“I was never alone because I was with my dad,” I said. Except for one summer when he’d let me go stay with that aunt, we had always been together. “I hated it. He was the dirtiest person you’ve ever seen.”
“He was a welder. You do get dirty when you—”
“Yes, and that’s fine,” I interrupted. “But after work, you shower. He didn’t like to do that, hardly ever unless I forced him.”
Ronan self-consciously rubbed his hand over his head, where his brown hair was still damp. Unlike the picture on the Junior Woodsmen website, now he wore it short, almost a crew cut buta little longer on the top. “I wouldn’t have enjoyed living with him, either.”
“No, especially because we usually shared a room,” I said. “He traveled around to different jobs, big stuff like working on bridges and refineries, or once he did repairs at a nuclear power plant. He didn’t care what we rented as long as the price was right and it was always awful.”
“Jobs like his usually make good money,” Ronan pointed out.
That was true. But if you had bad habits, like gambling and taking up with women who fleeced you, then you didn’t bank much of it. “We could have afforded something better,” I agreed. “Where do you want to go eat?”
He already had an idea in mind, a diner that I’d passed before and had thought about trying. It was probably more fun to go there with a companion, though. We talked about cars as we ate, what he did at his job and how I took care of mine.
“I do the regular stuff,” I explained. “Brake pads and rotors, oil changes. I replaced my alternator and spark plugs when I got it. The hardest thing I did was swap out the clock spring, but that was only because I was afraid of messing up the air bag. It wasn’t hard.”
“That’s impressive.”
“No, it was just necessary,” I corrected him. “That’s how most people learn, because there’s no other choice. I had always helped my dad so I wasn’t scared of tools or trying new things.”
“That’s nice that you did that together. My best memories of my childhood are working with my dad in the garage, him talking through repairs and telling me stories. He’s a funny guy, always looking to find humor in life.”
That reminded me of his son. “Do you still see your parents?”
He nodded. “One of the first things I did when I started playing pro was to help them out, not just giving them money but taking charge of what they were doing with what they had. My brother’s really smart, a lawyer, and he and I manage their financial crap now. We got them an RV, fully loaded, and they’re driving around the country and loving it.” He smiled. “They came up here to visit last summer because it’s so pretty. I can’t think of a nicer place to be.”
“It was ok when I showed up in the fall, but I didn’t care much for the winter.” I shivered a little, although I had replaced my workout clothes with another sweater and I was wearing a lot more clothing than Ronan was.
“Has your dad been up here? Or your mom?”
“He died,” I stated. “My mom was never a part of our lives. They weren’t married and right after I was born, she met someone else and took off.” My dad had thought that they were going to Brazil but I was never able to confirm it, because there was no evidence that she ever had a passport.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It was probably for the best for all of us,” I answered. “Want these?” I offered him my fries and he finished not only those but the rest of my burger, too.
I was tired of talking about my parents. “Tell me more about Ed,” I requested.
He seemed surprised. “What do you want to know?”
“Why does he stay working at that place? It’s obvious that no one listens to him and it’s like Sisyphus.”
“Come again?”
“He was a king in Greek mythology who ticked off Zeus, which was never a good idea. Once he was dead, his punishment was to push a boulder up a hill in Tartarus. Every time he got to the top, it would roll back down and he’d have to start again. That story reminds me of Ed painting over water stains on the walls but the ceiling keeps leaking, or dealing with the vermin every year because no one blocks their tunnels.”
Now we both shivered. “It’s a thankless job, much like pushing a big rock,” Ronan agreed. “But he loves the team. He used to play for the Juniors.”
“He was a football player? Really? He’s not very tall.”
“Eddie was a running back,” he explained. “Most of them are shorter and more agile. They’re also built like brick shithouses. He’s still so damn strong, but he’s getting older and I keep trying to convince him not to do everything himself.”
“He needs help with that place,” I agreed. “It’s too much for one person.”
“It wouldn’t be if the Woodmen back office would keep up with the maintenance. They swoop in with emergency repairs right before their team arrives for the preseason in the summer andthen they disappear again for another year. Like Santa, but dicks,” he explained. “I like the man in the red suit but I don’t like those people half-assing their jobs.”
“Mmhm,” I answered.
