“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They both stared out of their respective windows, resolute in their steely silence. Jimmy looked from one to the other, dumbfounded. Deciding there was little he could do, he settled himself to drive and turned the ignition.

The engine made no sound. He tried again. The only noise he heard was the passing of a Mack truck on the highway, the gentle whistling wind, a door slamming, somewhere in the distance.

First one, then two, then three drops of rain fell onto the windshield.

“Yeah, they’ll go on you anytime. And not one bit of warning, neither.”

The mechanic hunched over the engine like a mother hen over her brood, implicitly knowing each one, personally, privately, and with tremendous respect for each. Maybe, Jimmy deduced, even with a little love.

Through the rain Jimmy had run to the filling station, where the mechanic told him languidly that the wrecker was out. Jimmy suggested that they might roll the car into the garage since it was only a few yards away. The mechanic spit—he had a big chew of tobacco in his mouth—wiped his mouth and nodded.

With water pelting down on them in the cold air, they pushed the car, with the two people in it, into the mechanic’s garage. The mechanic, a short, roly-poly fellow with greasy black hair and green eyes, rapidly diagnosed the problem and spat out his entire wad of tobacco.

“Now, yesterday,” he said, reaching for a Coke, “yesterday, you’d a been in trouble, see.” He took a swig of the soda, swirled it around in his mouth and spat that out. “Cause I don’t carry the part.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Only started making them in ’79.” He took a few more swigs of the soda and swallowed them. “But you’re lucky, see. Cause I’m farsighted.” He fished in his pocket and emerged with his tobacco pouch. “See, I knew a feller, all duded up in his suit, driving his new Oldsmobile, would stop by Roseboro one day. Stop to eat at the cafe. Get out. Get in his car, and bang!” He pinched up some tobacco and stuffed it in his jaw and stuffed a little more. “His car wouldn’t start.” He winked at Jimmy. “But like I said, you’re lucky. Cause the part come in today.”

Jimmy sighed.

“But it’ll take pretty near two hours or more, cause I got to finish another car before four o’clock. So have a seat inside.”