Savior Ch. 35

I chuckled at Rand waving a checkered flag as Garrett roared past in his go-kart. Designed and built by Rand, Garrett, and me for Garrett's seventh birthday, it was fitted with a rebuilt 50cc engine and transmission from a Honda Z50, coil-over shocks, and off-road tires. Painted a vibrant yellow and outfitted with lights, roll cage, and a single seat with a four-point harness, the go-kart was the envy of all of Garrett's friends.

"Maybe we should build those things, too," Rand chuckled as he returned to the machine shop. "Garrett's going to wear the tires out."

"Maybe. But I think we're going to have our hands full at first. Let's not bite off more than we can chew."

"I hope you're right," he said as he looked at the lathe sitting on the pallet.

He and I had spent the day putting the shop's machines onto the pallets for the move to our new facility. The moving truck would be here on Monday to take the equipment across town so we could install them in the new Tauper & O'Neill Race Engines building, or TORE as we'd taken to calling it.

"Trust me," I said. "We already have an order for five engines from Yasar Racing. Once we actually begin turning engines out, more orders will follow. People are reluctant to place an order until we prove we can deliver, and they can see for themselves that the engines meet their performance and reliability specs."

He nodded slowly. "I can understand that. You've done this before, but it's a big step for me. You can't blame me for being nervous, can you?"

"Rand," I said quietly, "you're one of the finest engine builders and machinists I've ever seen. At least as good as I was. Don't worry. This is going to work."

I smiled to myself. He and I had talked about building racing engines before, but it wasn't until recently we'd decided to move ahead with the plan. Rand had wanted to build the engines here, in the recycling yard, until we were sure we could make a go of it, but I'd talked him out of it. His reasoning was sound. Why spend the money for a new shop when we had fully equipped one right here? He'd finally given in when I pointed out nobody was going to spend a hundred thousand dollars for an engine built in a junkyard.

Over the past nine months we had a new shop built just south of Bayport on the 101, a twenty-thousand-square-foot structure, complete with a room that would eventually house our dynamometer. It was a beautiful, state of the art facility with gleaming white epoxy floors that would impress even the most jaded petrolhead. It was more building than we needed now, but it would give us room to grow our operations without having to expand the building.

I was going to continue here at the yard, and Rand was going to run TORE. The yard wasn't glamorous, but it was profitable, grossing around two million a year. My name was on the TORE building because I owned seventy-five percent of it, and because Rand insisted my name alone would help launch the business. I'd agreed to act in a consulting role, but there was no appeal for me in racing anymore. Running O'Neill Recycling suited me fine and I had no desire to change.

"I guess," he said softly.

"Don't worry! You have more important thing to worry about right now."

He smiled. "I know. It's the reason I'm doing this."

"You think I didn't know that?"

I smiled as I thought back to those long conversations he and I had as he tried to sort out his feelings for Hanna. He'd gone racing one more time, then hung up his spurs. Hanna hadn't asked him to quit, but she didn't have to. He still had his race bike, but now it was a piece of art on display in the TORE lobby. He kept his hand in racing by crewing for the rest of the Bayport Riders, but he no longer competed.

I sometimes missed having him around, and though his trailer was still here, the yard seemed... empty somehow, and not because I was relocating my shop. I was glad he'd found someone, and I reminded myself I hadn't lost a son, but had gained a daughter and a grandson.

Eight months after defeating Carl to secure the club's, and Hanna's, future, he'd purchased a small house on the beach on the north side of town. The house was only thirteen hundred square feet, but he didn't want or need more. Six months after that, Hanna and Garrett moved out of their apartment to live with him.

I'd never seen him happier than he'd been since Hanna and Garrett had moved into his house. Hanna either, for that matter. Now it was like old times, except instead of Rand stepping off the school bus, it was Garrett.

"You have everything ready?" I asked.

He nodded. "You sure you don't want to be there?"

I shook my head. "No. This is for you three, but I expect to hear all about it tomorrow."

He smiled. "Count on it." He held my gaze for a moment, then reached out and pulled me into a rib straining hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For... everything. For everything you've done for me. For being here when I needed someone. For being you."

I stepped back and looked at him. "Rand, the pleasure has been all mine, I assure you."

We turned when we heard the growl of an air-cooled engine followed by the jaunty honk of a Beetle horn, watching as Garrett raced by his mother, waving as he passed, before turning the corner and disappearing into the bone yard again.

When Hanna moved in with Rand, he wanted to have the car painted, but she'd protested the expense, and refused to allow him to 'put it on her tab' as he called it. Later he'd gone so far as to buy two cases of spray paint of the approximately right shade of blue at the hardware store, intending to rattle can it, but again she refused, claiming she liked the car just as it was. I smiled. I was going to miss that little Bug. It seemed so...Hanna. My smile spread. Maybe I'd buy it from her, keep it, and give it to Garrett in nine or ten years. Eighty percent of the car came from here anyway, so it should feel right at home in the yard.

Hanna waved, her smile beaming, as she got out of her car and shut the door, two white envelopes in her hand. Now that her life had stabilized, she was making good on her promise to pay Rand and me back every penny for the repairs on her car, my telephone, and anything else she thought she owed us. We'd steadfastly refused to give her a price on her car, so she'd gone on the internet, done some guessing, and she was going to slap the last payment in our hands tonight. Moving in with Rand had been a huge help for her financially, allowing her to pay the debt off much sooner than she'd expected, and tonight she thought she was going to take everyone out to celebrate.

