The Garage: Forever Yours Ch. 01

A special thanks to one of my favorite authors, nomoretears00, who was kind enough to let me know about story length. With the info she provided, these chapters should be longer than my first attempt. If you haven't read her series "The Harvest" I recommend taking the time to do so. It's amazing.

All characters in this story are a figment of my imagination. All characters engaging in sex are at least 18 years or older.

1 - CLIFF NEEDS HELP

Cliff tossed the notebook and phone book onto his large butcher-block style kitchen table as he walked past it to the coffee pot on the kitchen counter. He pulled down his favorite coffee mug and filled it. He added a few spoonfuls of sugar and absently stirred it as he walked back to the table, his eyes on the notebook.

Drinking his coffee, he sighed, and opened the notebook. This morning his cell phone calendar had beeped, popping up a vague reminder; and the specifics of that reminder were contained somewhere in these pages.

Cliff quickly flipped thru the first few pages until he came to a hand drawn chart. Reading the chart, he realized the reason for the "car" reminder that popped up on his cell phone this morning. It was time for a routine oil change and tune up; which brought his attention to the second item on the table: the phone book.

He softly swore, mentally berating himself for declining his father's repeated offers to teach him how to work on cars. He always thought there would be time enough to learn later on, and in the meantime his dad was always happy to do any work Cliff needed done on the Jeep. Now he was over 900 miles away from home, so there was way to convince his dad to help him.

Cliff shook his head to clear his mind of thoughts of the past and started reading through the ads in the yellow pages under automotive. As he suspected, there were pages of listings of automotive repair shops.

Idly paging through the listings, he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone; intending to call his father to get suggestions -- was it better to go with a nationally known chain that specialized in oil changes, or should he go with a small independent repair shop? He had already pressed "2", the speed dial for his parents home, and was about to press "send" when he saw an ad that caught his eye.

Setting the phone down, he leaned in closer and read every word in the small space. He grinned, if he was reading this correctly, this shop was exactly what he needed.

'The Garage' for all your automotive repair needs. We offer 3 levels of service: Full Service garage with certified mechanics; Self Service garage space and tool rentals for the do-it-yourselfers, and Teaching Service for those who want to know but never learned how. We are a family owned business. We offer a 6 stall full service garage, a 6 stall do it yourself area, and a 6 stall teaching center. We also have a full range of tools available for rental (for use on property only). Call for more details!

Still feeling guilty, Cliff picked up his phone again and dialed the number listed in the ad. He ran his fingers nervously thru his hair, pushing it back off his face, as he listened to the ringing and the automated menu. After pressing the menu options for the Teaching Center, he was finally connected to a live person.

"The Garage, this is Cindy, how can I help you?" a friendly voice asked.

Cliff explained that he wanted to learn routine maintenance for his 1990 Jeep Cherokee; would they be able to help?

"Of course, that's what we're here for! We have a few options available to you." Cindy was very lively in her response. She went on to explain that at the Teaching Center he had 3 choices: a four hour class for 5 - 7 individuals at a time where general routine maintenance was discussed and explained to be followed up with a 1 on 1 session to put into practice what the class taught; a four hour class without the follow up session; or just a 1-on-1 training session for those who didn't want/need the class.

"When would the next group class meet?" Cliff asked, pondering the options. He knew he learned best in a hands-on environment, but wondered if the class would help him.

"We have one scheduled for this afternoon, and have only 6 pre-registered for it. If you would like I can add you as the 7th," Cindy replied.

Cliff pulled up his calendar app as she spoke, and saw that his afternoon and evening were free. He sighed inwardly; he really hadn't needed to pull up his calendar to tell him his evening was free. His lack of a social life was no surprise to him.

"What time; how much is the class, with the one on one session; and where is it?" After getting all the details from Cindy, Cliff agreed to attend the class that afternoon and he provided her with his contact information.

Cliff had been in Delyndro, AZ for almost 2 months now. He had recently graduated college, getting his Business Administration degree with a minor in Economics and in Accounting. He had no real plans as to what to do with these degrees now, and had been happy to accept a paid internship with NPS, a payroll management company headquartered in Delyndro.

