twelve (jared)
Nov. 13th, 2010 12:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smackenzieKatie was still teasing Jared about his new “friend” – she even used the air quotes when she said it – on Friday, especially since Jared had let slip that they’d already talked on the phone and texted back and forth a bunch of times, and they were supposed to be seeing a movie together on Saturday. Jensen had the day off, and the Belcourt was showing For a Few Dollars More and High Plains Drifter, neither of which Jared had seen, and in fact Jared wasn’t sure if Jensen was interested in both movies or just one. He should probably find out.
He called Jensen on his lunch break, got the voice mail, and left a message – “High Plains Drifter or For a Few Dollars More? They’re both showing Saturday. Gimme a call when you get a chance.” Katie overheard him and snickered. Jared just rolled his eyes. He didn’t care if she thought he had a thing for the guy.
Later that afternoon he started on a 2006 Chevy Impala, determining that he’d probably have to dismantle it in an attempt to figure out what was rattling around when you turned the air or the heat on. Tom was in the bay next to him realigning a Jeep Cherokee, and Katie was doing a state inspection on an old LeSabre when Aldis bounced through the garage, telling everyone “Go outside right now, you can thank me later.”
“I can’t stop an inspection,” Katie protested.
He wasn’t listening. Jared very carefully put down his tools and wiped his hands, and Tom crawled out from under the Jeep and they both followed Aldis outside, where they were confronted with Jim, his friend Kim (a skinny older guy with gray hair and a craggy face), and one of the most beautiful classic cars Jared had ever seen.
“Wow,” Tom said. “What is that?”
“This is Gillian,” Kim told him.
“She’s a 1924 Model 34C Marmon,” Jim added. “Nice, huh?”
“Sweet,” Tom said, running his hand over the hood. The car looked like it had just been painted, or at least just been washed – the paint job was shiny and slick and the chrome gleamed and the whitewall tires and cream-colored canvas roof were spotless.
“She spent the whole winter in the garage,” Kim said. “She needed to run. Jim said I should bring her by.”
“Holy shit,” Katie exclaimed, coming out of the garage after having apparently finished her inspection. “Where did you get that car?”
“Kentucky. She’d been in a barn for thirty years, and it took me twelve to restore her properly. There’s a 1924 engine under the hood.” He patted it fondly.
Jared leaned into the driver’s side window to peer at the dashboard and what passed for driving controls ninety years ago. The interior looked just as pristine as the exterior.
“I note you didn’t even put in an ashtray,” Jim said.
“What kind of gas does she take?” Aldis asked.
“Unleaded. She doesn’t even need high-test.”
“It took you twelve years to find all the parts?” Jared asked, at the same time Katie wanted to know if they could take the car out now. She grinned hopefully. Jim laughed.
“No, but you can sit in her,” Kim said.
“Ten minutes,” Jim told them, “and then back to work.”
Kim hung around answering questions and letting them look under the hood, and after ten minutes Jim shooed everyone back into the garage and he and Kim went into his office and shut the door. They’d been friends longer than the garage had been open, and while the mechanics knew Kim as a collector and restorer of classic cars, the 1924 Marmon was the first of his cars they’d ever seen. Normally he’d show up, sit in Jim’s office shooting the shit, and leave without showing off any of his old cars or even much of himself. In the four years Jared had been working there, he’d actually seen Kim all of three times.
“So that’s the Mysterious Mr Manners,” Katie mused, after they’d all gone back to work. She was the newest hire and had heard about him and his cars, but never met him in person.
“That is indeed,” Aldis said.
“It took him twelve years to restore that?” Tom repeated.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right parts in the right condition,” Jared told him. This he knew from experience. Whether or not he’d ever be able to take his motorcycles on the road depended entirely on how long it took to find parts he could afford. He’d bought the Triumph in reasonably decent condition, considering its age, and it wasn’t too difficult to scrounge up the parts he needed, but Ariel effectively went out of business in 1970 and he knew that fixing that one up would take him years.
