As he walked up to the garage, an acrid smell greeted him. Scott glanced over at him and waved hello. There was someone lying on a creeper underneath Scott’s van, only visible by their boots and pants. After a moment, they slid back out, and Carver saw it was his cousin Letty. She sprang to her feet, wiping her greasy hands on a rag. There were smudges of grease and dark fluid all over her, including across her face and throughout her dark blonde hair.
“Hi Carv,” she said, smiling at him. Though they barely talked now, they always got along well. They were only four months apart, and she was more like him than his siblings — little, wiry, frenetic. To Scott, she said, “So…”
“No,” Scott said, bringing his hands to his head in agonized resignation. “Don’t tell me I’m right.”
“Look, you know I’m not a professional, but yeah, I think the transmission is shot.”
Scott heaved a sigh, then brought his fist down on the hood, making the metal sing. “Son of a bitch.” He seemed to rethinkthis a moment later, and patted the car where he’d hit it. “Sorry. Son of a fucking bitch.”
Letty grabbed a fresh rag from the toolbox near her feet and continued trying to wipe her hands clean. “I’m sorry, man.”
“I’m gonna have to get it towed all the way back to Jersey.”
“Someone around here can do the work.”
“I already called and got some quotes.”
“What’s the damage?”
“Four, five grand around here. And a few of them said they wouldn’t even work on something this old. My guy said he’d do it for two.”
Letty shrugged. “Okay. Let’s get it home then.”
Scott scratched his jaw with his thumb, smiling mirthlessly. “And what am I doing, hitchhiking?”
“No, you can borrow my bike, don’t be a fucking baby,” Letty said, smiling back. “Honestly, you can keep it. It’s just been sitting here in my parents’ garage, and as of tomorrow I’m no longer a biker, per Sana.”
“I thought you guys were already married,” Carver said.
“Look who’s paying attention,” Letty said, turning her smile on Carver. “Yeah, well, she gave me until tomorrow anyway, she’s a very generous woman. But you know how it is.”
Carver affected an expression like he knew how it was. Truthfully, Lillian had never really banned him from anything. If anyone was instituting bans it was him. He’d had to ban her from cocaine last year after she kept waking him up at 2 a.m. so he could check her math on some acquisition boondoggle.
“Keep it?” Scott said. “Letty… I’m not gonna take from you like that, not right now when you’ve got bills.”
“Oh, please. I’d pay you for tomorrow, you know I would.”
“And I don’t want you to,” he said. “I promised I’d play for free.”
“We were fifteen,” Letty said. “You know I don’t actually hold you to that, as much as I like to joke.”
“If the bike’s just gonna rust otherwise, I’ll take it, but you gotta let me pay you for it.”
“Fine,” Letty said. “Twenty bucks.” She stuck out a still-greasy hand.
Scott swatted it away. “I’ll pay book value.”
“Motherfucker, you will not. Shut up already. I’m getting married tomorrow, you’re not allowed to be maudlin.”
“Ah, I’m not maudlin,” Scott said, though he did look it as he stared at the puddle of dark fluid that had crept out from underneath the van.
“This piece of shit has two hundred thousand miles on it, and you’re gonna put another two hundred thousand on her,” Letty said. “Or, you know, you’ll buy another van. Save your tears for people and animals. Listen, I need to go shower and get ready.”
Carver tensed. Great, now he had to figure out how to make an exit of his own.
“Go, go,” Scott said, flapping his hand. “I didn’t mean to keep you.”
“No, I’m happy to help,” Letty said. “As soon as I go back in there they’re gonna do girl shit to me, I just know it.”