As he understood it, his college was part of a network that had an agreement with NPS and a government program for interns. If NPS obtained their interns thru the network of colleges, the government program would pay for a percentage of the intern's wages. It was a program to allow college graduates in smaller, rural areas the opportunity to work with some of the larger companies in the nation.

NPS had clients throughout the nation, and primarily provided its services through a secured website. It was one of the ways they kept overhead costs down -- they had very few satellite offices through the nation. If one of their clients required a physical presence, NPS had found it was easier and less expensive to fly out one of their fully trained Client Specialists.

Delyndro was quite a culture shock compared to Gweland, where Cliff had grown up and attended college. Not only did Delyndro have about 5 times more people, but they were more diverse as well. Not to mention the weather differences! Cliff had quickly adjusted to the new climate, and looked forward to a much milder winter than he was used to. He was anxious for a chance to get out and meet new people. The quick research he had done on the internet before accepting this internship seemed to indicate that Delyndro had a thriving gay community.

Cliff was out to his family and close friends, and had even had a few boyfriends and lovers over the years, but his hometown really wasn't open to the alternative lifestyle. He had found only one bar, not really a gay bar, but it had 'gay friendly' nights a few nights a week.

Cliff had been to a few bars in the two months he'd been here, but he hadn't found one he really liked yet. He had made a few friends both in the bars and at work, but nobody he was interested in romantically.

It being Saturday, Cliff didn't have to work, but he kept busy doing laundry, cleaning house, and grocery shopping. He even took the time to wash his Jeep and clean out the inside. Finally, after a late lunch, Cliff started getting ready for his class.

After a long, hot shower during which he washed his medium length light brown hair; he dried off and wrapped the towel around his lean hips before scrutinizing himself in the mirror. Running his hand over his face he decided he could go without shaving for another day or two. He ran a comb thru his hair, pulling it straight back; knowing once it dried it would part down the middle on its own and hang to the sides of his face. He couldn't wait until it was long enough to tie back.

Cliff looked over his reflection, and decided his body was still in good shape. He didn't work out, but he did run a few days a week, usually around 3 miles each time.

Cliff knew he would never be more than "average"; but. At 26 years old, he was happy with his 5'10" height and medium build with just the smallest layer of fat over his muscle. Not enough to make him look big, but enough that former lovers declared him to be soft and cuddly. He ran his hand down his chest, his fingers untangling the light patch of soft curly chest hair before brushing his teeth and leaving the bathroom.

Walking to the bedroom, Cliff reminded himself to grab the Jeep's notebook as well as an extra notebook and pen for the class. He dressed casually in an old pair of faded blue jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

On the way out the door, Cliff grabbed his jean jacket and the notebooks. He made sure he had his wallet and phone before locking up and heading out to his Jeep. Following the directions his GPS gave him, he made it to "The Garage" sooner than he expected. Out on the edge of town, it was a large lot. Three large buildings, close to each other but not connected, made a kind of U shape. The parking lot within the U shape was about half the size of a football field.

A large sign over the middle building declared it to be "The Garage for All your Automotive Needs". Below that, smaller sign read "Teaching Center". The building on the left had the sign "Full Service" and the right building's sign was "Self Service". Cliff noticed smaller signs next to a door on each building "Please Enter Here".

Parking the Jeep near the door for the Teaching Center, Cliff grabbed his notebooks and locked up before walking to the door. He saw lights on thru the window in the door and noticed a few people standing around. After entering he saw a petite blonde woman sitting behind a desk to his left and walked over. Cliff couldn't help but notice she was wearing a black t-shirt with the words "The Garage" and "Cindy" in small but bold blue lettering on the front left.

"Is this the place for the... 'Automotive Maintenance' class", he asked, after checking the name of the class in his notebook.

"Yep, sure is!" the woman responded. "And you are?"

"I'm Cliff Andrews, and you must be Cindy; the woman I spoke to this morning?" Cliff smiled.

