4
The Helper
Ash
"You know your problem? Like a typical guy, you keep everything bottled up until it gets to the boiling point and then you burst. There's no halfway point for you, you either handle things or you make a major drama of them."
Emily was leaning over the bonnet of my car as I angrily swung shifters around, stripping and cleaning the filters on my car. They weren't due for a change for another three weeks but she wouldn't know that, I was just doing it to get out of making any more conversation with her than I had to.
"Look, you know I'll help if I can, but I can't be everywhere and in case you haven't noticed, I've got a problem of my own."
I got as far as the third bolt on the fuel filter before the inevitable happened. It wouldn't budge. I pushed harder. No go. Wedging my hips into the metalwork I put every ounce of strength into it. The spanner started to hurt my hands as my fingers started to slip and I gave up when I could feel that it was going to slip off the bolt
I stood back from the car. Damn right I was angry! This stupid body wasn't letting me do what I wanted to do
"What's the matter?"
"I haven't got the strength to loosen this bolt"
"So... does that mean we can go inside?"
Like Hell it does I thought!
"It means I get a helper."
"Hunh?"
It was an old joke but it still made me smile. I stepped across to the workbench on the wall and picked up a short length of pipe that I slipped over the end of the ratchet. Putting the socket securely on the bolt I grabbed the shaft of the wrench in my left hand and with the other grasped the end of the pipe which had effectively doubled the length of it's handle. Slowly increasing the pressure - my shop teacher would have had a fit if he'd seen me! - it only took a fraction of the strength to get the bolt moving.
Ten minutes later I was wiping the grease and oil off my hands and putting my tools away. I felt better, as I always did after tweaking my car. I had a race coming up and a car that felt bigger and subtly different. I'd obviously been driving it as a girl because the mirrors and seat were adjusted right. The difference was in me!
Two days ago it would have been a breeze but now? Emily is right. I am going to have to get my head straight if I am going to survive this.
.
Lt JMS
A check of police records shows that Ms Upton was known as a street racer to the department but had never actually broken any road rules within our jurisdiction. My investigations of her friends in the street-racing community showed that she was well-known and well-liked, even respected as 'The King of The Mountain'.