"Wrench."
The small child reached down into the toolbox and dug around for the tool in question. She rummaged around for a few moments before finding it, slapping it into the hand that was reaching from under the car.
"Socket."
That one was a little more complicated. She had no idea what a socket was. Digging around, she looked for something that seemed 'socket' like. Finding another wrench, she handed it to him.
"Not quite, kiddo. It looks a little like a cup but it's open on both ends. Like...a tiny shot glass for a doll." Bad example.
"I can't find it," Nessa complained.
"The big one," The voice assured. "Looks like a stop sign and has a 1 and an 8 on it."
It took her a moment to find it, digging through all of the tools before producing the item in question and giving it to him. She smiled triumphantly, only to notice him slide back out from under the car. He studied the object for a few moments before digging through the box for the right one. "It wasn't right?"
"Close, but not the right size." He took the box up and set it on the workbench, looking to Vanessa. "Come here, princess."
She moved over and climbed up into the stool, looking at the red metal box. It was one of his toys and she knew not to mess with it. Pretty much everything in the garage was off limits. If it wasn't dangerous, it was because it was one of his toys. He was busy laying out all of the tools on the table, when she finally asked him a question. "Daddy, do you love your truck more than mama?"
He froze for a moment, his hand lingering over the toolbox. Glancing down at his wedding band, her gave a gentle smile. "Well, honestly, both could keep me warm at night. And they get me where I need to go. But I think mama wins, because she gives me kisses."
"Eww." Vanessa looked down at the tools, poking her finger at one of the silver objects. "Kisses are gross."
"Good, keep thinking that. It's a healthy attitude to have." He smirked and lined up all the sockets, then turned to his daughter with a smile. "I won't confuse you too much. As you get older, I'm sure you'll be helping more. But these are the different kinds of tools I'll be needing today."
She picked up one of the sockets and looked at the number, blinking. "Oh. I got the wrong one."
He ruffled her hair, smearing grease all over her forehead. "It's okay. You tried. You're only four, I don't expect you to be a mathematician by now. This is a wrench, this is a socket wrench, these are screwdrivers."
"But that's confusing, this one is flat and this one is a star." She grumbled, picking up the screwdrivers and observing them.
"Right," He murmured, leaning over her shoulder, his arm barely missing her head. "The star is a phillip's head. I don't know why it's called that, I just know it is. We'll call it the star." He chuckled and kissed her head quickly. "Ready to get back to surgery?"
Vanessa hopped off of the stool and nodded. "I got this, daddy, I promise. I won't let you down!"
"Good, I'm counting on you." He slipped back under the car and went back to work. After a few seconds, he sighed, slipped back out, and smiled at Vanessa. "This is going to be longer than I thought."
"What do you need?"
He smiled at her and shook his head. "I need that really confusing sharp looking object that you're so afraid of."
"A flat screwdriver?" She held it up triumphantly, but he shook his head, blonde locks falling into his eyes. "Not a flat screwdriver…" She muttered looking dejected.
"No, baby girl, but thanks anyway." Rifling through the drawers, he pulled out a small red object and looked at Vanessa. "A Swiss army knife." Sometimes, to get a job done, it really was that simple.