(If he didn’t care about authenticity it might not take as long, but he really wanted as many original parts as possible in his bikes.)
“You think he’ll bring it back and take us out in it?” Katie wondered.
“Maybe he’ll let Beth photograph it,” Aldis said.
“Seriously?” Jared said, incredulously. If he was a photographer he’d be all over it, but from what he knew of Beth’s work, cars weren’t exactly her thing. She did a lot of arty black and white photography, and yeah, you could probably take some really artistic shots of a ’24 Marmon, but she was more interested in taking oddly-angled pictures of people and unexpected, surreal little things. And snapshots. And weddings, but she had to pay the bills somehow. Her wedding pictures were actually very pretty.
Jared went back to his Impala, Tom climbed under the Jeep, and Aldis went to find Jim because he couldn’t remember what was next on his list of things to do. And Katie went to the bathroom, which the boys knew because she had to announce it. It was times like these Jared was glad he’d grown up with an occasionally-bratty younger sister.
He checked his phone during his late-afternoon break and there was a message from Jensen – “Something came up – it’s good, don’t worry – and I can’t make Saturday afternoon. What about night?” So Jared looked up the Belcourt web site on his phone and called Jensen back, got the voice mail again – was Jensen at work? Jared felt like he should know this – and texted instead: “Midnight showing of The Goonies, wanna go?”
And Jensen did, although Jared didn’t actually talk to him until much later that night.
“Sorry about the phone tag,” Jensen said, “but I was at the coffeeshop all day and we’re not supposed to answer our phones unless we’re on break.”
“Yeah, us too. But then people just call the garage when they want to talk to someone. Tom’s mom used to do it all the time. He’s another one of the mechanics, did I tell you about him?”
“Kinda cute, kinda dumb, Katie thinks he’s fucking his housemate.” The way Jensen said it, like he was counting off on his fingers, made Jared laugh.
“Yeah, that’s about it. He’s a good guy, knows cars, but he’s kinda one burger short of a Happy Meal, you know? So The Goonies is good?”
“Oh yeah. When I was little I had a babysitter who loved Josh Brolin. She’d bring the movie over and we’d watch it. I liked it a lot.”
“I caught it on cable when I was, like, sixteen. I was probably too old for it but – agh, Harley, off the couch.” Although he should really have said “Off me,” because even though the dogs were allowed on the couch, Jared didn’t always appreciate it when they decided that meant they were allowed to sit on him. And Harley was not a small dog.
Jared shoved the dog’s shoulder, but Harley just licked his face.
“Fine,” Jared muttered, “you win.”
“I did?” Jensen said on the other end of the phone. “What’d I win?”
“Not you, my dog. He’s sitting on me. Oh, not you too,” he told Sadie, who was now sitting practically on Jared’s feet and looking at him longingly.
“Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take up the entire piece of furniture?” Jensen laughed.
“Something like that, yeah. It’s really their house, I just live in it. So about tomorrow, I’ll meet you at the theater about eleven, is that cool?"
“That’s cool. I got directions, I’ll be fine. And I don’t have to be in until two on Sunday.”
“So we can be out all night. Good to know.”
They chatted for another few minutes, and then Jensen’s roommate came home and announced they were going out – Jensen helpfully relayed this back to Jared – so they both got off the phone.
Saturday night, Jared reminded his dogs that he was going out late and would be home late and they should keep an eye out for any strangers, and they didn’t have to wait up for him. They just cocked their heads, barked, and licked his face when he bent down to say goodbye.
Jared had no problem with the fact that he talked to his dogs like they were people, and sometimes treated them that way. Lots of dog owners did that. It beat talking to people – or treating them – like they were dogs.
