Towed

"Now just use the empty plastic Gatorade bottle back there and you'll be all set," Kash told him.

"But she'll hear the sound," Dax said.

"He's very shy," Jordyn said mostly mouthing the words.

"Um...no problem," Kash replied as he turned on the radio. "Sirius XM. Got a favorite channel?"

"Serious?" she asked.

"No, Sirius," he said without smiling as though he hadn't understood.

When Jordyn realized the play on words, she laughed. An actual laugh like she hadn't done in...well, a very long time.

"How about..."

Jordyn did something with his face that made her laugh again before she even knew what it was then said, "Yacht...rock...radio."

His improv sounded like Thurston Howell, III, from the old show, Gilligan's Island she watched as a child. They were reruns even then, but she'd loved the show.

"Okay, sure," Jordyn said.

He turned up the volume then said, "You haven't heard the emcee on that channel, have you?"

"Um, no. I can't say as I have. Why?"

Just then, she knew why as the voice on the radio sounded very much like Kash's just had.

"Oh, my goodness! That's hilarious!" she said as the announcer said, "Yacht...rock...radio" in the same silly voice.

"All done!" they heard Dax call out.

"Okay. Just put the cap back on—tight—okay?" Kash said as he lowered the volume.

"That's a great song," Jordyn said as the station played an oldie she recognized by The Little River Band.

"It's one of my favorites," Kash said, surprising her, as he opened his door to try again on getting her car up on his truck.

She watched him show her son how to lower and raise the bed her car would ride on then saw her old vehicle rise up and seemingly park itself right behind her. Kash secured it to the tow truck then jumped back in around the same time Dax got into the backseat behind her.

"Mom! That was SO cool!" he told her even as he was climbing up into the cab.

Before she could say a word, she got a blow-by-blow account of every detail about what lever did what and how you had to this before that and many other things she didn't understand or care about. What did matter was seeing her son smiling again.

"That's awesome, buddy!" she told him when he finally took a break.

"Kash says I can get a job with him anytime. So can I?" Dax asked with more excitement than she'd heard since Josh was alive.

"Well, maybe you should finish high school first," his mom suggested.

"Ahh! Do I have to? I already know how to run a tow truck."

"He's right," Kash said as he put the truck in gear. He looked behind then said to Dax, "And so is your mom."

Jordyn smiled at him and felt herself on the verge of tearing up as she thought about how kind he'd been to her son, and more importantly, for making him feel needed and important.

"Okay, let's get you guys home," he said as he basically forced his way into the right lane when someone reluctantly slowed down enough to give him room.

Once they were safely up to speed, Kash, out of the blue, asked Jordyn if she'd served on active duty.

"Me? No. Never. Why?"

"Well, you have insurance with USAA so I just wondered. You or someone you're related to had to have served to use them. I wasn't trying to be nosy. I just enjoy talking to people."

Jordyn realized that was true and apologized even though she hadn't said anything rude.

"It was my husband," she told him.

"Well, please thank him for me for his service," he said with a smile.

Jordyn hesitated then quietly said, "He passed away two and a half years ago."

Kash's smiled disappeared, and for the first time since she'd met him, he got very serious.

"Please forgive me. I have a tendency to be lighthearted about things, and sometimes it bites me in the...backside. I meant no offense."

No feeling even worse, Jordyn said, "No. Please don't. I know you were being polite. And..."

She held out her left hand and as she thought about the highway patrol officer who'd helped her out told Kash, "I still can't take my wedding ring off."

"Then you shouldn't," Kash said. "Not until you're 100% ready. And...that's none of my business, either."

Jordyn tried to answer his question and said, "My husband, Josh, was in the Air Force for 20 years. That's why we have USAA."

"I'd still like to say how much his service means to me," Kash said very sincerely.

"Thank you. He was a wonderful man."

"I hope this doesn't sound inappropriate, but I can't help but think he was also a very lucky man."

Kash didn't smile, say or do anything that sounded 'untoward'. It was meant as a sincere compliment, and Jordyn took it as such.

"That's so kind of you to say, Kash. Thank you."

"Dax loves that iPad, doesn't he?" Kash said after realizing how somber the tone had become.

"Oh, right. Yes, sometimes I think it's surgically attached to his hands."

