RP: Keep on Truckin'

[jake_abernathy]

Date: September 28, 2011
Characters: Jake Abernathy, Harley Jordan
Location: Reen’s
Status: Private
Summary: Jake has the truck in for a look see.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[harley_jordan]

Harley stood up straighter at the counter when she heard the sound of car pulling in (a big one from the sound of it). She closed her economics textbook gratefully, even though with her luck it was just Duck, bringing around something from out back. She was trying to use her time to study, even though her class didn't start till next month

[jake_abernathy]

Jake rolled his window down, feeling a little bad for not just strolling in, but in his situation things were just a little more complicated, what with the added difficulty of getting in and out and in and out.

"Hey there," he greeted the younger woman with an easy smile, hiding for now at least his discomfort with the normal errand. "I was hoping you'd have time to do a general servicing, and it was making a faint clicking at times this week. It's pretty new, so I figured it might not be anything serious, but might as well get it looked at, right?"

He tilted his head slightly, knowing it needed to be said. "It has hand controls, so if you can't use them, I'll have to move it for you," he said slowly and a little reluctantly.

[harley_jordan]

Harley leaned in toward the window sill, not having to bend over really because he was in a truck and she was short, and returned his smile. "I'm Harley," she said, pointing to her red and white name tag, "and sure, we're good for walk-ins anytime." She refrained from adding 'thank god you're here, my brain was leaking onto the counter'. Instead she noted the make and model of the truck on the standard sheet

[jake_abernathy]

"That'd be great, thanks," Jake said. He wished he could do more of it himself, now, but he was just going to have to suck it up and endure. "A tow is the last thing I need these days." Because wouldn't that just be embarrassing.

He could see her eyes light up, and his lips did turn up in a faint smile. Car enthusiast, he could tell, he'd been around enough of them to know that something different was cool, even if the circumstances weren't. It amused him.

"I don't mind showing you, or if you want to climb in I can do it the first time and I'll let you pull it out again." She'd probably like that, and he didn't mind letting someone get hands on time with something, so long as she didn't wreck the thing or something. "Whatever works best for you. I can handle whatever." He was tough, and at least today he wasn't hurting like he did some days.

[harley_jordan]

"If you insist." Harley grinned and rounded the hood, not even shy about hopping up into the cab with him. She got a relatively decent vibe off him, and it was the definition of a short ride. "And I'm a quick study, don't even worry about that. I'll even grab your VIN number while I'm in here. Two birds."

She pulled the door shut and looked over at him, resting the clipboard on her knee as she prepared to watch rather than write. Always preferable. "Lead on, and thanks, by the way. Been here three years, and usually it's me showing the customer stuff. I know it's something you shouldn't have to do, and all."

[jake_abernathy]

"I'm not worried," Jake said, liking her attitude at least. Upbeat and enthusiastic, and she hadn't immediately defaulted into asking questions about why he needed hand controls, which he wouldn't have found entirely unusual.

Jake started the truck back up, showing her the basics of the stuff before he started pulling back out and following her directions to pull into where she wanted him. "Well, it's not like you come across this kind of stuff very often," he admitted. "I'm sure most places can go their entire existence without having to deal with it. It was a learning experience for me as well." He was still able to twist most of the way around to back out and into places, his injury luckily being rather low down. "It's not an inconvenience to show you."

[harley_jordan]

Harley watched him and took a mental note of how everything worked, taking the time to point him in the right car bay. She figured anytime she'd been driving stick since she was fifteen, she could pick up any kind of driving that took a little more hand coordination. "Not really, no. We get customers with your type of deal sometimes but they're usually with someone, you know? Guess not everyone can outfit their car like this." She signaled for him to stop once they were in far enough, watching how he braked again.

"You got anything I can take out of the truck for you?" Once she was out, she looked around for a chair, or similar, but didn't see anything right away.

[jake_abernathy]

"Yeah. I'm rather lucky that I can get around as much as I do. Men of my station--I was a firefighter--they helped me to get this truck, raised half the money and I had the rest." Though technically he could have paid for it himself, he'd been touched to not have to. He parked and turned off the car, leaving the keys in the ignition in case she needed them.

"I can get my chair, thanks, just takes me a moment." He opened his door and turned, pulling his chair from where it was stowed and shaking it out, making sure it was set before pulling his legs around and reaching up for the handle, which was much sturdier than typical, and arms bunching he lowered himself easily enough down into the chair and adjusted his position, fastidiously not looking at anyone as he did so, still somewhat self conscious of the dead weight of his lower body, despite how well he managed, and despite how muscular his upper half was.