He rode his Harley into town because he could and because it had been a while since he’d gotten a chance to take it out. He’d have to be very careful going home - he guessed he’d be tired and there was always more risk riding at night than during the day, because he was harder to see.
words: 1625
total words: 22,159
(the mysterious mr manners' 1924 marmon)
He called Jensen on his lunch break, got the voice mail, and left a message – “High Plains Drifter or For a Few Dollars More? They’re both showing Saturday. Gimme a call when you get a chance.” Katie overheard him and snickered. Jared just rolled his eyes. He didn’t care if she thought he had a thing for the guy.
Later that afternoon he started on a 2006 Chevy Impala, determining that he’d probably have to dismantle it in an attempt to figure out what was rattling around when you turned the air or the heat on. Tom was in the bay next to him realigning a Jeep Cherokee, and Katie was doing a state inspection on an old LeSabre when Aldis bounced through the garage, telling everyone “Go outside right now, you can thank me later.”
“I can’t stop an inspection,” Katie protested.
He wasn’t listening. Jared very carefully put down his tools and wiped his hands, and Tom crawled out from under the Jeep and they both followed Aldis outside, where they were confronted with Jim, his friend Kim (a skinny older guy with gray hair and a craggy face), and one of the most beautiful classic cars Jared had ever seen.
“Wow,” Tom said. “What is that?”
“This is Gillian,” Kim told him.
“She’s a 1924 Model 34C Marmon,” Jim added. “Nice, huh?”
“Sweet,” Tom said, running his hand over the hood. The car looked like it had just been painted, or at least just been washed – the paint job was shiny and slick and the chrome gleamed and the whitewall tires and cream-colored canvas roof were spotless.
“She spent the whole winter in the garage,” Kim said. “She needed to run. Jim said I should bring her by.”
“Holy shit,” Katie exclaimed, coming out of the garage after having apparently finished her inspection. “Where did you get that car?”
“Kentucky. She’d been in a barn for thirty years, and it took me twelve to restore her properly. There’s a 1924 engine under the hood.” He patted it fondly.
Jared leaned into the driver’s side window to peer at the dashboard and what passed for driving controls ninety years ago. The interior looked just as pristine as the exterior.
“I note you didn’t even put in an ashtray,” Jim said.
“What kind of gas does she take?” Aldis asked.
“Unleaded. She doesn’t even need high-test.”
“It took you twelve years to find all the parts?” Jared asked, at the same time Katie wanted to know if they could take the car out now. She grinned hopefully. Jim laughed.
“No, but you can sit in her,” Kim said.
“Ten minutes,” Jim told them, “and then back to work.”
Kim hung around answering questions and letting them look under the hood, and after ten minutes Jim shooed everyone back into the garage and he and Kim went into his office and shut the door. They’d been friends longer than the garage had been open, and while the mechanics knew Kim as a collector and restorer of classic cars, the 1924 Marmon was the first of his cars they’d ever seen. Normally he’d show up, sit in Jim’s office shooting the shit, and leave without showing off any of his old cars or even much of himself. In the four years Jared had been working there, he’d actually seen Kim all of three times.
“So that’s the Mysterious Mr Manners,” Katie mused, after they’d all gone back to work. She was the newest hire and had heard about him and his cars, but never met him in person.
“That is indeed,” Aldis said.
“It took him twelve years to restore that?” Tom repeated.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right parts in the right condition,” Jared told him. This he knew from experience. Whether or not he’d ever be able to take his motorcycles on the road depended entirely on how long it took to find parts he could afford. He’d bought the Triumph in reasonably decent condition, considering its age, and it wasn’t too difficult to scrounge up the parts he needed, but Ariel effectively went out of business in 1970 and he knew that fixing that one up would take him years.
(If he didn’t care about authenticity it might not take as long, but he really wanted as many original parts as possible in his bikes.)
“You think he’ll bring it back and take us out in it?” Katie wondered.
“Maybe he’ll let Beth photograph it,” Aldis said.
