A Lifetime of Valentines

***

"Did you get to Mr. Hodge's brakes?" Mike asked.

"Just finished them a few minutes ago," I replied, wiping grease from my hands. "They were in bad shape."

"They always are," Mike said with a shake of his head. "How would you like to help me tune up my baby?"

"You're going to let me touch Beauty?" I asked in surprise. Mike's car was like another child to him. Actually, it was more like a favorite child. He didn't let just anyone work on her.

"You've earned it," he smiled. "By the way, tomorrow Mr. Kramer's coming in. I'll need some help with his transmission."

"Thanks Mike," I smiled.

He nodded as he moved to the chessboard set up in the corner of the room. He moved his rook a couple of places over and went to Beauty and popped the hood. I glanced at the board before joining him. We worked in companionable silence, joking back and forth. Every so often whosever turn it was would drift back to the chessboard and make a move.

I'd only been working for Mike a few months. I had another job right after I got out of the army, but I didn't much like the boss. Mike's place was further from home, but I was a lot happier working for him, even if he did insist on playing chess as we worked. He said it was good for a mechanic to play chess. I didn't see it, but I always liked the game anyway.

"So, how did you become such a good mechanic?" he asked when we were done for the day.

"I was always good with cars," I replied. "I was transferred to the motor pool with a year and a half left in my tour. I learned a lot from a sergeant there. He sort of took me under his wing."

"Nice guy?" Mike asked.

"Not really," I laughed. "But a good one."

"He did a good job training you," Mike said. "You're the first decent mechanic I've hired in ten years. You not bad in chess either."

"Thanks," I smiled. He shrugged. Mike wasn't one to give complements. In his mind, he wasn't giving me one now. He was just stating facts. He reminded me a lot of that sergeant I had in the army.

"Don't forget, we're knocking off early tomorrow," Mike said as we locked up. "My wife wants me home. My older daughter is coming home from college with her boyfriend."

That was another oddity about Mike. Not many men were willing to pay for their daughters to go to college in the fifties. I knew a lot of it had to do with Mrs. Malone. She was a strong woman who started working during World War II while Mike was overseas. She never completely stopped working when he got back.

"You don't have to close the place," I offered. "I can stay to normal closing."

"Thanks for the offer," he grinned. "But Mrs. Malone says the shop will be closed at noon or there will be hell to pay, so we'll be closed at noon."

"I understand," I laughed.

"Besides, my wife wants you to come home with me for lunch," Mike slipped in. "She'd like to finally meet you."

"I thought you had a wedding to go to tomorrow?"

"Don't remind me," Mike frowned. "Who gets married on Valentine's Day?"

"A lot of people," I laughed. "At least it's a Friday."

"So, can you make it? The wedding is later in the day and a few doors down at our neighbor's house. You can come home with me, meet the missus and my girls, and still be home in time for whatever girl your dating these days."

"I'm not dating these days," I shrugged. That wasn't completely true. I was dating. I just wasn't dating anyone seriously enough to warrant a Valentine's Day date. I didn't much care for the day anyway.

"Good!" he grinned. "Then you don't have an excuse not to come."

"Okay," I laughed, realizing that Mike was finally accepting me.

For months now it seemed like Mike was constantly testing me. He was a good boss, but never really all that friendly. I guess I passed whatever tests he was giving because suddenly he was acting a lot nicer and inviting me to his house.

"You've never met my younger daughter Doris, have you?" he asked.

"No," I replied, all sorts of warnings going off in my head. I liked Mike, but I wasn't looking to make him my father-in-law! I suddenly wished that I did have a date for tomorrow night.

"She's a good kid," Mike smiled. "Not bad at chess either. Almost as good as her older sister."

"I'll see you in the morning," I said, hiding my dismay.

"See you bright and early!" he replied.

Noon came very quickly the next day. Mr. Kramer's transmission ended up being a pretty big job. Good thing there was two of us.

"We'll just leave Beauty here for the night," Mike said when we were done.

"Afraid some of the wedding guest will hurt her?" I teased.

"It's pays to be safe," he grinned. "You never know what a bunch of drunks might do!"

I was about to laugh when I suddenly had a flash back to me puking on some guy's car. It took me a few seconds to remember whose and when. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Of course, thinking of Bernie reminded me of Madeline. I hadn't thought about her in a long time, at least not seriously.

