New Girl in Town Pt. 08

"I'm afraid I didn't." I answer. "You're going to want to hang a left out of the neighborhood and then another left at the first stop sign."

"Got it," He answers.

"I thought this going to be a family outing. Where are Sarah and your mom?" I ask Jessica.

"Sarah insisted that she needed to get ready for our big date tonight so mom is indulging her a little." Jessica answers.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yep. Sarah's getting her hair done and I think they're even going to a nail salon if they have the time." She tells me.

"Sounds like you're missing out on some quality mom and daughter bonding time." I point out.

"I know, right? I mean I'm the one with the date but Sarah's the one that's getting all prettied up for it." She states and turns to her dad. "How is that fair, Dad?"

"Well, you might be getting a car today so I think that kind of trumps hair and nails." He answers.

"You're a guy so of course you'd think that." Jessica states sticking her tongue out him playfully then she looks back at me. "I've got quite a few of those on Sarah by now. She can stand to get caught up a little."

"We'll call them if we happen to luck out and find Jess a car today." Mr. Golden adds. "They'll meet up with us so she can give a thumbs up or down on it."

"Mom's word is law so no hellbeasts , Jake." Jessica laughs.

"Maybe just one to test drive," I tell her with a wink.

She grins. "Maybe one test drive wouldn't hurt but only if it's the right car."

"If anyone's test driving any hellbeasts I think it should be me." Mr. Golden states also grinning. "You know, just to be on the safe side."

"Hey, we're looking for me a car here." Jessica tells him then gives me a playful glare. "You're taking all the blame if he comes home with a muscle car and I get stuck with this thing, Jake."

****

Grady Fishel is sitting on a ratty looking rocking chair swatting at flies in the morning sun when we pull into his gravel lot.

"It may not look like much but Mr. Fishel has some hidden gems tucked around this place." I assure Mr. Golden as he pulls to stop.

"This is where you tell me to trust you isn't it, Jake?" Jessica asks as she looks around the junk piles in the area.

"I'm pretty sure that I haven't let you down yet." I answer as I hop out of the car.

"I haven't forgotten the whole ringtone thing yet, Jake. Other than that though, I suppose that you haven't." Jessica shakes her head as she opens her door.

"I don't want none, don't need none and even if I did, I wouldn't buy it from you, Jake Gibson." Grady calls out in greeting.

"I'm pretty sure that's what I'm supposed to be saying to you Mr. Fishel." I answer.

"Smartass," He chuckles then nods at Mr. Golden and Jessica. "This one didn't kidnap you good people did he?"

"Uh... no." Jessica answers confused.

"Maybe," Mr. Golden answers and gets a swat from Jessica.

"Mr. Fishel, this is Mr. Golden and his daughter Jessica. They're looking for a car for her and Mr. Golden needs to be introduced to Phoebe ." I tell him.

Grady's eyes light up for a brief moment and he gives us a smile. " Phoebe , huh? I suppose that can be arranged as long as you know Jake here. Follow me then."

"What's going on?" Jessica whispers to me as we walk along the dusty path towards the nearby garage.

"Did you already forget that you trust me?" I ask.

"No, but I also watch horror movies and this doesn't end well for the pretty blonde girl." She shares.

"It ends fine for you if your name comes before the title." I point out. "Well, usually."

"That's not helpful." She responds as we reach the garage.

Mr. Fishel produces a garage door opener from his coveralls and hits the button. The battered and weather worn door begins its slow ascent with a squeal of protest from the chain. Jessica grips my arm tight as if Leatherface himself is about to burst out from the shadowy interior with his chainsaw in hand. Mr. Fishel glances over at us and gives me a wink before turning back to Mr. Golden.

"What do you think of Jake's car, Mr. Golden?" he asks.

"She's a work of art." Mr. Golden answers.

"That she is or at least she was until he had to go and put that new fangled music system in her." Mr. Fishel grumbles and shoots me a glare.

"She had an 8 track in her when I got her." I argue. "That was a way bigger crime than my adding and auxiliary port and some new speakers to her."

Mr. Fishel dismisses me with a wave of his hand as the door reaches its zenith.

"Oh wow!" Mr. Golden exclaims as the overhead lights flicker to life, illuminating a pristine looking garage and even more pristine looking 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS painted midnight blue with duel black racing stripes down her center.

"Meet Phoebe ," Mr. Fishel says as he sweeps his arm towards the car like the old game show hosts used to do.

"Is she a 70 or a 71?" Mr. Golden asks not taking his eyes from the car.

"70," Mr. Fishel answers with a grin. "Go on in and get a good look at her. She rarely ever bites."

