It seems Price is not the only one who thinks that.
The way everyone stopped playing when I went down?—
The way Max shut down the entire game?—
Maybe Price was right.
Maybe I don’t deserve to be here.
Chapter Eleven
RILEY
I’ve successfully established my authority over the garage, and I take the sour mood that follows as a badge of honor. Whether or not Jimmy, Carlos and Bladelikefollowing my rules is not my concern. As long as theydofollow my rules, we won’t have a problem.
We get our first customer around ten a.m.
“Well, I’ll be. Stewart’s is open again?” A man with thick white hair in a plaid shirt pops his head into the workshop.
I’m training the mechanics on the importance of the vehicular testing checklist. When I see the customer, I stop abruptly.
“Can I help you?”
“Are you that mechanic who fixed the go-carts?”
“That’s me.”
“My car is making this weird noise when I turn the key. I need someone to look at it for me, but those gals down at The Pink Garage said they’re full.”
Remember, Riley. Good customer service dialogue.
I peer over his shoulder. “Did your vehicle come on a flat-bed or did you drive?”
“I drove here.”
“Great. Blade. Jimmy. Carlos. Come over here and bring your logbooks. I’ll walk you through the checklist for recording customer complaints.”
Blade drags his feet.
Carlos yawns.
But thankfully, Jimmy doesn’t show any outward signs of attitude—although when I subtly check the old man’s notes, he’s writing down gibberish.
Oh well. At least he has a good attitude. I can always train someone who lacks skill, but it’s near impossible to teach someone who doesn’t want to be there.
“Can you fix it?” the customer asks after we drive the car in. “Because I really need my car back.”
I draw him away from the other mechanics and toward the door. “First, we’ll do an assessment of your car. When that’s done, I’ll call you back with a list of issues and some estimated costs.”
The man scowls. “I just want you to fix my car so it doesn’t make that noise when I turn the key.”
“I understand. Like I said, we’ll call you after the assessment.”
“Fine,” he grumbles. “But I don’t want this to take long. That’s why I brought it to you.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee a timeline, especially if we have to order a part. But I assure you that we’ll be extremely thorough.”
“They said you used to work on planes.” He wags a gnarled finger. “I want my car fixed like it’s a plane and lives depend on it.”