[harley_jordan]

"I'd hate depending on other people," she admitted, sympathetic if blunt. "Think that'd be the worst thing, that and giving up driving." She leaned across the passenger seat and pulled the keys out of the ignition, taking custody of them so she could work on things. "So you were a firefighter, huh? Like some kind of hero, I guess." She caught his eye and smiled. "'Cause me, I see a fire, I'm running in the other direction." She didn't remember the fire that'd killed her folks, just brief mental flashes of light and smoke and Thad's six year old voice

[jake_abernathy]

Jake hated depending on other people too, which was why he worked himself as hard as he did in order to be as self sufficient as possible. "Gives me reason to push myself so I don't have to be," he said. "Heh, not a hero, but thank you for the sentiment," he said, nodding his head at her. "Call it being an adrenaline junky." Though really he wasn't, just an active person, or had been. "But you're smarter than me, running in the other direction--that's likely what I'd recommend." He returned her smile.

"I think I'm still good from the last oil change, but it wouldn't hurt to check. I'm not as on top of things as I used to be. A lot harder to peer under the hood that it used to be." He tried to keep the comment casual, though it was harder on him than he would admit, especially to a stranger. "A little clicking, I don't think it's terribly serious, but best be safe."

[harley_jordan]

Harley nodded. "It's a powerful motivator," she said. She liked to think she'd be strong enough to do what he did to be on her own, but she didn't know. "Nah, total hero. Plus you kinda look like that paper towel dude, the Brawny guy? He could do anything." She chuckled at herself, but he totally had a lumberjack vibe. "I'm an adrenaline junky sometimes, I'll break all kinds of traffic laws, but not so much with fires and such." Scared her a bit, if she was honest.

"Yeah, sounds like you keep up with her pretty well. Hell of a lot better than some people who can get up and do it," she said bluntly, "not that I should complain. It keeps me working." She examined the engine, then pulled a rag out of her back pocket so she could check his oil levels just to be safe. "You're probably good, it's just the heat can put extra stress on cars sometimes."

[jake_abernathy]

Jake outright laughed. "The Brawny guy, huh?" he said, amused, and supposed she had a point. He kind of could see that. That was one comparison his mother had never made, though she'd made several through the years. "Tsk tsk, traffic laws are there for a reason," he said lightly, though for a second he couldn't help but think of whoever it had been who had broken the law and landed him in the position he was in now. "I was Army before I was a firefighter, though, so I'm used to having to run toward the dangerous thing." He touched the tattoo that just peeked out from under one shirt sleeve, his Army one.

"If it keeps you in a job," Jake said, moving him and his chair out of the way but where he could watch her with some interest. "Very true. Unfortunately so. Just so long as it keeps working for awhile longer." After all, he really didn't want to have to go through the bother of buying a new truck with this kind of controls, it was more expensive than one would think.

[harley_jordan]

"'Course they are. Just kind of a speed demon." If only those had been the only laws she'd ever broken, she'd be doing pretty good. Not her life anymore, though. She glanced at his tat and nodded. "That's something else I don't have the guts to do."

The oil levels were okay, she'd just top them off. "Well, it's a pretty late model and it's in great shape. Should keep for quite a few years at this rate. It's not one of the inferior makes, either." She glanced at him and smiled crookedly. "Sorry, might be a little elitist about cars. They're definitely not all the same, especially not trucks."

[jake_abernathy]

"Nothing wrong with speed sometimes," Jake conceded with a grin. "What, the tattoo? Never thought I would get one, myself, and my mother still moans about it, but circumstances led to both of them." And he didn't regret it and didn't think he ever would.

"I am of the mind to make my investments well," Jake said. "Especially since in a few years I'll be having to figure out what to do when my daughter is ready to learn to drive." He couldn't precisely teach her like normal, and he didn't know if it was legal to teach her with hand controls. He had a lot to look into before Star turned fifteen.

[harley_jordan]

"Not the tattoo, the military," Harley said with a laugh, holding up her hand wrist out where a little pentagram was covering up her gang tat. She might have another soon if she let Thad give her one, but the jury was definitely still out. "Definitely couldn't hack that life."

"Yeah, you want good wheels under your kid if you can manage it," she agreed. He didn't look old enough to have a teenager, which meant he probably had a story similar to Detective Softie with the mustang, who didn't look old enough to have one either. She zeroed in on a loose valve that could be the culprit. "Not like a Benz or anything, but something solid, nice little Civic or something."

[jake_abernathy]

Jake ahhed and nodded. "It wasn't that bad, really. Entered young, did six years." It had been a pay check when he needed one, though he knew now how hard it had been on Mona. Sometimes he wondered how things would have worked out if he hadn't gone that route.

"Oh, nothing too fancy for Star. I have a feeling she probably will have issues with the traffic laws as well," he said with a quiet chuckle. "We're still working on this whole 'impulse control' thing. Hoping it will improve before I have to let her get behind the wheel."