"Jessica, come check this out." Mr. Golden tells her as he steps into the garage.

"Men," Jessica sighs but with a smile as she steps away from me to join her dad at looking over the Chevelle.

****

While Mr. Golden and Jessica are looking over the car, Mr. Fishel steps over to me with a smile.

"You know they told us that we'd go blind or grow hair on our palms if we did it too much. Nowadays you kids end up in a sling from over abuse." He chuckles.

"That's not why and you know it." I tell him as quiet as I can so I'm not overheard. "Besides, that's the wrong arm anyhow."

"Oh that's right. You're one of those that's ambro-sexist ain't cha?" He asks.

"That's not even in the same ballpark and you know it." I point out.

"Bah," he waves at me then goes over to pop the hood of Phoebe for Mr. Golden to get a look.

"Isn't she something, Jess?" Mr. Golden asks as he looks over the engine.

"She's pretty that's for sure." Jessica answers.

Mr. Fishel chuckles and pushes back from underneath the hood. "I think the lady would like us to get a move on, Mr. Golden."

"Call me Tim, Mr. Fishel." Mr. Golden answers as he continues looking over the engine.

"Well you can call me Grady or mud if that girl of yours don't get a look at something that you might actually be able to buy today." Mr. Fishel tells him.

Mr. Golden looks over at Jessica and gives her a sheepish shrug. "Sorry baby but you know how I get."

"I learned that when you spent an hour looking under the hood of Jake's Mustang." Jessica answers. "Not that I don't think that Phoebe here isn't gorgeous but we are on a bit of a clock."

"Big date tonight, huh?" Mr. Fishel teases while giving me a glance.

"Something like that, sir." Jessica answers.

"It can't be with Jake here though can it? A girl as pretty as you are is way out of his league. Blink if you're being forced into this date." He laughs while giving me a nudge.

"No blinks and I'm kind of the one that asked him to take me out tonight." Jessica corrects him. "It's just a shame that we can't take his Mustang tonight. My little sister is coming along and she would have gotten a kick out of riding in that."

"You know, I think I have something that might be right up your alley then." Mr. Fishel tells her.

He begins to lead us around the corner of the first garage and to the second garage, which sits further back from the road.

"You have a lot of garages here, Grady. Do you have cars in all of them?" Mr. Golden asks as we walk along.

"I used to but I've been selling more than buying these days." He tells him as we reach the next garage. He presses the door lift on this one and it rises with an even shriller squeal. "You've gotta come by and oil these damn things for me one day, Jake. I'm getting too old to deal with all this upkeep."

"I'll get Bobby or someone to drop me by one day next week, sir." I assure him.

He turns to Jessica. "You'll make sure that he comes by to help out an old man won't you, sweetie?"

"I will as long as you'll make sure that he doesn't use his bad arm while he's helping out." Jessica answers.

"This one looks out for you, Jake. I like her." He tells me.

"She is pretty great." I answer giving Jessica a smile causing her to blush. "That's why she needs a good ride."

"Well, take a look at her and tell me what you think then." Mr. Fishel answers as he flips on the overhead lights. Sitting before us is a tungsten gray 2007 Pony edition Mustang.

"Oh wow," Jessica remarks.

"She's gorgeous," Mr. Golden states.

"I was specifically told no muscle cars ." I point out.

"I believe that we said that I could at least test drive one. You'll let me do that won't you, Mr. Fishel?" Jessica asks.

"Can't rightly try and sell you on a car you ain't drove now can I?" Mr. Fishel remarks as he retrieves the keys.

He hands them to Mr. Golden instead of Jessica though.

"I can tell that you're just itching to drive her." He chuckles.

Mr. Golden gives Jessica a shrug. "I'll drive us out and you can drive us back. Deal?"

"As if I have any choice in the matter." Jessica answers while shaking her head. She goes to the passenger side door and opens it. "Hop in, Jake."

"I think I should stay. You know for collateral in case you two decide to make a break for it with the car." I tell her.

"Now that's a smart play, Jake." Mr. Golden laughs. He notices Jessica giving him an odd look so he explains. "Jake knows that he doesn't want to be anywhere near this Mustang if we happen to run into your mom and sister while we're out driving her. He is however willing to throw me under the bus though."

"I just remember how much it hurt when Dr. Golden put my shoulder back into the socket. I'm not willing to risk her yanking it out again." I tell him.

"Mom wouldn't do that." Jessica argues.

"It'd be best if Jake hung around with me." Mr. Fishel announces as he gestures towards the Mustang. "That thing ain't got much in the way of backseats anyway."

