12. MAX

Chapter twelve

MAX

I n my driveway, I sat behind the wheel of the parked car belonging to a friend of a friend, its engine purring softly except for intermittent shudders and groans. It was this that had made them bring the car to me. I was just letting it run a while to see what I could hear. My gaze wandered out of the windshield, lost in my own thoughts. Then, I saw Jared walking down my street with purposeful strides.

Turning off the engine, I stepped out of the car and greeted him with a nod. I didn't turn the engine off. The car was in Drive but with the handbrake on.

"Hey, Jared, man. Good to see you."

Jared flashed me a sheepish grin as he reached the car.

"Hey, Max. Eddie said it was cool for me to drop by."

"Of course, man. Always." I leaned against the car, folding my arms across my chest. My shirtsleeves were rolled right up to my biceps to keep the oil off the cuffs. "Everything alright?"

Jared hesitated for a moment before responding.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's great, man. Just needed to get out of the house for a bit, you know?"

I nodded in understanding, knowing all too well how boys that age, in that position, conceal what they really feel.

"Yeah, I get it. Sometimes, a change of scene is all you need."

Jared nodded then glanced around as if searching for something.

"So, uh, what are you up to? You left this car's engine running?"

"Yeah, just listening to how she hums."

I explained the owner of the car had mentioned a problem with the motor. Apparently, it had been acting up recently, so he wanted me to take a look and see what the issue was. "Was starting some diagnostics the old-fashioned way," I said.

"Old-fashioned?"

I grinned.

"Just let the motor run a while. That's about 75 percent of fixing cars and bikes."

"Oh, I see!"

"But I am going to have to check out what's going on under the hood on this one."

Jared nodded.

"Sounds cool. Mind if I watch?"

"Not at all," I replied. "Can you hear how it's running?"

"Yeah," he said uncertainly.

"Can you hear those little noises, like little stutters?"

With that, his face brightened. He could hear it.

"Oh, yeah."

"So we know the sound it's making. Let's see if we can find out what's causing it."

With that, I went back and popped the hood, got back out, and walked round to the front of the car. Once it was fully opened up, we both leaned in, peering at the engine beneath, still running.

The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the engine bay as I began to inspect the various components. It was hot on my back. Jared watched intently beside me.

"Okay, so what's the deal with this part?" He pointed to a component near the intake manifold.

"That's the throttle body," I explained, gesturing toward it. "It controls the amount of air that flows into the engine. If it's malfunctioning, it could cause problems with acceleration or even just holding your speed. Actually, that was something I was wondering about because the engine makes a noise when it accelerates, but I think I've ruled that out."

"Cool," he said, very seriously, like we were scientists undertaking some laboratory experiment.

We got back into the car, turned the engine off and on and off again. We continued our investigation, running more tests, checking for leaks, and inspecting various components for signs of wear or damage.

Jared was really attentive, his questions becoming sharper and more pertinent as we worked through each step. He was a nice, smart kid.

Eventually, I began to realize that there was something more fundamentally wrong with the car's electronics. That would take a while to fix, if I even could, so I said we could take a break.

"Thanks for letting me do this, Max," Jared said with a grin as we closed the hood and then locked the car up. "I really enjoyed myself."

"No problem, Jared," I replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe one day, you'll be fixing engines like a pro."

"Is it a good career?"

I wasn't sure what I had really amounted to a career.

"Good, honest job. Not my dream, but you know, pays the bills," I said, wiping my hands on a rag and gesturing toward the house. "We can grab a bite to eat or get a cold soda or something."

"Sounds good to me," Jared replied, his face brightening, obviously not wanting to go home yet.

We made our way back into the house. In the kitchen, I got us some lemonade and a plate of cookies. I set them down on the table.

"Help yourself to the cookies," I said, pouring two glasses of lemonade. "Nothing like a sugar rush to get you going."

Jared eagerly grabbed one and took a seat, gulping his lemonade as soon as I handed it to him.