She was probably married with kids by now. I just hoped it wasn't to that jerk Bernie. What a loser! I silently wished Maddie well wherever she was and shrugged.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked.

"Fine," I smiled. "Let's get going. I don't want to make you late. There's no telling what Mrs. Malone would do to me!"

Mike's wife turned out to be really nice. She had a kind smile and a warmth about her. She made me feel at home almost instantly. Mike and I were just finishing a beer when his youngest came home.

Doris was a looker. It almost made the thought of having Mike as a father-in-law bearable. It would certainly make my parents happy if I finally did marry and settle down.

"Daddy," Doris said nervously. "It's time you to meet Herb. He'll be here in a few minutes. I had him park the car down the block so there's more room for the wedding guests later."

"He's coming here!" Mike cried angrily. His face was bright red. Whoever this Herb was, Mr. Malone wasn't happy he was dating his daughter.

"It's time you meet," Doris said again. I looked around for a quick escape route. I wanted to be anywhere but in the middle of a family argument with my bosses' family.

"Come over and meet John," Mike said. "He's a good guy and knows his way around cars. He's also a bit closer to your age!" I fought hard not to groan. There was no escape now.

"Hi," I said.

"I'm sure he's a nice young man," Doris said to her father, ignoring me. "But Herb's asked me to marry him and..."

"He what!" Mike yelled.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Malone asked as she ran in from out of the kitchen.

"Herb asked her to marry him!" her husband yelled, only with slightly less volume.

"It's about time," Mrs. Malone said with surprising poise.

"You're okay with this?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"If it's what Doris wants."

"But he's twelve years older than her! He could almost be her father!"

"Michael, calm down. All this yelling is not helping," Mrs. Malone said. I watched Mike fight to control his temper. "We might as well meet the man since he's here and has asked our daughter to marry him."

The room fell deathly silent as we waited for this Herb to arrive. It wasn't very long, but it felt like an eternity. Doris went outside instead of facing her father's obvious displeasure.

"What took you so long?" I heard Doris cry a few minutes later. Herb had arrived.

"I bumped into your sister and her boyfriend on the way in," I heard a gruff voice answer. "There's right behind me."

"Good," Doris said. "Let's wait for them. Maybe my sister can help with daddy. He's being unreasonable."

Mike took a step toward the door, but his wife grabbed his arm to stop him. I thought he was going to pull himself free and go anyway, but Mike grit his teeth, let out a long breath and stood still.

"Mike," I said into the quiet. "This is a family matter. I'm going to slip out the back door. I'll see you at work..."

The front door opened before I could finish. I groaned as Doris walked in followed by three people. I was still contemplating escaping when I noticed exactly who was coming in. I froze in recognition.

"Sarge?" I asked in amazement.

"Hutchens, what are you doing here?" my old sergeant demanded. He was standing next to Doris. Another couple stood behind him. The girl looked enough like Doris for me to know they were related.

"I work for Mr. Malone," I replied, and then grinned and added, "I'm also getting the picture that I was invited today in attempt to lore the innocent Doris from your dastardly clutches."

"You?" he snorted. I shrugged, still grinning.

"You two know each other," Mike stated, more than asked.

"He's the sergeant I mentioned yesterday. The one who showed me how to be a mechanic," I replied.

"You did a good job," Mike admitted reluctantly.

"Hutchens has the touch," Herb shrugged. "You either do or you don't. It seemed a waste not to teach him how to use it."

"Why don't we go to the kitchen and have lunch?" Mrs. Malone smiled. "It will give everyone a chance to get to know each other."

Mike and my old sergeant were still eyeing each other, but neither resisted as they were led to the kitchen. I grabbed Doris's elbow before she followed. She looked uncomfortable.

"I'm going to try and convince your father to show sarge Beauty after lunch," I said softly. "Back me up."

"Daddy's car?" Doris asked in confusion. "Why?"

"Doris, your father and sarge have only two things in common. First, they both love you," I grinned. She smiled tentatively and relaxed a little. "The second is that they both love cars. Sarge will be impressed by Beauty and once your father sees sarge's reaction, well, we can only hope!"

"Why are you helping me?" she asked.

"I'm not," I shrugged. "I'm helping the sarge. I owe him."

"Thanks," she said and we entered the kitchen. We received some interesting looks from those already sitting at the table.

The conversation started and I did my best to keep it focused on cars. Doris tried, but it was her mother's help that made the difference. Mrs. Malone obviously understood what I was trying to do. That made it a lot easier.