"Thank god for that." Mr. Golden chimes in.

"Daddy!" Jessica exclaims as her face flushes red.

"I just meant that means it has more leg room in the front, sweetie." He tells her but then gives me an I'm watching you gesture as he climbs into the driver's seat. Jessica gives me a wave as Mr. Golden cranks the engine and revs it a little before pulling out of the garage.

****

"Have you named her yet?" I ask as Mr. Fishel and I watch them drive out of the lot.

"I was going to let my grandson have that honor but he didn't want her." Mr. Fishel grumbles. "He wanted one of those imports. You know the ones that sound like oversized weed whackers but run like scalded dogs?"

"I'm familiar." I answer.

"He's seen all those Fart and Furry Ass movies or some such. Damn things are always going sideways in them. Who wants a car that runs better sideways?" He asks.

"Your grandson?"

He laughs. "You'd be right on the money there, Jake. So how's Catherine running?"

"She's running fine." I answer and laugh. "I still can't get over how you named all your cars after girls you liked back in the eighties."

"They're named after sex symbols from the eighties not just girls that I liked and you know that you smartass." He states.

"I do but it's kind of fun to get you all riled up sometimes." I laugh.

"Smartass," He reiterates as he takes a seat back in his rocking chair. "Do you even recollect who Phoebe and Catherine are named after?"

"Catherine is named after Catherine Bach from Dukes of Hazzard." I tell him. "She's hard to forget since you made me leave that picture of her on the driver's side visor."

"Sorry for burdening you with having to look at a beautiful woman occasionally." He states. "Speaking of beautiful, how long have you and this Miss Jessica been an item?"

"We're just friends." I tell him.

"Horseshit," Mr. Fishel responds. "I noticed how she grabbed onto you when I went to open Phoebe's garage door."

"That was just fear." I tell him. "You've got to admit that this place gives off a horror movie vibe."

"Pfft," he snorts. "Everyone knows that the girl is always the one that survives those flicks."

"I told her that but she wasn't having it." I explain as I lean against a nearby post to wait for Jessica and her dad to get back.

"You wouldn't run up to the house and grab me a soda would you, Jake?" Mr. Fishel asks just as I'm getting comfortable.

"Expecting a tough negotiation why they get back?" I jokingly ask.

"You know, you'd be a lot funnier if I had a drink in my hand." He quips.

"Grape or orange," I sigh as I push away from the post.

"Today's a grape day, I believe."

"Grape it is," I answer and head towards his house.

****

As Jessica's family are seated at an outdoor table at Smitty's, Mr. Golden picks up his drink cup with a very shaky hand. The crushed ice in the cup rattles loudly as he brings the straw to his lips.

"Oh very funny, dad." Jessica quips. "You know he's exaggerating, right?"

"I am not." Mr. Golden argues but he fails to keep a smile from creeping onto his lips.

"Yes baby," Dr. Golden answers.

"Food's here," I announce as Sarah and I return to the table, each of us with a tray of food in hand.

"Just in the nick of time, too." Jessica announces as she takes Sarah's tray.

"Was your dad doing his shaky hands thing again?" I ask as I take a seat.

"It was working better this time. I had props." Mr. Golden answers and shakes his cup to demonstrate.

"I can see that." I answer as I begin to pass out the food.

"He still wasn't convincing but it was better." Jessica allows as she accepts a hot dog and the plate of fries she said we'd share. She pops a fry into her mouth and lets out a contented sigh. "Oh god, these are good."

"Did I fail to mention that when we here before?" I ask her.

"Even if you did, I was too blinded by the ice cream to notice." Jessica states.

"Ice cream?" Sarah asks immediately.

"I... uh..." Jessica stammers looking back and forth between both her parents.

"Don't look at us, Jess." Mr. Golden chuckles.

"You brought it up and you're also the one that's taking her with you tonight so good luck with that." Dr. Golden laughs.

"You'll be fine by tonight won't you, Sarah?" I ask as I try to unwrap my cheeseburger with one hand.

"I will be... as long as I get some ice cream." Sarah states.

"You little blackmailer, you." Jessica giggles.

"Having trouble, Jake?" Dr. Golden asks noticing my difficulty with the cheeseburger wrapping.

"A little bit." I answer truthfully and turn to Jessica. "Help?"

She nods, pops another fry into her mouth, and then proceeds to unwrap my burger for me.

"You know you can probably lose the sling now." Dr. Golden tells me.

"I can?" I ask.

"Probably," She answers. "Want me to take a look after we finish eating?"

"Yes please."

