Carol The Car Mechanic

52 Stories in 52 Weeks: ## 19 Carol The Car Mechanic

By: Mr. George D. Patnoe., Jr.'s Ambidextrous Brain + Mind

Every morning, Carol awoke up with a smile on her face, even though she knew that she would be facing a world of men and machines; that is, car engines. As she looked in the mirror, she purposefully smiled a wider smile. She smiled because a new life started to unfold for her. A new job in a new city caused Carol to smile even wider, as looked into the mirror. Carol constantly remembered her dad’s bit of wisdom, ‘At the end of everyday, at the end of your life, you have to be able to look in the mirror’s eyes because you are the only person you will really have to answer to.’ Of course, her mom would also tell her, ‘You also have to answer to the angels!’

When Carol was a little girl, she had first tried to stare into the mirror, into the mirror’s eyes, that were truly her eyes. Carol’s first moment of self-reflection felt strange, as if she had just entered into a self psychic zone. At first, she would not stare into her the mirror’s eyes, being afraid of what she would find hidden within her own mind, within her own soul. As she sensed her freshly showered skin, she had realized that her childhood mind was almost as clean as her bathed body. ‘What could be located deep inside her own mind that might scare her if she discovered some new quality about herself, even as a little girl?’ she thought. Yet, Carol returned to starring into the mirror’s eyes. Avoiding the white’s of her eyes, looking into the darkness of the iris, she saw no visions of good or evil. She felt as clean as a new sheet of writing paper. She realized that since she was like a new sheet of writing paper, she better careful what she would record on her seemingly invisible mirrored soul.

Carol the adult also learned to looked into the eyes of all creatures, just to see what they might be hiding from the world. Some people were excellent at hiding evil, and even their good intentions; while other people easily opened up their minds to Carol. It was the same with car engines. Some car problems were easy to find and solve, while other car problems were not easy to find and solve; just as a psychiatrist would search for what is bothering a patient, so would Carol have to search for what was wrong with a car’s engine. There was the normal ordered process of, analyzing, uncovering, and correcting the car’s problem. Every system was different. There were the electrical systems, the exhaust system, the computer systems, the engine’s systems, etc., etc., etc., One hole in one hose could plainly ruin the whole car from operating correctly.

That seemed to be the same way for people’s minds too. One moment gone wrong could change a person’s whole life, for better or for worse; until the day that they stopped breathing; and even beyond their last breath.

Looking into the eyes of men became a habit from her youth. Carol had learned how people hid so many good and evil intentions behind their eyes; as if most people were made up of basic qualities of a certain human-selfhood and a certain animal-selfhood. It seemed to Carol as if all human had to choose between the two selfhoods; that is the reptile brain and the human brain, between being a caveman or a futuristic human. At least in their dreams. Carol had noticed how some of her childhood friends were kind, gentle, and book-wise, while other children seemed lost in a maze of uncivilized behavior. She simply divided a person’s selfhood into two possible qualities; human or animal. It seemed that simple!

As Carol stepped onto the city’s sidewalk, she glared over the tall buildings of glass, steel, stone, and brick. The city had no eyes, but some of the very tall glass buildings seemed to reflect part of the city’s soul. Carol knew that most people thought that a city was only material buildings, plus people made of skin and bones. But Carol knew better! Once when Carol was a little girl, her parents and she visited New York City - the Big Apple. Carol remembered how she sensed the different airy atmosphere’s around each of Manhattan’s mini-cities. Little Italy. Soho. The Financial District. Harlem. Each part of the big city seemed to have a different kind of life, a different culture, a different history, a different soul. And yet, they were all connected to each other; because that is how life is on planet earth.

As Carol drove up to the garage, she saw the huge dirty,-yellowish rectangle sign on the building. The bold black letters glared with white circles in the letters. GREG’S AUTO REPAIR AND SERVICE CENTER. Carol walked into the front door and smiled at her new boss. After the normal greetings, she walked through the door that led to the eight station garage. One of the guys looked up and yelled at Carol, ‘Hey lady, the waiting room is on the other side of the building. Carol yelled back, ‘Thanks, but I already know that.’ The guy shut up as Carol forcefully walked pass him into the ladies room. After Carol changed her clothes, she looked into the mirror’s eyes, and told herself, ‘Whatever happens, keep your integrity.’ Of course, the guys were a bit confused; especially when she returned to the garage wearing her used overalls. She smiled at the guys as she walked passed them, into the bosses’ office. After she survived the first day, after she had looked into the eyes of men, she would know who was what; what kind of person.

As the Carol and the boss walked back to the garage, some of the of guys were talking in a group circle. The boss walked up to the group circle and said, ‘I want to introduce Carol to you. She will be replacing Joe at station three. The boss named off the guys’ names as it pointed to each of them. I expect that there will be no problems among you. You can get to know each other better later. We have rows of cars that have to be work on, so treat Carol as a co-worker and help her anytime she needs it. Any questions? None! Good! Frank is the crew chief, so he will be helping you out.’ No one said a word. Everyone returned to work on their cars.

Carol and Frank walked to the car in the third station and they discussed the car’s problem. Frank left Carol alone. As she started loading her tools from her car to her personal tall red tool box inside the garage, the radio music echoed in the background. Nevertheless, a certain silence melted through the air. Carol looked at the car before she walked into the car. As she sat I the driver’s seat, she turned the key to start the engine. Nothing happened. Carol guessed that maybe the battery was dead, or maybe the alternator was not charging the battery, or maybe the starter was dead, or maybe a computer relay switch was broken. In any case, she knew what she had to do, so she did it.