A few hours later I was driving back to Mike's house for the second time. Mike was next to me and my old sergeant was in the back. They were still discussing Beauty in that tone that only true grease monkeys shared when we walked back into Mike's house.

Doris took one look at them and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey!" Sarge cried, causing everyone to laugh.

"I think it's time for me to leave," I said afterward.

"Past time," Sarge growled, causing more laughter. "I'll walk you to the door."

He wasn't really mad. I saw Sarge seriously angry once. Thankfully, it wasn't at me. Some private who had no business in the motor pool used transmission fluid for an oil change. I thought the Sarge was going to kill him with his bare hands.

Mike got my coat while I said goodbye to Doris and her mother. Their other daughter and her boyfriend weren't in the room. Mike's wife saw me frown and guessed my thoughts.

"Christine and Bob had to go to the wedding," Mrs. Malone said as I put my coat on. "She's in the wedding party. The bride is a very good friend. I'm sure they wish they could have said goodbye."

"Tell them it was nice meeting them," I smiled.

"See you at work tomorrow," Mike said.

"Bright and early," I replied.

"Not that early!" he laughed.

Sarge walked me out of the house and to the sidewalk. It was nice to see him. I really did owe the man. I hoped everything would work out between him and Mike.

"John," he said once we were alone. "Thanks for playing marine for me."

"Marine?" I frowned.

"You gave me a beachhead to attack from," he grinned. "I wasn't sure whether Doris's father was even going to let me into the house."

"Sarge," I laughed. "You're one of the kind!"

"Ain't that the truth!" he laughed and stuck out his hand.

"Good luck," I said, shaking his hand. "Mike's a good guy. Give him time. I'm sure your sunny disposition will win him over."

"But of course," he shrugged. You had to give the sarge credit. He had confidence to spare.

"I'll be seeing you sarge," I said with a gently shake of my head.

"John, we're not in the army anymore," he replied. "You can call me Herb."

"Maybe in time," I laughed.

My car was around the corner. I started walking and shook my head at all the cars cluttering the street. The wedding must be starting soon. I passed the house where it was taking place. It was done up very nice.

"What is it about weddings and Valentine's Day?" I sighed to myself.

I was nearly past the house when the groom and his ushers appeared. They were laughing the way only drunk guys can laugh. I smiled and shook my head. Poor sap!

I glanced at the groom and suddenly stopped smiling. He looked familiar. He didn't notice me, but I got a better look as he walked by. It was Maddie's old boyfriend Bernie.

"It can't be!" I said to myself. What were the odds of bumping into Bernie again after all this time? "The poor bride!"

I shrugged and walked around the block to my car thinking about the past. My car was still relatively warm from our trip to Mike's shop. I pulled out and headed for my place.

I was only two blocks away when the possibility hit me. Could the bride be Maddie after all this time?

"No way!" I cried, but almost without realizing it, I turned the next corner to go back. "So what if it is? It's none of my business." Yet, a few minutes later I was in front of Mike's house. I pulled up in front and left the car in the middle of the street. I knocked on his front door a little too hard.

"Yes?" Mike said with a frown as he opened it. He saw me and added, "Forget something?"

"What's the name of the bride?" I asked without preamble.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Your neighbor's daughter," I said. "The one who's getting married. What's her name?"

"It's Madeline," Mrs. Malone answered as she, Herb and Doris came to the door.

"Maddie!" I groaned. Everyone looked confused except Doris. She was actually more startled.

"You're that John?" she asked. "Jenna's cousin?"

"You know Jenna?" I asked in reply.

"She's next door," Doris replied. "Part of the wedding party, just like Christine. We were just heading over."

"I can't believe she's marrying a jerk like Bernie!" I snapped, forgetting everyone else for a moment.

"You know the groom too?" Mike asked in surprise.

"Broke his nose once," I snorted. "And threw up on his car. I was pretty drunk at the time."

"Good for you!" Mike laughed. "Madeline's father Brian doesn't like the young man much."

"There's not much to like," I said with a shake of my head.

"Let's go," sarge said, taking my elbow.

"Where?" I asked in confusion.

"To stop a wedding of course," he grinned.

"What?" I asked in surprise, and then pulled away from him when his words sunk in. "No way! I am not going over there!"

"Sure you are," sarge insisted. "For two reasons."

