” Patch said and we opened the double wooden doors.

“Take that old air cleaner off the carburetor. I’ll pour a little gas straight down her throat, to get it primed and we’ll see if she’ll run.”

“I’m ready when you are Patch,” I said and he gave me the thumbs up.

I turned the ignition key on and pushed the shiny starter button. The engine whirled over, spitting, sputtering, then popped ... and smoke came from everywhere.

The engine caught the gas and she began to run fast. Smoke was filling the garage and the cab of the truck.

“Hold her down Danny – don’t let her go dead.”

Patch yelled, as he hooked up a shop fan in front of the truck to blow the smoke out.

I knew I had a grin on my face as wide as the windshield ... but I couldn’t stop grinning. I felt the truck move and shake. I looked around as Melissa stepped up to sit on the passenger side of the seat. She was grinning as she slid over to hug me and kiss my cheek.

I was red faced and grinning as wide as my mouth would grin as I looked through the dirty windshield at Patch. He was grinning at both of us sitting in the seat.

“Let me prop that throttle open right there Danny. You can get out of that cab, it’s still filled with smoke.”

I felt the gas pedal move as he placed something under the throttle linkage.

“Try that and see if she’ll run.” I took my foot off the gas pedal and the engine kept running.

“What’s the oil pressure show, Danny?”

“About half way between forty and fifty,” I told him as we got out. I grabbed Melissa’s hand, pulling her out on my side ... She was as happy as I was.

I looked at her and she had on some old denim bib overalls and a t-shirt. She looked like a million dollars to me.

“Melissa, I see you came ready to work. I told Danny that we’d make you earn your pay if you stopped by here,” Patch told her above the roar of the little six cylinder flat-head motor.

Melissa walked over and stood right beside Patch. He put his arm around her shoulder. I saw them talking but I looked down into the engine well. Then looked up to see him pointing at me ... she grinned, looked at him, and nodded.

The smoke was beginning to die down and the shop was clearing with the fan on.

“Take the screw driver out of the throttle linkage Danny. See if she’ll idle now that she’s warmed up,” Patch yelled and I grabbed the long skinny screwdriver, pulling it out by the handle. The engine dropped its RPMs and I thought it was about to go dead ... but it just settled into a slow idle with practically no noise at all.

“Shut it off and see if it’ll start back.”

I reached in through the open door window and turned the switch off – then back on – when it stopped.

I hit the starter button and it fired right back up to an idle.

Patch gave me another thumbs-up, and motioned for me to shut it down.

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