I know I stood there looking like a dope for a minute but if she noticed, she didn't say nothing. Maybe she thought I was gawking at the car, or maybe she knew I wasn't, I'll never know for sure. I know I never asked her. I recovered quickly enough; before things got too weird between us anyway.

"What can I help you with today, Miss?"

I hardly knew where to look at her. She was built like damned few girls I knew and I was pretty sure she wasn't no older than me. I know if she hadn't had that face, I'd of been damned rude with where my eyes would've gone. But she did have that face. It wasn't a face that would have been on the cover of a magazine but then I've never been one to have someone else tell me what I ought to like or think. Her face was what you would call interesting. Her dark eyes seemed to sparkle at me like there was a joke we shared or maybe one that I wasn't in on. Her mouth formed an easy and welcoming smile and she had a nose that was by far larger than what I was used to seeing around the neighborhood; not that anyone in the neighborhood was driving a car that hot or wore clothes that cost that much. Her hair was a dark mass of curls pulled into a tail high on her head and tied with a red ribbon that matched her sweater that was just draped over her shoulders. She tilted her head at me and those curls bounced like little springs.

"Well," she paused reading the patch on my coveralls, "Jimmy, it's making a noise and seems not to want to take off when I want to."

I couldn't believe my luck; a mysterious noise and a lack of get up and go would require me to drive this choice automobile.

"I can take a look at her for you but I won't be able to get to it 'til tomorrow."

"Oh, I figured that," she said. I once heard someone described as 'breezy' and I guess that was how she talked to me that day. "I knew you would be close to closing time but traffic was a bear. I don't mind coming back tomorrow afternoon."

She smiled at me and looked down as if embarrassed. I know that look. Young as I was back then, I had seen that look from plenty of girls but I don't think I'd ever had it affect me like it did that time. It was a flirting look and I was hoping she wasn't the type to flirt for the sake of flirting. I don't mind the playing for no stakes or nothing but when you've already fallen for the girl, that kind of flirting is just plain mean. I wasn't sure what to say next but luckily I spotted Mrs. Jenkins walking up.

"Afternoon Mrs. Jenkins," I said and I was kind of sad 'cause I knew why she was there, "Al's in his office with the boys."

I shook my head and for a moment forgot all about the young lady standing next to the shiny car of my dreams.

"She looks upset," I heard the girl say, "Is she alright?"

"I'm not sure; she's getting some bad news about her old Ford."

"You care about that woman, don't you?" she asked as if she was trying to believe it.

"She's a nice lady. She's been bringing her car here since before I was working for Al and I know she was really hoping to limp that car along just a little bit longer," I said shaking my head, "I wish I could've done it for her too."

"What is she going to do now?" she asked.

"Keep riding the bus and saving the money she would've been spending here for another used car."

She seemed to think about what I said for a moment, or maybe about how I said it. I guess I ought to explain that Mrs. Jenkins was a Negro and even though we was in Michigan and not Mississippi, there was still racism and don't let no one tell you different. Negroes, blacks or Afro-Americans they say nowadays, could get a job, sure but they wasn't making the same wages and when they went to buy homes, they was unofficially segregated. No one ever said out loud they couldn't live certain places but it was suggested to them that they'd be more comfortable with their own kind; as if we wasn't all just folks. And Negroes was charged a lot more money for a lot less house. It's things like that lead to the riots. Yeah, that's me getting ahead of the story again. But I think it might've seemed odd to someone that a white punk-looking guy like me would have that tenderness for an old negro woman and I'll admit now that she probably wasn't even fifty years old then but I was young so that seemed right old to me and she had some rough years behind her so she wasn't looking her age at all.

I turned my attention fully to the girl with the 'Vette and set about getting her name and number in case I needed to call her about her car. I wasn't shy at all around females normally unless I like 'em and I was thinking I liked this one an awful lot so I for sure wasn't going to try to be smooth and get her number for myself. Her name was Cohen, Joan Cohen but I should call her Joanie. She wrote the number and I couldn't believe it. She had driven clear from Bloomfield Hills. I knew we had a good reputation but good grief that was really something.

"I'll call you a cab, Miss-uh, Joanie."

"Nonsense, I'll just take the bus. I wouldn't want to be a trouble to you or your boss."

I saw her eyes raise and look past me. I figured Al was standing there. He had a way of sneaking up on people.

"Wouldn't be no trouble at all, Miss," Al butted in, "In fact, I'm sure Jimmy here could see you home safe."