"Which are?" I frowned.

"First, it's pretty obvious that you love this Madeline," he replied.

"I barely know her!" I retorted. "We've only met a small handful of times."

"I knew with Doris the first moment I laid eyes on her," sarge shrugged. "Truth be told I wasn't completely thrilled at the time. I was going to be a career soldier and she's almost young enough to be my daughter."

"I'm not that young!" Doris snapped. No one paid any attention.

"What did you do?" I asked Herb.

"The only thing I could," he replied. "I retired from service, went back to the family business and started courting her."

"He didn't have to try very hard," Doris smiled. "I felt the same way about him."

"The last time I saw Maddie she laid into me pretty hard," I sighed. "Oh, I deserved it, but..."

"That's not the point," Herb shrugged. "If you love someone, you have to tell them. Maybe they love you back, maybe they don't. You can't control that. But you tell them anyway."

"Not on their wedding day!" I snapped.

"Better late then never!" he laughed.

"Forget it!" I said. "Absolutely not!"

"She does have feeling for you," Doris put in. "I don't know how strong, but I used to hear Christine and her talking."

"It doesn't matter," I said, shaking my head.

"You're right," Herb said. "It doesn't."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Even if she's just a friend. You need to try and talk her out of marrying this Bernie. He sounds like a real shi...um, jerk," Sarge said, cleaning up his language at the last second.

"It's now or never," Mrs. Malone said. "The wedding is supposed to start in a half hour. It would be nice to have your conversation with Madeline before she walks down the aisle."

"But..." I began. It was pointless. Herb had a better grip on my arm this time. It didn't help when Mike took my other arm. They manhandled me down the block and toward a side entrance to Madeline's house.

"Doris, run ahead and find Christine or Jenna," Mrs. Malone said. "Diane will probably never forgive me, but we have to try."

"Diane?" I asked.

"Madeline's mother," Mrs. Malone answered. I nodded numbly. I was no longer fighting, but Mike and Herb continued to hold on. My cousin and Doris met us at the door.

"John," Jenna sighed. "You can't be serious."

"He needs to talk to this Madeline," Herb grinned. "Preferably before she gets married."

"You look good," I said, seeing that Jenna changed her hairstyle. I didn't know what else to say.

"We haven't seen each other in a while," she said pointedly. "Donnie and the kids were wondering if you liked them or not."

"I'm sorry," I replied. "It's just that..."

"There's no time for this now!" Jenna snapped. "There's going to be a wedding."

"I know," I sighed. "But the sarge is probably right. I should talk to Maddie before she walks down the aisle."

"You wouldn't even talk to me about her the last time we saw each other!" Jenna cried. "Or the time before that! Not since before you can home from the war."

"I thought she was already married and had a family," I retorted. "How was I to know..."

"...you could have listened!" Jenna nearly yelled.

"That's all water under the bridge," Mike said. "Go get Madeline. Your cousin isn't looking to embarrass her or her family. Let him tell her how he feels and then it's up to her."

"She doesn't need this on her wedding day!" Jenna snapped. "She's jittery enough already."

"Maybe it's because she knows she's marrying the wrong man," sarge put in helpfully. Jenna gave him a nasty look, but he ignored her.

"Wait here!" Jenna snapped and disappeared back into the house. After a few minutes my nerve started to slip.

"We should go," I said, but Herb was still holding me.

"Nonsense!" he grinned. "I owe you for helping out with Doris. This is payback!"

"If this doesn't work out, I'm going to..." I began, but he cut me off.

"Anytime private," he laughed. "Anytime!"

Christine came back to the door instead of Jenna a couple of minutes later. Unlike my cousin, she was at least civil.

"Where's Jenna?" I asked, stalling. I was afraid she was about to tell me to go.

"She refused to be part of this," Christine answered. "She said she didn't want to get in the middle between her best friend and cousin."

"So, what's the verdict?" Herb asked.

"Come on inside," Christine smiled. "But just John. The rest of you go take your seats."

"I'll go move John's car before someone calls the police," Mike grinned and walked back toward the street.

"Think you can handle it from here?" my old sergeant asked. I just looked at him and he laughed. "Good luck!" I swallowed hard and followed Christine into Maddie's house.

She led me quickly through the house. A couple of people saw me, but I refused meet their eyes. If I did, I was afraid I'd bolt. I groaned softly and thought, 'What the hell and I doing!'