Lunch time arrived very soon. Everyone washed up and almost everyone walked over to the break room. One wall was lined up with coffee and soda machines and candy machines and sandwich machines and even a microwave on a side table. A long, rather thin white painted table was located in the center of the break room. After everyone either bought or prepared their home made food, they all sat down and they started to chat. One loud mouth, a guy named Harry, was the first to open his mouth. ‘Hey blonde, what is up with you? Shouldn’t you be working in an office?’ Carol looked at Harry, after she remembered the mirror’s eyes.

Just as a lady would politely, yet a bit cocky would state, ‘Well sir, for your information, I have been working on cars in my dad’s garage ever since I was little girl. Harry’s eyes lowered themselves to the table as he pretended to stare at his food The room became silent as the guys realized that a car mechanic and a lady sat next to them. They feared to speak, to question, to drill Carol about her decision to work as a car mechanic. A few of the guys small talked as Carol opened up a book about cars. As she read the book, she turned towards Harry and she said, ‘Well Harry, do you like Corvettes or Porsche better? You know, for street racing. Harry slowly lifted his head and said, ‘What? You race cars too?’ Carol smiled at Harry as she looked straight into his eyes. Harry froze, waiting for an answer.

Carol looked into Harry’s eyes. A magical moment between two car lovers. Carol became still as she listened to the voice that was screaming out of Harry’s eyes. She saw a dreamer who to afraid to fulfill his dreams, but there was a sense of pain too. ‘Well Harry, do you race cars? A few of the guys laughed. ‘No, he does not race, but he collects racing cards. Do you want to see them?’ Carol shook her head up and down as she said ‘Yes.’ Harry stood up and left the room. He returned to the break room with a few boxes of cards. While looking at a few of the cards: an old black Ford Model T, a yellow 1960 Corvette, and an Indianapolis 500 race car, the boss walked into the break room, ‘Lunch time if over.’ Everyone returned to working on their cars.

At closing time, everyone walked out to their cars, so they could drive home. Carol bumped into Harry as they walked out of the garage. ‘So what do you drive, hotshot?’ Carol asked Harry. I drive that old pick-up truck my dad gave me. What do you drive.’ Carol started to walk towards her car. Harry’s eyes opened wide and his mouth open wide as his jaw dropped a bit as he glared at Carol’s car. A bright blue paint job, with flaming red and yellow flames that started wide from the front and ended with points at the end of the car. The dual shiny silver exhaust pipes were wide and the new extra wide rear black tires stood out too.

‘Do you want to go for a ride?’ Carol asked Harry. ‘Sure, why not.’ with a new smile on his face. They hopped into the car. Harry felt the feel of real racing seats as he looked at the solid black dashboard with the racing gauges. ‘Wow.’ was all Harry could say. Carol turned the ignition’s key and the engine began to purr as if a kitten was under the hood. As Carol’s feet alternated between pushing down on the gas peddle and clutch peddle, her hand moved the gearstick, like a pro. ‘Where did you buy the car?’ Harry asked Carol. Carol replied, ‘Oh, I built it with the help of my dad and his friends.’

As the car exited the parking lot, Carol said, ‘I heard about a racing strip from one of the other guys; lets check it out.’ As Carol drove the car through the rush hour traffic, a few car horns sounded off. As they approached the racing strip, a couple of racing cars were surrounded by some people. As Carol and Harry approached them, Carol slowed her car down to a silent roar. One of the guys jumped through his car’s window, because his car’s door was welded closed; for safety reasons. Carol knew what that meant. She knew that it meant two race car drivers who had not only built their racing cars, but who also wanted to prove who had built faster car, but who was the best race car driver. They all knew that it was a test of wills between a male and a female.

As they lined up at the starting line, Carol looked into the rearview mirror’s eyes, into her own soul. She remembered her dad’s words, ‘No car race is worth dying for.’ But that advise never stopped her from flooring the gas peddle and shifting the gears as fast as she could move her hands and feet. From 0 to 60 miles an hour within four seconds was a trick of the relationship between human and machine. It seemed as if neither the one or the other could exist without the other. Machines were made and needed by men, (and women), but machines also seemed to take on a life of their own for the world of skin and bones, and brains.

At 90 miles an hour, she sensed the moment as the car reached 100 miles an hour. A pop from the other car’s tire caused her competitor’s car to flip over and over and over again, straight into Carol’s car. Her competitor’s car caught on fire, as Carol’s car flip over and over again, until it rested, un-side down. As their bodies laid still, their minds transformed from one state of consciousness to another, as they remained the same unchangeable identity. The great divide between two worlds, between two universes, where the dead slowly experience a new realm after they stopped breathing. Hatching into a new world, just as a baby chicken that hatches from its enclose white shell of an unrealistic protected and closed world, to a wide opened world of time and space, and wild creatures.

‘So we meet again.’ Carol thought to Harry. A silent laugh was all Harry could return to Carol, as they bumped into each other without skin and bones. They embraced and began to dance in a spiraling and twirling whirlwind high above the crashed cars, as they noticed the police cars and the fire trucks and the ambulances arriving on the chaotic scene. They also heard all of the noisy racket as they felt their souls become one; above life, above death. They saw dreams of a family, dreams of owning their own garage one day, dreams of living on earth before they twirled around together once again, one day, if it was meant to be. But for now, they were in love! A moment of unspeakable love, as if destiny had created the moment for two lonely souls.

As they felt their bodies laying in the ambulance’s beds, they reached out to hold each other’s hands; as they both knew that their lives would never be the same, ever again!


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