Samantha and her mom had brought their beat up Subaru in for repair. Victor knew immediately that it needed an expensive head gasket replacement. Even at his rates, that was over a thousand dollars.
That night, he'd told Mary the story. "I looked at them out of the corner of my eye. I could tell the woman was nervous, expecting bad news. You know how it is, times are tough and with some people their car means they can work and earn and live. Without it . . . well, you know."
Mary understood. She saw it in the schools and in the free clinic practically every day; kids whose parents had nothing, who were on welfare, who had given up. It made it very easy for the kids to give up too.
"All the time the damned phone kept ringing. I tell everyone that if I don't answer, I'm busy and to try back later. But it kept ringing until the daughter picked it up. 'Fix It Right,' she said like she owned the place, 'How can I help?' I was surprised, but she seemed to know what she was doing. I heard her say, 'Yes ma'am. I'm Sam. I'm just helping out. Okay, I'll ask him.'
"She put her hand over the phone and said, ‘It's a Mrs. Mosby. She wants to bring in the Buick for a tune up on the twenty third. Got an appointment book?' Mary, I laughed. I told her to just tell her that date was fine.
"The mother seemed to be embarrassed, like her daughter had stepped over some type of line. She tried to explain, 'I work at the desk of a motel. She helps me sometimes, answering the phone when I'm busy.'
"Darned if the girl didn't say, 'I can help you too. Looks like you need it. I could come over after school; it's only a couple of blocks. I could answer the phone, get you organized.' Before I knew it, Mary, we had an employee.”
There was one part of the story he'd left out. Mary asked, "What did you tell them about the car?"
He looked sheepish. "Ah . . . well, I told them it would be seventy five bucks. You should have seen the mother, Mary. She was so relieved. She looked like she was almost crying. She said, 'I thought it was going to be bad, real bad.' Samantha was watching me, Mary. I think she knew what was going on.”
Three years later, Samantha's mother died of cancer. It was mercifully quick. At the end, Mary was with the two of them every day, offering comfort and a shoulder to cry on. Samantha was on her own now and going to junior college. She also was a part of their family.
***
Samantha normally set the topic of conversation at lunch, but today there was only one thing everyone was discussing - the attack yesterday in Chicago. The radio had been broadcasting the story all morning.
"I just heard there are a hundred twenty four confirmed dead, but they expect that number to rise."
Victor nodded, "Yeah, it's an old trick. They plant a bomb and then a second one where they figure people will gather to try and help the first victims."
Mary handed them each a wrapped Reuben sandwich. She knew it was Sam's favorite for lunch. "I just don't get it. How can people do such things? They must be evil, deep down inside."
"Lots of people are," said Victor.
They ate in silence for a while. Samantha took a giant bite of her sandwich. Mary was amazed at how much that girl could eat and never put on an ounce.
"So Vic, what happens to the airports now? Will they move security outside the building? Will they make everyone go in naked?"
Sam was serious in her questions. She figured that Victor would know just about everything about terrorists - he'd been in the Middle East. Her cousin was in the Army and when she told him that her boss was a Ranger, he was really impressed, "Those are some bad ass dudes, Sam - actually, more than bad ass. They only accept bad ass dudes into their Ranger school and almost sixty percent of them fail. The ones that make it are super bad ass."
"I don't know, Sam. It's a big problem. If they move security to
That night, he'd told Mary the story. "I looked at them out of the corner of my eye. I could tell the woman was nervous, expecting bad news. You know how it is, times are tough and with some people their car means they can work and earn and live. Without it . . . well, you know."
Mary understood. She saw it in the schools and in the free clinic practically every day; kids whose parents had nothing, who were on welfare, who had given up. It made it very easy for the kids to give up too.
"All the time the damned phone kept ringing. I tell everyone that if I don't answer, I'm busy and to try back later. But it kept ringing until the daughter picked it up. 'Fix It Right,' she said like she owned the place, 'How can I help?' I was surprised, but she seemed to know what she was doing. I heard her say, 'Yes ma'am. I'm Sam. I'm just helping out. Okay, I'll ask him.'
"She put her hand over the phone and said, ‘It's a Mrs. Mosby. She wants to bring in the Buick for a tune up on the twenty third. Got an appointment book?' Mary, I laughed. I told her to just tell her that date was fine.
"The mother seemed to be embarrassed, like her daughter had stepped over some type of line. She tried to explain, 'I work at the desk of a motel. She helps me sometimes, answering the phone when I'm busy.'
"Darned if the girl didn't say, 'I can help you too. Looks like you need it. I could come over after school; it's only a couple of blocks. I could answer the phone, get you organized.' Before I knew it, Mary, we had an employee.”
There was one part of the story he'd left out. Mary asked, "What did you tell them about the car?"
He looked sheepish. "Ah . . . well, I told them it would be seventy five bucks. You should have seen the mother, Mary. She was so relieved. She looked like she was almost crying. She said, 'I thought it was going to be bad, real bad.' Samantha was watching me, Mary. I think she knew what was going on.”
Three years later, Samantha's mother died of cancer. It was mercifully quick. At the end, Mary was with the two of them every day, offering comfort and a shoulder to cry on. Samantha was on her own now and going to junior college. She also was a part of their family.
***
Samantha normally set the topic of conversation at lunch, but today there was only one thing everyone was discussing - the attack yesterday in Chicago. The radio had been broadcasting the story all morning.
"I just heard there are a hundred twenty four confirmed dead, but they expect that number to rise."
Victor nodded, "Yeah, it's an old trick. They plant a bomb and then a second one where they figure people will gather to try and help the first victims."
Mary handed them each a wrapped Reuben sandwich. She knew it was Sam's favorite for lunch. "I just don't get it. How can people do such things? They must be evil, deep down inside."
"Lots of people are," said Victor.
They ate in silence for a while. Samantha took a giant bite of her sandwich. Mary was amazed at how much that girl could eat and never put on an ounce.
"So Vic, what happens to the airports now? Will they move security outside the building? Will they make everyone go in naked?"
Sam was serious in her questions. She figured that Victor would know just about everything about terrorists - he'd been in the Middle East. Her cousin was in the Army and when she told him that her boss was a Ranger, he was really impressed, "Those are some bad ass dudes, Sam - actually, more than bad ass. They only accept bad ass dudes into their Ranger school and almost sixty percent of them fail. The ones that make it are super bad ass."
"I don't know, Sam. It's a big problem. If they move security to
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