“Seriously?” Jared said, incredulously. If he was a photographer he’d be all over it, but from what he knew of Beth’s work, cars weren’t exactly her thing. She did a lot of arty black and white photography, and yeah, you could probably take some really artistic shots of a ’24 Marmon, but she was more interested in taking oddly-angled pictures of people and unexpected, surreal little things. And snapshots. And weddings, but she had to pay the bills somehow. Her wedding pictures were actually very pretty.
Jared went back to his Impala, Tom climbed under the Jeep, and Aldis went to find Jim because he couldn’t remember what was next on his list of things to do. And Katie went to the bathroom, which the boys knew because she had to announce it. It was times like these Jared was glad he’d grown up with an occasionally-bratty younger sister.
He checked his phone during his late-afternoon break and there was a message from Jensen – “Something came up – it’s good, don’t worry – and I can’t make Saturday afternoon. What about night?” So Jared looked up the Belcourt web site on his phone and called Jensen back, got the voice mail again – was Jensen at work? Jared felt like he should know this – and texted instead: “Midnight showing of The Goonies, wanna go?”
And Jensen did, although Jared didn’t actually talk to him until much later that night.
“Sorry about the phone tag,” Jensen said, “but I was at the coffeeshop all day and we’re not supposed to answer our phones unless we’re on break.”
“Yeah, us too. But then people just call the garage when they want to talk to someone. Tom’s mom used to do it all the time. He’s another one of the mechanics, did I tell you about him?”
“Kinda cute, kinda dumb, Katie thinks he’s fucking his housemate.” The way Jensen said it, like he was counting off on his fingers, made Jared laugh.
“Yeah, that’s about it. He’s a good guy, knows cars, but he’s kinda one burger short of a Happy Meal, you know? So The Goonies is good?”
“Oh yeah. When I was little I had a babysitter who loved Josh Brolin. She’d bring the movie over and we’d watch it. I liked it a lot.”
“I caught it on cable when I was, like, sixteen. I was probably too old for it but – agh, Harley, off the couch.” Although he should really have said “Off me,” because even though the dogs were allowed on the couch, Jared didn’t always appreciate it when they decided that meant they were allowed to sit on him. And Harley was not a small dog.
Jared shoved the dog’s shoulder, but Harley just licked his face.
“Fine,” Jared muttered, “you win.”
“I did?” Jensen said on the other end of the phone. “What’d I win?”
“Not you, my dog. He’s sitting on me. Oh, not you too,” he told Sadie, who was now sitting practically on Jared’s feet and looking at him longingly.
“Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take up the entire piece of furniture?” Jensen laughed.
“Something like that, yeah. It’s really their house, I just live in it. So about tomorrow, I’ll meet you at the theater about eleven, is that cool?"
“That’s cool. I got directions, I’ll be fine. And I don’t have to be in until two on Sunday.”
“So we can be out all night. Good to know.”
They chatted for another few minutes, and then Jensen’s roommate came home and announced they were going out – Jensen helpfully relayed this back to Jared – so they both got off the phone.
Saturday night, Jared reminded his dogs that he was going out late and would be home late and they should keep an eye out for any strangers, and they didn’t have to wait up for him. They just cocked their heads, barked, and licked his face when he bent down to say goodbye.
Jared had no problem with the fact that he talked to his dogs like they were people, and sometimes treated them that way. Lots of dog owners did that. It beat talking to people – or treating them – like they were dogs.
He rode his Harley into town because he could and because it had been a while since he’d gotten a chance to take it out. He’d have to be very careful going home - he guessed he’d be tired and there was always more risk riding at night than during the day, because he was harder to see.
words: 1625
total words: 22,159
(the mysterious mr manners' 1924 marmon)
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no subject
Date: 2010-11-13 06:36 pm (UTC)I really like your dialogues. :) (And I think I should sometime watch The Goonies - it seems to be a classic, huh?)
no subject
Date: 2010-11-13 10:23 pm (UTC)you should totally watch the goonies! it's twenty-five this year. O.O it's a classic mid-80s kids'-adventure movie, with sean astin when he was wee, waaaay before lotr. it's really, really cute.