The Repair Tech (A Jonathan Toews Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

Melissa's P.O.V. |On The Rise by Generdyn

Chicago nicknamed the Windy city for the wind that blows off lake Michigan.

However, the windy city during the winter, it is horrible feeling. Not only that it is cold out with snow on the ground but if the wind whips, I feel like an icicle. I looked up to see the T.V. to see the local news channel was on. I see the weather forecast and all they were talking about was the cold. They were predicting another cold front to blanket the Chicago area for the next week.

"Alright, you ready to head out for the afternoon?" An old man's voice asked me. I turned around and saw Michael standing right there.

"Yeah, let me just fill up my coffee and I'll meet you at the van." I said to him.

"Be down in 5 minutes." He said before leaving the room.

Michael was the senior printer repair technician here at my newish job. I say newish because I have been at this company for about a month and half. However, today was my first day in the field and we were already halfway through it. I was already exhausted because there was so much to being a technician. Although for the last month I was learning all about the printers we were service, there's a difference between being in a book and in person. I put my uneaten lunch back in the fridge. I go put my side bag back on before I grabbed my travel coffee mug and headed over to the coffee machine. I put it under and pressed the button to fill it with a Chocolate cappuccino. I open my bag and grab my water bottle before shaking it. I hear water sloshing around signaling that it had water. I always had to make sure I had a full water bottle before going in the field. I grab the full mug and putting the lid on before leaving the lunchroom, down the stairs and to the street. I open the door and a rush of cold air hits me before I get in the van. I place my mug in the cup holder.

"4 minutes, 55 seconds not bad but cutting it close." Michael said as he looked at his watch. He was one who defiantly was always on time for anything. "So, what is the first thing we should do after lunch?" He asked me to try to test me about what he told me this morning about the day in a printer technician.

"Well based on the fact we are still parked; we should check our email to see if we have any new calls come in or if the helpdesk is requesting an ETA for a customer." I said to him without my notebook out that was stuffed with all the information I've learned. I was trying to get my bag off so I could sit better in the seat as my bag wasn't the best organized so it was bigger than it should be.

"Very good, so if we look." He showed me his phone. He had pulled up an email for a new service call that had showed up on his screen during lunch. "It looks like we got an issue for streaking for our customer the United Center. So streaking, what are the possible causes?"

"Streaking can be the drum..." I trail off and search in my notebook "...fuser, dirty rollers or the toner." I said as I was looking at my section, I had dedicated to the copy quality of prints that came out of the printer.

"Those are very good things to look out for. So, we have a waste toner box we need to go empty out prior to." He looks at his watch. "It is 1:05 pm, so I would predict about 3pm we would show up at the United Center. So, I will call the customer, letting them know and we can get our way to the waste toner call." He said as takes his phone from the middle and called the contact for the United Center.

Although I was new to the city, I was familiar with the United Center. My father growing up was a Chicago Bulls fans since he was born and raised in the city so whenever he was at home and the Bulls played, that game was on. Yet, I've only ever seen the United Center through a T.V. screen.

Michael gets off the phone and starts the GPS to our next call. We were heading to a bank that was unable to print because their waste toner bottle was full. Since that bottle is a collection unit, once it's full it stops the functioning of the printer or at least that's what the books say but all technicians will agree with that one.

We pull up to the bank and both of us get out of the van. Michael opens up the back door and grabs the toolbox. He instructions me to get the vacuum cleaner. I grab it and close the door and follow him inside the bank where the customer comes towards us.

"So, you Bulls or Blackhawks fan?" Michael asked me as we pulled away from the bank.

Is that what the other logo you see hanging from the ceiling during the games when my dad watched? "I'm not a sports person but my dad was a huge Bulls fan. He's been watching them when they were still in the Chicago Stadium or at least that's what he tells me. I was only two when they moved to the United Center. He said that he brought me and my brother to a Bulls game in 1993 but I was 3 and my brother was 1." I said to him in a cold, tired tone. All I wanted to do at this point was go back home and crawl into my warm bed.

"Ah yes the Chicago Stadium..." Michael said before starting to relive his good old days of when him and his friends used to go to the Stadium and watch the Bulls play all the time. He started to talk more about basketball, but I tuned it out until we got to the United Center.

We get there and head towards the doors, Michael carrying the toolbox. Once we get to the door, a man in dress slacks and a polo was there to let us in. He led us down the hallways, into the belly of United Center underground to the printer that sat outside his office.

Michael opened the printer and we started to get to worked. We gave the machine a good cleaning to see if it was just extra toner on the page, but it was still coming out with the streaking. I then went on the control panel to the supply life section to see that the drum and fuser were both past their expected life. Michael explained to me that because they were both 0% we should replace them and that will normally fix the printer. Yet we didn't have any in stock but will tell the parts department to order some which should take about a week.

"Alright, let's have you put the panel on, and I will let Jason know that we need parts." He instructed before walking away. I nod and grab the screwdriver from the toolbox. I started to screw the screws back on when I see someone coming down the hallway and turning the corner. I didn't get a good glance of him, but he had on sweatpants and a black hoodie on, but I couldn't make the logo of it.

You could have told me that was the captain of one of the sports teams that plays here, and I would have believed you. My knowledge of Chicago sports players was only limited to Michael Jordan and that is because he was my dad's favorite player. He had Michael Jordan jerseys, yes jersey plural.

I finished with the panel and gathered the tools we used before putting them in the toolbox. Michael comes out of the customer's office, and they start to walk towards the door. Michael motioned to me to follow them. I just grab the toolbox and we head back outside and to the van.

I open the van back door and place the toolbox in there. I close the door and get into the passenger side of the van. I looked at the time on the dashboard, only 3:45 pm which meant Michael was going to call the call we just got in to see if we can stop by. Thankfully they were closing at 4pm so we headed back to the office where he was going to show me where my inventory section was and how we request the parts from the parts department for the United Center call.

It was only day one, but I could tell this was going to be an exhausting position for me to keep up with.