Jay^^^

Every day women suffer the onslaught of power-maddened males.

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Thursday
May 3, 1990

This has been one crazy week. I have dealt with a steady stream of men customers trying to tell me the best way to work on cars. A few months ago they would not have bat a eye at the fact that I was the one working on their cars. For some reason every man who comes in has something smart to say. I think Big Jim has been running his mouth around town. I thank my lucky stars this hell week is almost over.

As I get up to ready for my day the anger over pig headed men l have dealt with all week flared up again to a amazing hight. I no longer care who I tick off. I have snapped at almost everyone who came into the shop save Cindy, Jay and my dad.

For today, I dress in my most comfortable clothing. I know it will be another hot day again today. So I grab a black tank top and old faded jeans. I slip into my favorite Georgia work boots. Now I am ready to make that 4:30am drive to the shop. God I hate morrings but because I have been getting up like this from a early age. It's hard for me not to do it.

I promised my dad I would be a good girl till he can decide on who will be the new guy. He has been giving trial runs to the different men who applied for the job of new auto mechanic.

They each worked a full day to see if they can handle the volume of jobs we do in a days time. Most of them have been just are a joke. I have done more rework this week than I care to talk about. For some reason they all seem to have forgotten how to work on cars. This has not helped my people skills at all. I am thankful today will be the last trial day.

"Good Morring girl!" Cindy's one women sunshine show greets me as I make my way in. The wonderful smell of coffee fills the entire customer area. I am so thankful she gets here early to do this.

"Good?" I question her. I am well known for not being the best morring person.

Cindy rolls her eyes and starts her age old conversation about my lack of good mood because of the fact that I don't have a steady man in my life. "You know if you find a steady fellow you would not be in such a foul mood in the morring." She wiggles her eye brows at me. "Get you some good loving at home you would be happier."

"I don't need a man. We have been through this. I don't know why you still try. I am not like you I only need a man when I need him." I tell her for the hundredth time.

"How do you know? You never let me set you up with someone," she complains. I didn't want the type of man she had in mind. They all wanted a little house wife.

"Come on Cindy, you know I am not into that." I huff as I try to make my coffee in peace.

She puts her hands on her hips. "Well just let me set you up once. You know Ted Stone is a nice guy." The guy was barely 5'6" with mouse brown hair. He was thin and a bank teller to boot. The total opposite of what I wanted, and she knew that.

"Cind....." I started my usual argument on why I could not go for this.

"Come on! You know you are going to need a good man to help you here. You can't run this place without a man." She knows from the look on my face that she has crossed the line with her last comment. I disappointed and even sad that Cindy thinks this way.

Before I can backfire on her Jay enters the shop he stomps his way to the coffeemaker a man on a mission. I step back and give him space to make his coffee. He and I both had the same views on coffee. We let nothing get in our way when it came to that first cup.

Jay is still a beautiful for a man of thirty-two. With sun streaked blonde hair, a typical lean farmers body, and a pair of light blue eyes. Cindy smiles and greets him brightly. He mutters his return greeting, and quickly make his way to the bay door he runs.

I catch site of my dad and a young guy are making their way across the lot to the door. This guy looks young enough to have just got off a school bus. My dad wastes no time with the introductions as they enter.

"Steven, this here blonde beauty behine the counter is Cindy. She is the one you need to go to for your work orders." Steven gives her a flirtatious smile. "And the dark tall one over there glaring by the coffeemaker is my daughter Charlie. She is also your boss, if you have a problem with a woman as your boss. I suggest you get over it, quickly. She has not been in the best of moods this week." I can see the laughter shining in his eyes. Poor Steven now has the deer caught in the head lights look. I take this opportunity to make my escape. Not wanting to deal with Cindy an her change of attitude on my skills in running the shop. Or my dad's joking morring nature.

"New guy gets bay one, right?" Jay happily asks as he sets up for the day. We both love one of the perks of the tryouts.

I give him big smile. "Damn right he does."

There is a bell mounted in the roof just above the door that my dad worked. It is connected to the sensor at the gas tanks. Anytime that bell rings it means that someone needs gas. Whom ever works that door has to go pump it.. This is something my granddad started when he opened this shop more than 70 years ago. We are the last full service station in the county.

For the past few weeks that we have been a man down. Jay and I have been divided the hated chore. It's makes our day that the newbie has the job for the day.

Just before anyone could come in Jay pulls his ratrod Chev nova into the shop for a oil change. If you would see this car on the street you would might think it was a p.o.s. Nova. If you look under the hood it was a hole other story..

The 6.0l LS engine with six on the floor make it fast ride. Nitrous insures the car is fun to race on the streets. Jay lives to race for titles on the weekends. He has taken me with him racing on more than one occasion.

When we are just cleaning up after the oil change on the nova. My dad brings in Steven in and shows him where he will be working. "You can use my tools for the day. Just make sure you clean them up after you are done."

"You need to get ready, we'll be busy for most of the day. I hope you ate a good breakfast before coming here." I gave him my best boss look. I love the feeling of bossing around a guy.

"Y-Yes ma'am. I did" Steven quickly moves to the back and starts to set himself up to work. It gives me a thrill to see him jump into action.