"I like mine, too, so I'm not casting any stones," he replied. "How old is he?"

"He's eleven."

Jordyn paused then said, "He and his dad were extremely close."

"I lost both of my parents when I was nine," Kash said without any sense of self-pity.

"Oh, Kash. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. I thought I'd die when they did, but my uncle, Art, stepped up to the plate big time. I pretty much owe him everything."

"You were very fortunate. I don't have any family in the area."

"Have you given any thought to leaving?" he asked very gently.

"Sure. Many times. But I can't take Dax away from his friends. Well, now it's friend as he really only has one left, but it would tear him apart if I made him move."

"So again, I'm only making conversation, but does that imply he's lost friends recently?"

Jordyn glanced over her shoulder and made sure Dax's earbuds were in before answering, and even then, she spoke quietly.

"He's gained quite a bit of weight since his father passed away, and two of his best friends have stopped playing with him at school and before that they stopped inviting him over. They've even said some pretty mean things, and that only made it worse."

She saw Kash shake his head slightly and knew he understood.

"Kids can be so cruel," he told her. "He's a really nice young man and he's clearly very friendly."

Jordyn smiled then told him how this was the first time she'd seen him really happy since his father died.

"He loves the truck," Kash said, that smile of his back.

"Oh, my. He was in 'hog heaven' back there with you. Maybe I should save up and buy him one."

Kash laughed then said, "I hope you have a good job, Mrs. Knight."

"Oh, right. I bet these things are expensive."

"Just a wee bit," Kash told her.

"Oh, speaking of...wee. I um, really have to go myself. Would you mind stopping?"

"Of course not. We'll pull off right up here at the rest stop. I'm just glad you told me now."

"Well, I did see the sign, and I don't think I can make it back to Great Falls."

"I gotcha covered," Kash said as he signaled to exit the freeway.

Ten minutes later they were back on the road.

After a fairly long period of silence, Jordyn said, "Do you mind if I ask a nosy question?"

Kash laughed and told her his life was an open book and that she could ask him anything.

"I was wondering how long you've been doing this."

"Driving a tow truck?" he asked just to make sure.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I was around the business all the time after my mom and dad died, but I really got started when I turned 16. My Uncle Art owned the company, and once I got my driver's license I started hanging around nearly every evening after school and on weekends. He made sure I got my homework done then let me help out. I didn't have my CDL yet, a Commercial Driver's License, to drive the tow truck, but my uncle let me do everything else until I turned 18. After that I got my CDL and have been driving off and on ever since."

"Off and on?" she asked.

"I only drove part time when I was going to college at Montana State. I had a lot of homework so I mostly helped out on the weekends and during breaks," he told her.

"Oh, so you have a college degree then?"

"Yes, ma'am. I sure do," he told her very modestly.

"Okay, I'm stepping way over the line here, and at my age I'm obviously not flirting, but you look more like you should be modeling than driving a tow truck."

"First, thank you for the compliment. Second, what do you mean 'at your age'?"

"I think that's rather obvious. I'm...well, I'm a lot older than you, Kash. So that would be what I mean."

"I'd never guess that by looking at you," he told her as sincerely as he could before continuing.

"What really matters is what people have in common and if they click," he told her, that smile there the whole time.

"Okay, but at some point age has to be more than 'just a number'," Jordyn said almost defensively as though she needed to be right.

"Of course. If someone's under 18 and the other person isn't, sure. Or if there's some huge amount of years between them. But neither of those apply where say, you and I are concerned."

"I don't know, Kash. I think there's a whole world of difference between someone your age and mine."

"And yet you don't even really know me, so it's pretty amazing that you can say that with such confidence," he replied, the smile still there.

"Okay. Touché. I admit that's true. But I still think you should consider modeling. I don't know anything about the modeling business, but I think you're young enough and definitely handsome enough that you should at least check it out."

Kash was a shade under 6-feet tall and didn't have an ounce of fat on him. Jordyn could tell he had a very nice physique but had no idea just how nice due to the blue coveralls he was wearing. But what she could see was the kind of hair that always caught her attention when a guy wore it the way Kash did with a shock that sort of hung down toward one eye. It was thick and black, and once she'd gotten up close she also saw his very blue eyes and got a really good look at the amazing smile she'd seen several times from a distance.