"That's me, lets get you set up for the class and then I can show everyone into the classroom. The instructor will be here shortly." Cindy quickly registered Cliff into the class and processed his payment for the class. She then instructed everyone to follow her. As she walked away he saw that her t-shirt also had "The Garage" in larger lettering on her back.

As Cliff followed, he was relieved to see he wasn't the only adult male in the class. Of the 6 people following Cindy, 3 besides Cliff were male. Two looked to be very young; maybe 16 or 17, and the third appeared to be late 30's. The two women in the group were apparently a mother and daughter, with the daughter being early to mid 20's.

They were led into a small classroom, complete with desks that reminded Cliff of high school. There were about 10 desks all facing a wall with a dry erase board on it. Cliff found himself a desk in front of the 30something year old. The two women sat on his right hand side. The teenage boys sat next to each other a few desks away.

Cliff commented to Cindy about the number of hand drawn pictures he had seen; behind the reception desk, in the hallway, and even a few in the classroom. They were all of classic cars, racing scenes, or The Garage. Cindy told him they were done by the office manager, George, several years ago.

Cliff set his notebooks down and turned to the man behind him. "Hey, I'm Cliff Andrews." He held his hand out.

"Charles Brooks," the man shook his hand. Charles then turned to his right and introduced himself to the older of the two women.

"I'm Susan Billings, and this is my daughter Jenny," she stated, looking from Charles to Cliff. "Nice to meet you Charles... and Cliff."

Just then, the door opened and a large, bald man entered and quickly walked to the front. He had a file of papers in one hand and a large coffee cup in the other. He, also, was wearing a black "The Garage" t-shirt with his name on it. The sleeves had been ripped off, exposing his muscular arms.

He booted up a computer sitting on a desk against a side wall, and used a remote to click on an overhead projector. The front page of a PowerPoint presentation immediately popped up on the dry erase board.

"Hello, and welcome to Automotive Maintenance. My name is TJ and I will be your instructor. We will go over routine maintenance practices, how to choose the correct tools and parts for your vehicles, how often certain maintenance should be performed, and a few other items. If you have any questions please feel free to stop me and ask," TJ looked over the group and at his watch. "6 of you, it appears we are one short. Class officially started 5 minutes ago, so I don't think we'll wait much longer."

Just as he said that the door opened up and a man quietly entered. He quickly sat down at the furthest back desk and set down a notebook and pen. TJ looked over at him, nodded, and started the presentation.

Two hours later, Cliff had a few pages full of notes. He was finding the class very interesting and was happy to learn that it wouldn't be too hard at all.

"At this point we will take a brief break. There's coffee and snacks out in the reception area by Cindy's desk, bathrooms are down the short hallway to the left of her desk. If you need to smoke please take it outside. Please be back in 15 minutes," Cliff clicked the remote and the PowerPoint presentation went to a page showing a cartoon figure with a cup of coffee and a donut with the word "Break Time" at the bottom.

Everyone stood up, and Cliff stretched as he made his way to the door. He noticed everyone was leaving the room except for the man at the back. That man was walking toward TJ at the front of the room. He noticed that the man was a few inches taller than himself, and more muscular. He had short black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing blue jeans and a zipped up hooded sweatshirt.

During the brief intermission the classmates all enjoyed a coffee. There were also chips, donuts, and cookies for them. The two teenagers snuck out for a quick smoke. Charles and Cliff stood with Jenny and Sue, making small talk about their jobs.

After about ten minutes the mystery man came out of the classroom and poured himself a cup of coffee. He walked over to the group and said, "Hi, how are you enjoying the class so far?" He looked at each of them as they answered, nodding thoughtfully as they responded.

The topic transitioned into why each of them had signed up for the class and a few minutes later TJ walked out of the classroom and called them all back in for the second half of class.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, TJ completed the presentation and spent a few minutes answering questions. He then asked the group which of them wanted to sign up for the one on one session as a follow up. Cliff and a few others raised their hands, and TJ set up appointments for each of them during the next week.