Jay wisper near my ear "How long you going make him sweat?" Jay is the only guy other than my dad I don't feel the need to dominate. He is more like family.

"Till it's not fun anymore." I give him a sly smile. He knows me well, and is not upset that I act the way I do. We have been working side by side sense I was eleven.

"So mickey d's? I owe you for the help on the oil change. What do you want?". He has moved to the drivers side to get in.

"Frapa' chocolate chip." I get in just in time. Because the whole shop is filled with the popping sound of the glass packs from the nova. Steven watches the car with lust in his eyes as Jay backs out of the shop. He is definitely a gear head like Jay and myself.

"Hey, leave them young girls at McDonalds alone! You know they are jail bait!" I yell over the noise of the car at Jay. He only grins as he puts on sun glasses. Jay holds the breaks wile stomping on the gas. He lights up the tires as he rockets out into the street. The knowledge that I had a big hand in getting and keeping the ratrod on the road fills me with pride. I can only shake my head at him as the white-blue smoke boiled out from under the back wheels.

Few minutes before we open I was happily sitting on a shop stool by my pink custom craftsman tool box drinking my breakfast, and reading my latest edition of Hotrod magazine.

"Cha cha?" My dad walked in the shop after he come back from his usual breakfast. The look on his face tells me that he is not bringing good news.

"Yeah dad" he spents most his time at the local cafe and rumor mill. A little local place called Pegge's cafe. If you want to know what happening in town you can get the info at Pegge's.

"I just got a call from the city council. It seems that our favorite mayor Lester Hobbs is trying to get us taking off the contract of working on city cars" he complaints. "He think we are suddenly not good enough to do the work"

Lester Hobbs is the local car dealer, and mayor of our small town. He has wanted the city contact for years for his own shop. He could not beat our bid on the job. So he obviously plans to take all the work away from the little girl. He just doesn't know me very well.

Around lunch time that day Jay grabs all our attention. "Yo, check it out" Jay was pointing to something out side the shop.

We all turn to see a tall blonde man in jeans and a t-shrit pushing his bike up to the shop. His Harley Davison sports rod looked to be getting the better of him.. My dad slowly walked out to see what the biker needed.

I slipped up to the front door to ease droop on what they where saying.

"How's it going?" My dad sounders up to the stranger. "What seams to be the trouble with your bike?"

"I have no clue. It just quit. Please tell me you can work on motorcycles here." He must have been pushing for some time. His shrit is almost dripping wet with sweat.

Jay comes up behine me "looks like your break is over"

"Shut up" I mumble back at him.

"Well Charlie is the only one who can work on harleys here." My dad gives him a vague answer as he toys with the toothpick in his mouth.

"Told ya" Jay sings as he makes his way back to his tire rotation. I happily flip him off before I continue watching the exchange outside.

"Well is he available to work on my bike?" The stranger asked

"Cha cha!" My dad turns and shouts. He looks back to the man and sticks out his hand. "Don Reese owner of the shop. Charlie is co-owmer"

"Marc Rolling I am new to this area so I don't know many people here." He gives my dad a friendly smile.

I step out from my hiding spot and walk up to the pair. Marc looks a little shocked that the he, that was to work on his bike was in fact a girl. "Cha cha is my daughter. She is more than capable to work on your harley. She built her own when she was still in grade school." My dad's pride can be easily heard in his voice.

Marc does not look to happy that I am a girl. I can see it in his eyes that he doesn't trust my skills. I feel the need to show off a bit. "May I ?" I wave a hand to his bike.

"Sure?" He replied in a sceptical voice.

I walk up to the bike, take the keys, out unlock the gas tank and look in the inside. I do this knowing he will react badly.

"You think I would not know if I had enough gas?" He almost yells at me. Score one point for me.

I give him a sweet smile."I had to check...besides I can tell by your jeans what your problem is." I stand back and watch his face go red. Trying my best not to laugh.

"What do you mean?" He really confused now. Score two, I love making a man feel smaller than me.

"You got a blown head gasket. Most of your oil is splatter on your jeans" He looks down at his feet. My dad has to turn his head not to laugh in Marc's face. Game, set, and match.

"I can work on it this afternoon if you want. You can pick it up in a few days." I wait from him to tell me if he wants me to work on the bike. You can almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"I guess I don't have much in a choice. I just need to call someone to come and get me. Can I use your phone?" He addresses this question to my dad. Obviously not wanting to give me more ammo to tear down his manhood.

"Sure phone is just in the office there. Just tell Cindy I said you could use the phone.." my dad points the office door. Before Marc goes inside he picks up a leather jacket off the seat of the bike I did not notice before.

He looks at me once more "Do I need to push it in for you?"

"No I believe I can handle it" I tell him.

As he walks in the shop he slings his jacket back on. On the back of the jacket is a new pack for the Road Warriors bike club.......

We all find out this is a growing thing when another member of the same club comes to pick Marc up. Now he is the type of man I would go for. He stood at least 6'4' pushing 280. As far as I can see he is solid muscle.

Maybe one day I could find a man like him. Now I need to prove I could handle the business just like a man.