I was about to argue against it, I was sure this woman didn't want to spend that much time with the likes of me, in my rust bucket of a car. But before I could say a word, she smiled and said that if I was sure it wasn't any trouble she'd sure appreciate a ride home. Well, I wasn't going to say no to that smile and it really was a right nice day for a drive. I heard the ribbing that came from the guys as I was helping her into my car. I don't know which was making me blush more, their teasing or my car. Normally I was pretty proud of that old car 'cause most guys my age and in that part of town didn't even have a piece of crap to drive. As I was walking around the car after shutting her door behind her I heard the one voice I was kind of hoping not to-Billy's. Billy was a good guy and I'd never deny that, not ever. His family was better off and, well, just better than anything we had. His dad worked the River Rouge. He was just a line worker but that paid way better than any of our folks had ever known. Billy's mom stayed home and did the stuff that mom's on TV did. She baked pies and wore pearls to dust the furniture and played bridge; and with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she even looked a little bit like Donna Reed. I once asked him if he was Wally or the Beaver. I was trying to get him as mad as he sometimes made me but he just smiled and cracked a joke the likes of which I won't repeat in mixed company. You just couldn't get under that guy's skin. I don't know why he hung with our crowd at all. Somehow I think his dad and Al knew each other, old Army buddies or something. I know they both were over kicking Nazi ass in WWII. I sure as hell heard enough stories about it from Al. So here was Billy and I just knew I'd hear something from him 'cause he'd been there to see some of my previous attempts at love and my decision to wash my hands of the fairer sex entirely. I cringed and then it came.

"Alright Wild Bill! Freaking A!"

I got in the car and held my breath. Joanie was a classy girl and I was sure she didn't normally hang around guys like us. The other guys looked a little more respectable since they had just come from school. They were all in their chinos with their button up shirts so old Hannity wouldn't bust their asses about dress code. I did take a minute to peel off the greasy coveralls but that still left me in jeans and a white t-shirt and my leather jacket. I looked cool and tough in our neighborhood but I'm sure I looked like a hood compared to the guys she was probably used to. I looked over at her and she just sat there like she rode around with greasy delinquents every day. I had a thought that maybe she did. I knew girls that had a thing for the bad boys. I got sucked into a couple of those and got my heart broke but good. Something about her told me that she didn't go slumming a great deal though. I pulled away from Al's garage and started making my way down Woodward making sure to keep quiet.

"Who was the guy who drove up as we were leaving?" she asked after the first turn off.

"Billy Cody. He's a good guy but he likes to yank my chain a little too much."

"Why did he call you 'Wild Bill'?"

I laughed.

"I really don't want to say," I said and I probably blushed too. So much for being a tough guy and really I didn't care so much if she knew I wasn't that tough. I didn't figure she had a gang waiting to jump me in Bloomfield Freaking Hills.

It was quiet for a few blocks and I stole a glance out of the corner of my eye hoping she wasn't imagining some horrible reason I would've picked up such a name. Just the opposite seemed to be true. Her window was rolled a little ways down taking advantage of one of the first really nice warm days we had that spring. Her eyes were closed and I could tell she was enjoying the sun. See, here's the thing about Michigan and I guess nearly every place that far north and farther even, the sun shines all year 'round just like anywhere else but in the winter, you can't feel it. There's no heat to it. I saw some show one day on Science Channel or Discovery or one of those freaking things they have now-honestly, how many channels does a body need? Anyway, the show explained the tilt of the earth and I could see how in winter Michigan and places like it were just tilted too far away. Funny, you don't really notice the lack of that warmth but when it comes back, you sure feel it and it feels right good. So there she was with the wind coming through the little bit the window was open, her eyes closed just feeling that first warm of spring and smiling. A couple more glances were spent studying that nose. I guess it wasn't that different from the one that Mrs. Goldstein whose husband had the butcher shop a couple blocks down had but there was no way I was going to see the similarity between this fresh faced girl of my own age and that sour old bat who only ever spoke to me when she was telling me to get a haircut. A couple of years later and there wasn't a soul in the country, or many other places either I guess, who didn't know who Barbra Streisand was and if she had been well known, I might have been able to see the resemblance. But what did I know from different religions? I would say at that time in my life I had never seen the inside of a church or any other house of worship.

I turned my eyes back to the road and tried to stay focused on traffic. I heard in some corner of my head her shifting in her seat next to me and then she spoke.

"If I don't get to know how you got your nickname, can I at least know the full name of the kind gentleman whose hospitality I am enjoying?"

"Hickok," I said, "James Butler Hickok, most everyone calls me Jimmy though."

"James," she repeated, "That's a very dignified name. What do you do for fun, James Hickok?"

"Don't get around to much of that and when I used to, it seemed to lead to way too much trouble."

She looked like she didn't believe me and I know I got defensive.

"What did you think I'd tell you I get drunk and boost cars for fun?"

Yeah, I sure could be a first class jerk when I put my mind to it. I was just so sure she was judging me and no matter how pretty she and her little car were, I wasn't going to stand for that.

"James," she said real quiet so I almost couldn't hear over the little bit of wind coming in the windows, "I didn't mean that; I really didn't."