"It's nice out," he said, looking out of the kitchen window at the porch out back.

"Then let's get out there," I replied.

With our snacks and drinks in hand, Jared and I headed out to the back porch. The afternoon sun cast a hard light over the backyard, bleaching everything until it was all a golden blur.

We settled into the low chairs on the porch, sinking into their cushions. A soft, hot breeze moved across the back yard, carrying with it the sweet scent of the flowers that grew further down.

"Nice out here, huh?" I remarked, taking a sip of my lemonade.

Jared nodded in agreement, munching on a cookie.

For a while, we sat in comfortable silence, half because we were feeling good and half because I was with a fifteen-year-old I hardly knew. There's only so much you can say.

Sitting there, I leaned back in my chair and felt the need to say it. "Sorry again, man, about your mom. It must be rough," I said, trying to tread lightly.

Jared shrugged; he seemed a little guarded.

"Yeah, it sucks. I miss her."

I nodded.

"How are you getting on with Eddie?"

Jared sighed, running a hand through his hair, the same near-blond mop as his uncle's.

"Okay, I guess. He's kinda cool. But we don't know each other, so it's weird, too."

I considered his words for a moment.

"You're lucky, though," I said.

"How do you mean?"

"Because you have someone who cares for you, who is cool and smart, has money, can look after you. Lots of people don't have that."

He looked at me.

"Eddie told me about your mom. He said that you were moved around a lot and didn't have anyone much to count on."

I smiled at him, although it was hard to hear him say it.

"Your grandma and Eddie were great. You having Eddie to be your guardian is the best thing that could happen, believe you me."

Jared mulled over my words.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded. "Were you the same age as me when your mom died?"

I leaned forward, opening up a bit.

"Even younger, man," I said, sighing softly. "And after that, I was shuffled between care homes and various relatives who didn't want me. I ended up going the wrong way in life, but if I had had what you have, it would have been different. He was such a good friend to me."

Jared was looking at me intently.

"But why didn't you stay friends?"

"How do you know we didn't?"

"I think maybe my mom told me about it once. Or Julianne, maybe."

I shrugged.

"People grow apart sometimes for no reason," I replied, although, in truth, I had wondered it myself so many times. "But your uncle is the best guy," I continued. "I see it so clearly now that we've hooked up again."

He had a habit of changing subjects, which he did again then.

"How did you get so good with cars? Did you train?"

I shrugged, trying to play it cool.

"I picked up a few things here and there. I didn't train."

"Seriously, man, you're awesome. I wish I knew half as much about engines as you do. It's so cool to be knowledgeable like this."

I chuckled, appreciating his admiration but deflecting it too.

"Well, it's not that hard once you get the hang of it. You gotta listen to what the engine's telling you."

Jared nodded.

"I'll remember that."

"It's guys like your uncle who have the real smarts, though," I said.

"Really?"

"Oh, big-time lawyer. So bright. A really impressive person, and with his work in human rights, he really helps people, you know. I really admire that."

"You help people," he said.

I shook my head.

"But only to fix their cars. Eddie fixes people's lives. Vulnerable people's lives. That's just the best thing."

His eyes were round.

"Wow, you really like Eddie."

I paused and reflected on what he said.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

Jared seemed a bit nonplussed by this.

"Can I drop by again sometime?" he asked.

"Sure thing." Then, a thought entered my head. "Has your uncle mentioned us going on a fishing trip?"

Jared's face puzzled.

"No. What fishing trip?"

"Oh, he and I talked about the three of us going on a fishing trip, a couple of days up in the mountains."

Jared's eyes went round with excitement.

"Oh, that would be off the hook!"

I arched my eyebrow.

"What, you and two old guys droning on about the old days?"

He burst into laughter.

"I don't mind!" he cried. "It sounds like a whole load of fun."

I smiled at him.

"I'll ask Eddie about it, then."

"Amazing," he said. He clenched his fists with excitement, grinning ear to ear. "Oh, it's gonna be immense !"