After watching Scarlett get inside her shop, I turned around and opened up mine. Alex comes bounding in with a smile on his face.
"Did you propose too?" I ask him.
"What? No, not yet. It almost happened, but I didn't want to do it after rolling in the sheets. You proposed?" Alex clips out quick.
"I did Saturday night. She said yes with no hestiation." I smile.
"That's awesome man." Alex pats my back.
"So we got one car that is almost finished and two others to start on." I look over the cars in the lot behind the shop.
"I called the owner to the truck and they know it will be ready by the end of work day today. The car came in late Saturday by tow, and not sure what is going on with it other than it just stopped running with the gauges going all over the place." Alex informs me of Saturday's happens when I left.
"Sounds like it could be a few different things with the car. Possible the battery connections or the electronic computer. Then we have the rebuild on the sports car. The owner wants that one tuned down on the motor right?" I double check.
Alex looks at the paper on it and nods his head.
"Yeah, it used to be used for racing but now it is to much for the normal driver." Alex continues.
Shame people do things to cars and then brings it in to be undone.
Alex gets to finishing the truck and I walk over to the car that was brought in. With it not running it is best to just work on it here, instead of trying to push it in the shop.
Raising the hood of the car, I do a quick inspection. Looking right at the battery connectors, only to see the one thing I thought. They are corroded battery terminals.
I walk into the shop to grab several rags and some tools to remove them. Sure I can just remove the corrosion but then put some of the paste on it to help, but that is not a complete fix. I pride myself on doing the job correct the first time.
I look and see we have the new terminals for the type that is needs. I pull them off the shelf and grab the tools needed to replace them.
I am right at finishing up the replacement when the shop phone rings. I gently put the hood down and run into the shop.
"Sorry, under here." Alex calls out from under the other car that needs the motor tuned down.
I grab the phone and answer. "Hello, thanks for calling Liam's Auto. How can I help you?"
"Well son. Glad you answer at least one of the phones that is tied to you." My Mom's voice rings through the line.
I roll my eyes.
"I am working Mom. Can I call you back?" I silently cross my fingers.
"No. We need to talk and you won't answer your cell phone. Now, when are you coming home? Christmas is this weekend." Mom huffs.
"I am not coming to the city. It is not my home and you know that. I live here again in Little Rose, this is my home." I try to keep a calm tone.
"That stopped being our home when your Father divorced me. Your home is where I am and that is here in the city. Now, stop being strong headed and come home. I demand it of my only son and family left." Mom screams.
I hold the phone away from my ear through her little melt down.
"I am a grown man. You are more than welcome to come and visit me here. I can't stand the city with the noise and crime that goes on. I will not risk bringing my fiancé there." I repeat.
"You're getting married! Yet, you didn't tell me!" Mom goes into a fit.
"If we could actually talk and you not demand or treat me like a child then I would have called and told you all about her. Who's name is Scarlett, which happens to be Scarlett Emma. You know the only friend I had as a young child." I kind of snip back to her in a much nicer form than what she has spoke to me with.
The line is silent and for the first time in a while Mom must be shocked.
"She is all grown up too now. I need to call her Mom, I should have never stopped calling them. I just couldn't handle being or having anything to do with the little town after what your Father done." Mom sniffs.
I let out a long sigh. Now, Mom is starting to make sense and granted how things went down between her and my father I can understand her being upset. The way she has acted though over the years since is not the Mother I knew from before the divorce.
"Mom her parents past away eight years ago." I gently tell her.
I hear when Mom breaks out in tears.
"I am so sorry son. I have been awful to you and she was the only one you ever had as a friend that young, then to rip you away from that town. I-I just couldn't care for anyone to look at me awful because of your father. Emma has been dealt a hand harder than I was." Mom sniffs and stutters.
"Mom, I know Scarlett wouldn't mind you coming over for Christams. Why don't you come back and see the town again? Come visit us and get to know Scarlett now and who she grew into." I offer.
It is the holiday season and forgiveness is the best thing. She is the only family I truly have left and Scarlett losing her parents and seeing the grave makes it harder in a way. Even if I don't get along with my mother I want to at least be nice to her and her nice to me.
"I will try to come down." Mom whispers before hanging up.
I put the phone down and go back to finish the car I was working on.