She turned her head and looked out the window. I knew she was angry and hurt. Like I said before, I was real good at falling in love and not so good at the rest of it. I felt real bad about making her upset but being me, I blamed her for making me feel guilty and, well, it would have been better if I'd just kept quiet the rest of the drive. But, no, I couldn't do the smart thing just once in my sorry ass life.

"Why the hell did you haul yourself all the way from Bloomfield Hills anyway? Got a weakness for juvenile delinquents or was I just your charity case for the month?"

By this time I was in her neighborhood and I was actually starting to regret saying those things, not for the reason I should have regretted it but because I needed to know where to turn. I was at a stop sign when she bolted from the car. I really did feel bad that she ran off crying like that and that I hadn't seen her to her house like I said I would. I drove around the block to get myself headed back to my crummy life and tried not to notice as I passed her saddle shoes and crinolined skirt beating a path down the sidewalk. I did notice though and it stabbed a little at my chest. It made me madder that she had the power to make me feel like that and I drove the rest of the way back to Al's mad as hell at her.

I walked into Al's office and the rest of the gang was still there with Emma beaming as she watched them all eating. Emma didn't have no kids of her own that I knew of so I guess she put her maternal urges onto us. If I was a more religious man, I might think that God sent her to us and us to her. She needed someone to mother and I don't know many kids what needed mothering more than us.

"I'll get started on the 'Vette in the morning, Al," I said before backing out of the room and heading up to my place. I say my place like it was a home or something but it was really a john and a room that did triple duty as bedroom, living room and kitchen. It surely wasn't anything like the houses I'd seen just a bit before in Joanie's neighborhood.

I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and pried the cap off it before sticking the bottle opener back to the side of the fridge by its little magnet. I sat down on the sofa and just sat there staring ahead of me for long enough that my beer got warm before I even moved. I wouldn't have moved then even but there was a knock at my door. I figured Al was wanting to talk and give me some advice. I probably needed it but I sure the hell didn't want it. I was even a little concerned that Joanie had called and told him how I acted. Something like that could put me out of a job pretty quick. I went over to the door and I can tell you I was real surprised to see Emma standing there. She knew where I lived but I don't think she'd ever been up to visit before then. I stepped back so she could come in if she wanted. She didn't even think twice about it. We might've looked like a bunch of hoodlums but she knew us better than that.

"Hey Emma," I said.

"I brought you some supper," she said and she didn't sound annoyed that she'd had to walk up the stairs to bring it or that I hadn't stayed. She sounded sad for me. I was more than a little cheesed off that she'd have the nerve to feel sad for me but then I couldn't hold that anger against her, even if I hadn't been using all my energy to be sore at Joanie, I wouldn't have been able to be mad at Emma.

"What's her name?" she asked. I was surprised because I thought the others would've told her.

"Joanie Cohen," I said, "It don't matter though."

"From what Mr. Hunter was saying, it matters quite a lot," she said. It was funny, she was real cool about not nagging us about how we looked and dressed but she was so formal sometimes. She always called Al 'Mr. Hunter'.

"He seemed to think that young lady might be sweet on you."

"Maybe she was and maybe she wasn't but I can guarantee that if she was, she ain't no more," I said and then proceeded to pour my heart out to Emma. I told her everything I knew about Joanie and all about the ride and how she looked so comfortable with me and how she was so confident in a way girls from our neck of the woods aren't. Lou was a confident girl but Lou had a chip on her shoulder and she always had to prove she could back up her claims. Joanie came from a world where she had to prove nothing, she just was and everything was just accepted. I told Emma everything I said and she frowned at me a bit and then sighed like she needed a breeze to clean the knowledge from her.

"I don't know her and I can't guarantee anything but I suspect that you'll see her again when she comes to get that car tomorrow," Emma said, "And if she's as self assured as you say, she'll be here herself. Try saying you're sorry. She might not accept it but then again, she might. This was just a misunderstanding after all."

So, after a lengthy discussion with the other half, I decided that since I was taking these characters out of the context of their original timeline that I had removed them completely so they will exist only in this world for the purpose of the story...so Hickok and cody are not historically significant names in this story. Again, anything that is unclear, I am more than willing to explain as far as references go. Oh when I say Cody's dad worked the River Rouge, that's the Ford plant. Saying the River Rouge or just the Rouge sometimes in detroit is like saying "the Olds" here in Lansing. Even though GM doesn't make Oldsmobiles anymore, when they did, they were made here in Lansing so someone working at GM would often say they worked at "the Olds" some might even still say it even though working GM inn Lansing now means making Caddies and maybe a couple models of Chevy, I think. So if there's anything else you don't quite get, let me know and I'll gladly have you talking like a Michigander in no time (and we are most certainly NOT Michiganians-just saying). Love to you all!-J