Chance Encounters

FRANK’S POV

‘God I wish I had another set of hands.’ I said to nobody in particular. The swear beaded off my forehead as the summer sun hit my back. Two more weeks and harvest season will be here. Finishing tightening the last bolt on a combine,I wrote the work order and gave the customer a call,one more farmer ready for the harvest. Owning my own agricultural shop was fun and I enjoyed the company of farmers,but since nobody wanted to wrench it was rather hard finding help especially an apprentice. Not to mention I’m a bit of an ass hole when I want to be.

I started my 52’ Ford truck. It will be a long fall season if this keeps up. I sighed outwardly, I drove to my favorite hole in the wall bar for a drink. Maybe if I keep looking and asking someone will be willing to help me. Pulling into the lot I seen the same people here,most were blue collared workers just like me. The walls were coated with cigarette smoke and a fight was taking place in a corner. The bar keep’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “The usual Frank?” I nodded. “Yeah strong on the whiskey today was rough.” She smiled making my Manhattan. “Hey ya Frank!!” A voice came up behind me sitting down. It was the shop teacher from mallow, he grew up with me and we weren’t super close,but I knew him. “What’s the good word?” I asked. He shrugged, “I have a new senior student in my class.” I glanced at him through the corner of my eye, “So just looking for an easy A?” He shrugged, “No clue,maybe not.” I nodded, “Did class start yet?” He shook his head throwing back the beer he ordered. “Nope,tomorrow it does and I’m not looking forward to it,maybe I should just retire from teaching.” I laughed,”Well you could always help me at my shop.” He smiled. “Fat chance I’ll work on a tractor.” I sighed. I paid my tab and left the bar.

Pulling into my driveway felt empty. My wife passed fourteen years ago and it hasn’t been the same without her around. My only friend was my dog Cam. She’s a collie and runs around on my small farm. She nuzzled me as I untied my boots. “Oh alright… I’ll throw the frisbee for you.” Before I could manage to get my boots off a knock on the front door echoed throughout the house. I rolled my eyes. Only one person would be knocking on my door at nine at night. Opening it up revealed Douglas. A ragtag “farmer” who tries to breed goats unsuccessfully. “Hello Douglas.” I said with edge in my voice. His long black hair tied up in a straw hat. “One a my goats…” I instantly cut him off. “Got out again and you need Cam to go heard them into their stall.” I finished his sentence sarcastically and rolling my eyes. He nodded, “Yes.” He said. I sighed and called Cam to me. Now to wrangle a goat.

Don’t ask me how Douglas managed to have the most goats that lacked brain cells,but then again Douglas didn’t have too many of his own. Can let out a bark as Douglas and I walked together towards the neighbors’ fields. Lo and behold there was a goat standing in the middle of the dirt road just waiting for a truck to come by and hit it. Cam went and herded the goat back to its pen. “Thank ya neighbor,I’ll give ya some goat cheese when I make some.” I nodded and took off,I didn’t care about that I just wanted to go home and relax. Cam looked up at me as we took off back towards my house. “Yeah girl it’s about your dinner time,you can thank Douglas for distracting me.” She trotted contently next to me.

I would have cooked dinner for myself,but there wasn’t much of a point. I fed Cam and listened to the radio. All vietnam,I was in Korea and I know how bad it can get in war. I was hoping that Nixon will pull us out of war soon,but it was wishful thinking on my end. Cam of course gulped down her food and looked at me as I made popcorn. “Yup dinner of champs girl. I’ll share with you just let me make it and put on a movie.” I melted butter in a pan and poured it all over the popcorn. Probably not the best for a dog,but hey she’s a good dog. I turned on Great Escape and sat on the couch.

I woke up noticing Cam licking the bowl of what once contained butter popcorn. I sighed,can’t be mad at her because it was my fault. Glancing at my grandfather clock it said the time was 6:30, damn it, I over slept. Can licked my face as I hopped out of bed.. “I’ll feed ya girl,but I’ve got a meeting with some other mechanics and some farmers today and I overslept.” I poured Cam a bowl of food and got in the shower. No time to really put myself together. Starting my truck I floored it to county line. I slammed my coffee down and set my cup down on my truck floor. This meeting was unfortunately needed. My head rang from the vietnam news and eventually I punched the radio quiet.

The meeting could only be described as boring and not super important,yet everyone wanted me to be here. “Frank? Are you even listening?” My buddy Brian hissed at me. I tuned back into the conversation of the farmers and other mechanics talking about what commonly goes wrong with their equipment. I nodded, and lied through my teeth, “Yeah,but it’s going on noon and I haven’t opened my shop up yet.” Brian chuckled underneath his breath and responded, “Go open up I’ll catch you at the bar tonight.” I excused myself and said my goodbyes.

Finally pulling into my building I threw my handwritten sign out front. Help wanted inquire within. Good enough maybe someone will want a job if not it’ll just be another year of working by myself. I looked at the shop full of work and decided that indeed a second set of hands would be nice,however I’ll crank out as much as I can by myself. I went to work straight away working on a bailer. The shoot didn’t want to come off,but some heat persuaded it to come off. Unclogging it and power washing it before 1:20 was a miracle by itself. Walking back over to my oak desk I popped a bottle and allowed myself a shot of whiskey for lunch. Breaking the silence that I was accustomed to was a 57’ Ford. I looked out the dust covered window. “Oh joy more equipment to work on.” I mumbled throwing my shot back down my throat. The candy apple paint job and chrome on the truck was almost blinding as it sat in the sun. The door made its chime as a girl came in. Flannel,blue jeans and boots definitely a country kid. “Hello sir.” She said with a face as red as her truck. I smiled. “How can I help ya?” I asked debating on if she was a farmer’s kid or got lost. Then I heard the near Canadian accent, “I know I don’t look like much,but I seen your sign out front and I do know some stuff about wrenching. I’d be willing to be an apprentice and learn about farm equipment.” I chuckled, the gods favored me today. I’d take a toad for a partner if it knew about wrenching. I nodded, “Not a problem, come back tomorrow around the same time and I’ll see what you know, if I like what I see you’ve got a job.” She nodded and said thank you with the biggest grin on her face.