"Again, thank you, but you're very attractive yourself," he told her to try and change the subject.

"Oh, stop!" Jordyn said and not in a phony way that really meant 'keep talking'.

Yes, she was still quite attractive, but in her mind that was true only for a woman who'd recently turned 40. Not bad but not...hot. And certainly not 'Kash hot'.

"I know you lost your husband, so you may not be ready to even think about dating, but the only difficulty you'll have when you finally are ready is deciding which guy to go out with," he told her.

"Now it's my turn to thank you, so...thank you," she said with a smile of her own.

Jordyn took a deep breath, exhaled loudly then said, "Speaking of dating, I um, I kind of just broke up with someone."

She paused for a moment then said, "Gee, that sounded like I was back in high school. Did I just say I 'broke up with someone'?"

"I'm afraid you did," Kash told her. "Did you give his class ring back?"

Jordyn reached over and gently shoved him before saying, "Oh, thanks a lot."

"Sorry. But like I said I'm always trying to make people laugh."

Now Kash paused then said, "Laughing beats crying, right?"

"Yes. Yes, it does," Jordyn agreed. "I haven't laughed, or seen Dax, laugh this much the last couple of years. That's for sure."

"Well, why don't you bring Dax around the shop one of the these days and maybe I can change that. We already know how much he loves Betty Blue."

He saw Jordyn give him a 'what did you say' look and told her, "That's the name of this old girl. This truck is Betty Blue. We've also got Bertha Blue and Barbara Blue."

"I've lived in Great Falls for a lot of years, and I don't even know where your shop is located," she told him.

"We're tucked in behind another business. Do you know were Great Falls Lumber's at?"

"Um, yes. Over on 6th Street, right?"

"That's it. We're in behind them. We've got a big sign out front, but if you don't need a tow, you probably haven't ever noticed it."

"Oh, wait. Is the sign blue and white, too?" she asked.

"It is."

"Oh, my gosh. Yes, I remember now. I've seen it many times."

"I'm there pretty much all the time these days if you ever do want to bring Dax by. Just maybe text me first to make sure I'm in."

He fished a business card out of a cup holder tray next to his leg and handed it to her.

As she was looking at it he said, "That would give you a chance to get to know me better and then possibly find out there isn't that much difference between us."

Jordyn cut her eyes his way then raised her eyebrows.

"Um, you don't really know anything about me, Kash," she said the way an older person talks to one who's younger before realizing she sounded just like a guy she'd left back at Glacier Lodge.

"I believe that's the purpose of getting to know someone, Mrs. Knight," he told her, the smile as bright as ever.

"You could make me feel a little less older than you if you'd call me Jordyn," she told him, feeling bad for having sounded patronizing a moment ago.

Kash glanced her way then said, "When the call came in to go get your vehicle I noticed the name and told myself any woman named Jordyn, with a 'y', had to be beautiful."

Jordyn felt some kind of flutter which kept her from laughing and playing off his latest compliment. Instead she just sat there unable to look at him.

"And I was right," he added.

He was clearly looking her way, and Jordyn felt like he wasn't going to look back at the road unless she at least glanced back so she turned her head slightly and thanked him.

For the next ten minutes or so neither of them said a word. When they saw the sign telling them the next two exits were for Great Falls Kash asked a question.

"What kinds of things does Dax like doing?"

"Oh. Well, as you can see—video games. Any kind of video game."

"Sports?"

"He and his dad used to play catch, but the only sport Dax really ever played was hockey."

"Did he lose interest after, you know..."

"Yes. He didn't want to do anything."

She looked over her shoulder again then mouthed the words, "Except...eat."

"He's young enough to grow himself out of the extra weight. Not that it's any of my business, but I wouldn't be overly concerned about it."

"It's just so hard, you know? I don't want to baby my son, but it breaks my heart to see him hurting so much."

Kash's smile was still there but it was different this time when he spoke.

"My uncle told me later on that's how bad he felt for me after my mom and dad died. He wanted to be able to make everything be all right and yet he felt powerless to do anything."

"How did you get through it, Kash?" Jordyn asked as she turned back toward him and looked his way.

"Time. That's all. It just takes time for the hurt to go away."

"How much time?"

