Monday, October 10, 2005
JUST CALL ME MISS MECHANIC...
So, I went down to Carter’s Auto on Friday. Took him lunch. The Eclipse needed an oil change and Carter agreed that he would show me what to do if I was willing to do the change myself. Since, for awhile, I have been dreaming of repairing cars, I figured that this was a good opportunity to learn something and get my foot in the door, so to speak.
I donned my “mechanic clothes” (Dickies shorts, black tank top, black steel toe boots) and headed down to the garage. Carter was an excellent teacher. He showed me what to do and I did the entire job myself (though afterwards, he, of course, went underneath the car himself just to make sure that I had done everything correctly). He took many pictures so he could prove to everyone that I had actually done this and he said that he would pick the best one out to put in the “Clint File,” which is down in his office, just waiting for Clint’s return.
“You know, Debbie,” he said, “What you don’t really know about boys like Clint is that this picture will put you in really good favor.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, for guys who fix cars…seeing a girl underneath one who actually has some knowledge of a car is really the hottest thing. Between that and you playing the electric guitar…well, let’s just say, I don’t see that you’re going to have any trouble wooing that boy when he comes back.”
I laughed.
He continued: “Now, Clint may try to test you. Because he won’t believe that you really know anything about cars. And he may say ‘well Debbie, if you changed the oil, what kind of wrench did you use to take off the oil plug?’ And what will you tell him?”
“16 mm wrench, Clint. It’s standard. Everyone knows that,” I replied.
“Good girl,” Carter said.
While we were underneath the Eclipse, Carter discovered that the left front axel is also broken. We have decided to repair that next Monday. I will come to the shop all day to work because it will probably take most of the day. He told me that while we were working on the axel, we would be near the brakes, so he would also teach me about the front disc brakes while we were at it. All of the guys at the neighboring shops could not believe that Carter had a girl down there working with him. They all came out to watch. They all marveled at the fact that I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty.
“Well, you know, there are even some men who get freaked out by getting dirty,” they said.
“It’s just grease. It washes off,” I replied.
“I think I’m going to get a lot more business down here if I’ve got you working here,” Carter remarked.
Not only are we on the Road to Recovery…I may just be on the road to becoming a mechanic myself…
So, I went down to Carter’s Auto on Friday. Took him lunch. The Eclipse needed an oil change and Carter agreed that he would show me what to do if I was willing to do the change myself. Since, for awhile, I have been dreaming of repairing cars, I figured that this was a good opportunity to learn something and get my foot in the door, so to speak.
I donned my “mechanic clothes” (Dickies shorts, black tank top, black steel toe boots) and headed down to the garage. Carter was an excellent teacher. He showed me what to do and I did the entire job myself (though afterwards, he, of course, went underneath the car himself just to make sure that I had done everything correctly). He took many pictures so he could prove to everyone that I had actually done this and he said that he would pick the best one out to put in the “Clint File,” which is down in his office, just waiting for Clint’s return.
“You know, Debbie,” he said, “What you don’t really know about boys like Clint is that this picture will put you in really good favor.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, for guys who fix cars…seeing a girl underneath one who actually has some knowledge of a car is really the hottest thing. Between that and you playing the electric guitar…well, let’s just say, I don’t see that you’re going to have any trouble wooing that boy when he comes back.”
I laughed.
He continued: “Now, Clint may try to test you. Because he won’t believe that you really know anything about cars. And he may say ‘well Debbie, if you changed the oil, what kind of wrench did you use to take off the oil plug?’ And what will you tell him?”
“16 mm wrench, Clint. It’s standard. Everyone knows that,” I replied.
“Good girl,” Carter said.
While we were underneath the Eclipse, Carter discovered that the left front axel is also broken. We have decided to repair that next Monday. I will come to the shop all day to work because it will probably take most of the day. He told me that while we were working on the axel, we would be near the brakes, so he would also teach me about the front disc brakes while we were at it. All of the guys at the neighboring shops could not believe that Carter had a girl down there working with him. They all came out to watch. They all marveled at the fact that I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty.
“Well, you know, there are even some men who get freaked out by getting dirty,” they said.
“It’s just grease. It washes off,” I replied.
“I think I’m going to get a lot more business down here if I’ve got you working here,” Carter remarked.
Not only are we on the Road to Recovery…I may just be on the road to becoming a mechanic myself…
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