"Hey, babe," Rand said, pulling her in tight and giving her a smooch.

"Hey yourself," she replied then pulled out of his arms. "One for you," she said, handing one the envelopes to Rand, "and one for you," she finished, handing me the other. She'd found out after the first payment we wouldn't cash the checks she'd written us, so now she us brought cash.

We took them with muttered thanks. We'd long since given up arguing with her about it, but what she didn't know was the cash was going straight into a college fund for Garrett.

"Who's in the mood to celebrate?" she cheered.

"Celebrate what?" Rand asked, looking at me with feigned confusion.

"Beats me," I shrugged playing along.

She grinned. "You're not fooling anyone... either of you."

"Oh," I grinned. "That's right. You three go ahead."

"Jeez, Louise! Come on! You hardly every go out with us. It'll be fun!"

I smiled but shook my head. "I'd like to but I... uh... have a few more things to do in the shop so we can move on Monday."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," she muttered. "As anyone told you that you're a real party-pooper?"

"Not since last week. How about tomorrow instead?"

She grinned. "Okay, I'll take a raincheck for tomorrow."

I knew that tomorrow she'd be in mood to celebrate again, but tonight was their night, and they didn't need me tagging along. "I'll take you up on that. It's not often I have someone as beautiful as you wanting to take me to dinner. We'll leave Rand at home to watch Garrett."

"Prefect!"

He snorted. "Don't I have a say in this?"

"No!" Hanna and I said together before we burst into laughter.

He grinned. I knew Rand had tonight planned for months. When Hanna mentioned wanting to celebrate paying off her debt, he'd shifted his surprise to the same day... wanting to surprise her with a real reason to celebrate, and he knew I wouldn't be joining them tonight.

"Fine. Be that way. Garrett and I will do manly type stuff while you're gone... drink beer, wrestle bears, leer at women... you know, stuff like that."

"The only woman you better be leering at is me," she growled before she pulled him down for another kiss.

"Let me go pry Garrett out of the cart," Rand said as their lips slowly parted.

He held her, gazing into her eyes for a moment before slowly releasing her and stepping outside to wave Garrett down the next time he appeared. They were so hopelessly, madly, desperately in love with each other, even an old fart like me could see it.

"You sure you won't come with us?" she asked, returning her attention to me.

"Thank you, but no. You three have fun."

As Garrett appeared from the bone yard, Rand started motioning, the signal Garrett was to put the cart into the building that once held his bikes. Moments later, I heard Garrett coming.

"Mom! I'm starving! What's for dinner?"

"We're going out."

"Great! I vote for pizza!"

"You always vote for pizza."

"What can-na I-a say-a," he said, pinching his fingers to his thumb before waggling them in front of his face. "I-a love-a pizza!" he continued in a stereotypical Italian accent.

I had to look away. It was hard to believe this was the same, quiet, shy boy who'd arrived here two years ago. He was just as smart and inquisitive as he ever was, but in the last year, since moving in with Rand, he'd really come out of his shell.

"You ready?" Rand asked as he stepped into the shop.

"Sure," she replied. "You're coming home now?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd ride with you, if that's okay?"

"Oh," she responded, a bit surprised by his answer. Rand normally stayed until the yard closed, and that was almost an hour away. Hanna stopped by after work to pick up Garrett, so he didn't have to stay so late and could start on his homework. "Sure. I'd love the company, but what about your bike?"

"I'm leaving it here tonight. I'm taking the truck tomorrow."

Rand had purchased the pickup after he bought his house, but he still took his bike almost everywhere unless they were all going someplace together.

She frowned and I again had to look away, busying myself making sure the lathe and mill were still firmly attached to the pallets supporting them, afraid I'd give away there was a surprise waiting for her at home.

"Okay, Rand, what's going on?" she demanded as I carefully studied the straps binding the lathe to the pallet.

"Nothing," he replied holding up his hands. "I need to take the truck to haul some stuff to the shop tomorrow, and I need to change the oil in the bike. I can't do both tomorrow unless I leave the bike here."

"Oh! Okay. Let's go then. Garrett is about to die from starvation, and you need to clean up before we go out."

"Where are we going?" he asked as he followed her to the Beetle, Garrett running ahead while yelling 'pizza!'

I stood in the door to the shop and watched. He paused at her car, watching me a moment, before he raised his hand in parting and dropping into her car. I raised my hand in return. I watched as Hanna started her car, backed away, and then roared away out of the yard. I smiled and turned back to the shop.

Rand didn't know it, but he was my sole heir, and I already had an appointment with my lawyer, to change my will, after my small little family officially grew by two. Legally, he wasn't my son, and Garrett wasn't my grandson, but I thought of them as such. I looked around as my lips thinned with memories. I should have adopted Rand years ago, but I hadn't. That was my only regret with him, and I was glad he wasn't making the same mistake I had.

Rand's bike didn't need its oil changed, and he had nothing to haul to the shop, but I knew he wanted to be in the car with Hanna when she opened the garage door and saw the new Mustang sitting in her spot. Even more than that, he certainly wanted to see her expression when she found the little box and envelope in her new car's driver's seat. The box contained a ring, and the envelope adoption papers for Garrett.

I smiled as I stepped out of the shop, flipping the lights off behind me. After all, the wife and son of a race engine builder couldn't be seen putting around in a fifty-year-old Beetle. It was bad for business.