"Anything to keep from going to look at my new car huh, mom?" Jessica teases.

"Your potential new car, Jess." Dr. Golden corrects her. "I thought that you'd want Jake to be able to get out of that thing."

"I do... of course I do it's just that I was hoping to be able to drive tonight." Jessica tells them.

"You can always drive my car tonight." I tell her.

"We are definitely looking at your shoulder right after this then, Jake." Mr. Golden states then when he notices that everyone is looking at him he adds, "I want to drive your car before Jessica gets a chance to."

"I'm not sure that I'd allow old Shaky hands there drive her, Jake. It wouldn't be safe." Jessica quips.

"I should have known that was going to come back to bite me." Mr. Golden sighs.

****

After we finish eating, Dr. Golden waves me to her side of the table once Jessica and Sarah have gone to get themselves some ice cream.

"All right let's lose the sling and see how things look, Jake." She tells me.

I undo the sling and place it on the table.

"Did I mention that I didn't steer Jessica towards a Mustang?" I jokingly ask as she takes hold of my wrist.

"You did." Dr. Golden answers then her grip tightens. "That doesn't mean that I believe you, however."

"You... uh... don't?" I ask.

"I'm kidding, Jake." She answers, giving me a smile as she loosens her grip. "Jessica is right. You are fun to tease."

"I'm in for such a long night." I sigh.

She glances over at the outdoor pick up window where Sarah is accepting her sundae. "That you are." She agrees with a laugh. "Okay, now hold your arm out straight and hold it there."

I follow her instructions and she studies my face as I do it.

"Any discomfort?" She asks.

"Not really." I answer. "Just feels a little weak."

"That means you've been following my instructions." She smiles. "Okay, keep it out there and resist when I push."

She pushes on the top of my hand for a moment then on the bottom before asking, "No problems there?"

"No, ma'am," I answer.

"That's good." She answers. "Take a break for a second."

I lower my arm as Jessica and Sarah return.

"How's he doing?" Jessica asks.

"Good so far." Dr. Golden answers.

"I always get a treat if I do good." Sarah tells us.

"Does that mean that you're going to share your sundae with me then?" I ask her.

She puts a protective arm between it and me and slides it closer. "You'll have to get your own, Jake." She tells me.

"If you don't cry, I'll buy you a cone, Jake." Mr. Golden chuckles.

"He introduced you to Phoebe , I'd think that would deserve more than a cone." Jessica calls out.

"Naming a car after a movie actress from the eighties," Dr. Golden snorts. "Who's ever heard of such a thing?"

"Well she is gorgeous." Mr. Golden blurts out then quickly continues when he feels his wifes eyes boring into him. "I mean the car, not the actress. I don't even remember a Phoebe Cates, I don't think."

"You, my dear are a horrible liar." Dr. Golden laughs. "Every male of your generation knows who she is. I'm willing to bet that even Jake's generation knows who she is."

"She was great in Gremlins." I state.

"Gremlins... yeah, that's the movie I was thinking about." Mr. Golden jumps in.

"Sure it was, dear." Dr. Golden says patting his hand. "Sure it was."

****

"It must almost be time for Jake." Sarah announces to the family as she sits on the couch.

"Why do you say that, Sarah?" Mr. Golden asks.

"Sissy's getting all bouncy again." Sarah answers.

"I am not!" Jessica argues as she puts her hands on her knees to force them to stop moving.

"Sarah, don't tease your sister." Dr. Golden tells her while trying not to giggle.

"Thanks mom," Jessica says. "Are you sure that Jake's shoulder is doing okay?"

"I told him that he'll want to verify things with his normal doctor but everything looked good to me." Dr. Golden answers.

"That's good." Jessica states when they begin to hear a familiar rumble.

"Speak of the devil," Mr. Golden laughs.

"And the devil appears," Jessica finishes for him.

"Jake's not a devil. He's a wildcat." Sarah points out.

"Yes we are," Jessica giggles. "Are you ready for our date , Sar-bear?"

"I am!" Sarah answers excitedly. "I want to see where the meteors shower!"

"Sarah, that's not what that means." Jessica tells her.

"I spent the better part of the morning trying to explain that to her." Dr. Golden shares. "You and Jake are in for a great date tonight."

"I'll make sure of it." Sarah announces.

"I just bet that you will." Jessica laughs.

The doorbell rings and she rises to her feet but Sarah grabs her hand.

"Daddy has to get the door." Sarah tells her.

"I'm capable of answering the door, Sarah." Jessica states.

"But in the movies the girl is upstairs and the dad answers the door." Sarah responds.