"I'm sure it's different for everyone, but someone once used the analogy of a computer as our brain when it comes to grieving. Initially, the grief takes up 99.9% of the available memory. We can still function, but we're on autopilot. Then it drops off a little, but only temporarily. Then it permanently drops off a little and occasionally dips below that. At some point, the loss doesn't take up much 'space' at all and kind of gets filed away with everything else."

Jordyn sat there looking at him and realized that made perfect sense. It also made her wonder if this much-younger man might not be a lot more mature than she'd assumed. And if he was, could he also be right about getting to know him and the age difference well, taking up less space in her mind's list of things to worry about?

Just as she was again chiding herself, this time for thinking something so utterly ridiculous, Kash was saying something to her.

"What's that?" she asked knowing she was mentally drifting.

"I was wondering if you need to stop by your place before we take the car to the repair shop. For that matter, I can just drop you at home and have the service department call you once they figure out what's going on."

He smiled again then said, "Your call."

"Oh, we have our bags in the trunk, and we'll need what's in them," Jordyn told him.

"I could bring them back to you if you just want to get home."

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that. This thing must cost a fortune to drive."

"I'd use my car after work, if you could wait a few hours," he told her.

Just then, Dax realized where they were and took his earbuds out.

"If you don't mind, that would be wonderful," Jordyn said. "I know Dax will want lunch and going straight home would be a big help."

"Mom? Can't we go with Kash so I can help take the car off?" her son asked.

"I had no idea you were listening," she said as she turned around and smiled.

"I wasn't until I noticed we were getting close to home."

"You're welcome to ride with me and I'll take you home after that," Kash told her.

"Don't you want to have lunch, honey?" she asked Dax.

"I'm not really hungry. So can we go with Kash? Please?" Dax pleaded.

"I gotta turn left at the light if you're staying with me," Kash let her know.

"Well, okay. We'll go with you, I guess," Jordyn said and heard a loud 'yesss!' from directly behind her.

When they pulled into the Ford dealership where Josh bought the car and where they'd always taken it for maintenance, Kash seemed to know everyone in the service department.

"Hey, Tommy. Where do you want me to drop this bad boy?" he asked a service tech Jordyn knew by face but not by name.

"Will it start?" Tommy hollered up at Kash who glanced at Jordyn.

"Maybe?" she answered with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Let's say 'no'," Kash called down.

"Yeah, okay. Follow me then!" Tommy told him.

Kash knew exactly where he was being led and spun the truck around in two moves and started backing into the bay Tommy was standing in.

"You ready, Ace?" he said to Dax once they were in position.

"Totally!" the boy called back as he jumped out of the cab and went to the rear of the truck.

"Whoa! Hold on there, my man," Tommy told him just as Dax came around.

"He's okay. This is Dax, and he's my new righthand man."

"Okay. If you vouch for him that's good enough for me," Tommy said as he stepped out of the way.

"Okay. We're gonna do the opposite of what we did to get the car on the truck, okay? So let me release the tie-downs then we'll bring 'er down, okay?"

"Sure thing, Kash!" Dax told him, a big smile on his round face.

Jordyn got out herself and watched her son lower their car down with a bare minimum of coaching from Kash, and when he finished, the older man gave him a big high five.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Kash said as they slapped hands. "Nice work, buddy."

"Thanks!" Dax said as he beamed with pride at the compliment.

"He is good, huh?" Jordyn said as she moved closer.

"I told you he was a natural," Kash replied with a wink and a smile.

It may have been the wink, but whatever the cause, Jordyn felt that same 'flutter' she'd experienced not that long ago.

"Tommy's got some paperwork for you to sign, so if it's okay with you, Dax and I will pull Betty here out front," Kash told her.

"Oh, sure. That sounds perfect. I'll be out as soon as I can," she told them.

Dax hadn't even waited for his mom's approval. He was already headed toward the front and was climbing back in which made her smile and then laugh.

"He really does love your truck," Jordyn told Kash.

"Yeah. He really does, doesn't he?" he asked from just a couple of feet away causing another 'stir' or 'flutter' or something.

And that caused Jordyn to break eye contact and say, "I uh, I guess I should go in and take care of that paperwork."

She was pointing to the glass-enclosed area where Tommy was sitting and tapping information into a computer.