He proceeds to show me how to take the old one out and replace it with a new one.
“After that's done, you’ll slide back under and recap the drain plug.” He gets down and goes under, quickly doing that before coming back up. “Now, you fill it up with new oil.”
He shows me where the new stuff goes, getting a funnel and pouring the contents inside.
“Once it’s in, you want to start the car to circulate like normal, then check that your oil is at the proper level with the dipstick.”
“Wait, that's a real thing?” My brows pull together.
“Yeah.” He smiles. “Why?”
“I thought it was just an insult,” I mutter, and his smile falters a little.
He starts the car up for a few seconds, then looks under it. “Seems to be good.” Then he steps back over to the front and grabs the dipstick, dipping it in before pulling it back out. “You want to wipe away all oil with a paper towel, reinsert the dipstick, then remove it again, and confirm that the oil is lined up with the full mark on the tip of the dipstick,” he says, showing me each step as he does it.
“Then you want to start the car up again to check for leaks around the filter.” He pokes his head further under the hood, watches for a moment, and pulls back with a smile. “It’s all good. And that's how you do an oil change. Easy, right?”
Surprisingly, it’s not so bad.
“Yeah. I think it’s something I can do at home.” I nod, feeling a little awkward. This is all weird. Not in a bad way, just in a way I’m not used to.
I’m not used to people being nice to me, doing things for me, helping me learn to do things just because they’re nice people.
“Now, the rest of it? I have to do that myself.” He grins.
“Thanks for showing me. It was very helpful.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll ah, go back inside.”
“Okay.” He nods, grabbing a rag and wiping his hands.
I head back inside. This time I don’t play on my phone. I just stare off into the distance at nothing.
I’m such an awkward person. How sad is it that someone is trying to be nice to me, and I have no idea how to act?
I’m not sure how much time goes by, but eventually Cooper comes back in. “All done, good as new.” He hands me my keys.
Here comes the dreaded part. I think I’m going to puke, or shit my pants. Maybe both?
“How much did it come to?” I try to keep the nerves out of my voice, but I don’t think I quite managed it.
“It’s on the house.” He shrugs.
My brows pull together. “Wait, what? Why, how? No.” I shake my head.
“Blake, let me do this for you, okay? Please? You are saving my ass by tutoring me, taking on another student when you normally only work with one person. You made an exception for me, and now I’m making one for you. It’s no big deal. You didn’t need anything replaced.”
“I did, though, the oil filter.” I blink at him in disbelief. Is this man crazy? Or is he just fucking with me?
“It’s like ten bucks.” He waves me off. “It’s fine.”
“Cooper,” I growl, my body is shaking, so many emotions are running through me. Why the hell is he doing this? Why wouldhe do all that work for free? His time is worth money. “I’m not a charity case,” I grind out. “I can pay for it.”
“I didn’t say you were.” His face is kind and patient. “You did me a favor, I’m returning it. We’re friends now, right? Every now and then, friends help each other. It’s what we do. Just let me do this for you, Blake, please.” He’s still holding out the car keys, waiting for me to take them.
My eyes sting, and my body is starting to shake. My jaw is ground so tight that I think I might break a tooth. I’m not mad at him, I’m just confused.