Tomorrow rolled around fast enough. Much to my surprise she was already in the parking lot. The big 350 made my 100 look like a toy,amazing that she actually could drive that boat of a truck. I handed her a pretty simple work order. A wheel bearing change on a John Deere. I sipped on my mtn dew as I watched. Pretty damn impressive that she didn’t even need to be guided through anything. After she finished she wiped the grease on her jeans and smiled. I couldn’t help,but to grin back the energy this kid had was definitely contagious. “Congratulations I have a stack of work orders and a job with your name on it.” She shook my hand and continued to come in.

Slowly it started to feel like I adopted a kid. She busted her back working for me and eventually I ended up grilling some food for us. Shrimp stir fry. “Damn Kidd you might choke if you inhale any faster.” She laughed and continued to inhale food. “Yeah I’m just really hungry,I might smoke a lot,but honestly I haven’t had a good meal in a while.” I shrugged, “Thank ya, my wife used to like…” I trailed off quickly changing the topic. “Hey kidd you know that boy really likes you.” She looked at me like I’d gone insane. “Mark is a good guy,go for him.” She shook her head. “Nah,I’m not his type,just a good friend.” I couldn’t help,but laugh at that. “No I’m serious he’s falling for you. Plus he’s impressed that you are able to wrench like that.” She laughed. We both heard the Olds and Covair pull into the shop. It almost felt like I’ve adopted both her friends too. I smiled to myself,hopefully my wife was looking down on me and was proud of what I was doing.

By now the work was in full swing, and with her getting better and better by the day I handed her a stack of paper work. It was a tech school and they had an agricultural mechanic program, only by recommendation were you allowed to go. “Here,think about going here UNOH is an amazing school and I’ll pay for it,I just want your help for three years after you graduate.” She took the stack and in turn handed me two letters her father sent her. And asked if I would mind letting her have time off to go duck hunting. “Glad he’s writing you,and absolutely not go hunting,just bring me back some meat.” She smiled. I’m glad that she was happy and a good shop hand. Gender doesn’t matter to me it’s the work ethic,and she isn’t scared to try and fix anything so it was amazing that shops turned her down.

Today was a rough wake up. Feeding Cam I walked out the door. Turning on my radio for the first time in months, was listening to the vietnam news. A platoon of six men were killed during a Vietcong attack! One of them a marine. I panicked,blood running through my veins turned to glue as I gulped. Only one marine was injured the rest were army which meant the possibility of it being her father were 99%. The news of vietnam was always days off from when the actual event happened. I shifted my truck into third gear and floored it to my shop. She already was there due to her and Mark camping in the back 20. Not to far behind me was an Olds. Damn it he and Larry knew. We opened the shop door to see her blissfully working on a tractor. “Hey kidd take the day off and don’t listen to the radio.” She shook her head arguing with me about wanting to fix the tractor. This irritated me and she actually had the audacity to get back underneath the thing and continue working. I leaned into Mark’s ear. “Larry and I will take her feet you take her shoulders, we need to get to her mothers house and inform her as well.” Mark nodded.

Of course she was cussing like a sailor when we all picked her up so tape over mouth it was. Honestly the whole situation looked like a kidnapping was going on. As much as I like her,the stubbornness had to be the most obnoxious part. I drove as Larry rode shotgun. I knew where she lived as her mother recently kicked her out and I had to personally go with her to explain why she’s good at what she does. Making it before anything else went wrong, I ripped the tape off her mouth and we went into the house.

Cold was an understatement on how her own mother treated her. “Have you any idea what a pain this child is?” Before I could answer Skye walked over to the door that was being pounded on. A black car was parked out front and two marines got out,one handed her a jacket and before anyone asked what was wrong she took off running. “Her father was just slaughtered in the jungle and you can’t even empathize with her and how she feels?!! You have to be kidding me!!” Larry screamed. Her mother shook her head. “What’s there to like, she’s nothing besides a slut hanging around guys and only guys.” Larry who normally was a soft spoken kid turned violent. “MARK AND SKYE HAVE NOT EVEN HAD s*x LET ALONE HER AND I!!! HER AND I AREN’T EVEN A COUPLE!!!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. His soft green eyes were glinting with anger and I calmed him down. “If you don’t care about your daughter then let her live with me. I’ll treat her like the kid I never had.” Her mother glared at me. “Why do you have such an interest?” She asked with a tone that sounded like razor blades being gargled. “I care about seeing her succeed, clearly you don’t. Clearly you want her out of your life so why does it matter.” Larry was hiding a smile. Living next door to them he’s heard the arguments they have had. “Fine, do what you will, get all of her stuff out of my house as she will be living with you.” I nodded and got up. Larry showed me her room which most everything was still in boxes, smart kid. I took the two remaining boxes and Larry took the plant. Putting it all in Mark’s trunk we left to go find them two.