"Just because I was your classroom instructor doesn't mean I will necessarily be your one on one coach." TJ explained, "We have a total of 8 certified mechanics in the Teaching Center and you will be paired with one of them." He looked up and found the mystery man nodding at him.

"And now, for the last 20 minutes of class, my manager would like to speak to you." TJ said as the mystery man stood up and walked to the front. "This is Scott Edwards."

"Hello all, I hope you've enjoyed the class." Scott smiled at them. "This was TJ's first class and if you don't mind I'd like some feedback on how you think he did. TJ, if you don't mind stepping out now?"

"TJ's manager? And here I thought you were the missing 7th student!" Charles said laughingly. Most of the rest of the group agreed with that statement.

"All part of the plan," Scott grinned, his blue eyes sparkling as he partially unzipped the hoodie to reveal yet another "The Garage" t-shirt. "We find the class is more comfortable if we don't mention the fact that the instructor's manager is sitting in observing. Now, I did write down my observations to discuss with TJ, but I also want to get feedback from you. After all, I knew all of this stuff," He waved toward the dry erase board where the power point presentation had been showing moments ago, "but for most of you it was new material."

The class spent the next few minutes discussing what they thought of the materials, pace of the class, and TJ's teaching style. Overall TJ did well.

As interested in learning the materials as Cliff was, now that the actual teaching part was over, he couldn't help but notice how Scott's short dark hair gleamed in the light, the top kind of spiked, and that his eyes were bright blue. He gracefully leaned against the desk with the computer, his butt just resting on the edge.

"Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it. One final thing before I let you go. Anytime you're here, in any of the 3 garages, you can always ask questions of any of the mechanics. You'll always be able to tell who works here -- we all wear black shirts with "The Garage" and our names. You should never find one refusing to answer your vehicle-related questions. If you do, please let me know!" Scott winked at the class, then thanked them again for their time, and dismissed the class.

Cliff pulled out his phone and programmed in his appointment time, set up for the follow Tuesday evening, before he stood up and grabbed his notebooks. He walked up to the front and asked Scott if TJ would be coming back into the room.

"No, before class started I told him he could leave when I took over," Scott replied, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, I'm not sure... I have this notebook documenting all the work that's been done on my Jeep and I was hoping to go over some of it with him and ask some questions," Cliff waved the grey notebook in his left hand. "I didn't want to bring it up as a question in class, because it's specific to my vehicle only, so it didn't seem fair to the rest of the group."

"I can understand that," Scott reached out and grabbed the notebook. Flipping through it he stated, "This is very detailed, it seems to be a record of everything done to the Jeep since its creation."

"It is; my dad bought it new in 1990. Ten years later, when I turned 16 and got my license, he turned the Jeep over to me but he kept up the maintenance and repairs on it. He keeps records like that on all of the family vehicles," Cliff quietly replied.

"Cliff, right?" Scott asked, positive he had the name right. At Cliff's nod, he continued, "How about this. I will make a note for your one on one to have the mechanic set aside time to go through this with you and answer all of your questions. Will you have time on..." Scott checked TJ's notes, "Tuesday night to stay a bit later for that?"

"Yea, that would work great," Cliff replied. "You know, I'm really glad I found this place. If the rest of your mechanics are as friendly and helpful as TJ and you then I'm sure I'll get all the help I need." Cliff grinned at Scott as he reached out for his notebook.

"I'm glad you found us too," Scott replied as he handed the notebook back. He put his hand out, "Pleased to meet you, Cliff. I hope to see you around, and if anyone isn't as helpful as TJ was tonight, please let me know."

Cliff shook Scott's hand, "Thanks."

---

Cliff was up early on Sunday and completed his 3 mile run as usual. After his shower he sat at his kitchen table eating breakfast and reading through his notes from class. He jotted down a few notes, and then ran to the store to pick up supplies for Tuesday. Fortunately, one of the things TJ covered was how to use the books and little display screens at the store to determine which oil filter to use. He already knew which brand to buy because his father always wrote the same brand down in the notebook.