The Mechanics of Us

Chapter 28

It's Friday night once again, and the long summer days have turned into shorter autumn nights. The air is crisp and no longer saturated with humidity, the leaves on the trees have started to dry up and crinkle. The air smells clean and fresh, different than summers although there is still a hint of warmth left but it is not prominent. The mechanic said she will pick me up at six and when I flick my wrist to check the time on my watch I notice it is 5:58 PM. I rest my hand in my back pocket and feel the dry piece of paper with her note I wrote on it for her. I make sure it is secure by shoving it deeper in my pocket and hope it does not fall out during our date. I wait in the lobby and scroll through my phone to bide my time. The surgeon said they would cover for me until 9:00 PM tonight. They haven't been around much; I am starting to see less and less of them. I remember they always used to be insight, and even at night, when they would leave, they were only a door down from me. I miss their presence sometimes, but I am aware that I no longer need them. My life is not theirs, and their life is not mine.

Regardless, I am thankful. For this one day seems to be perfect. The sunsets earlier now and I can see the distinct striations of lavender and apricot streak the sky. It is as if the day does not wish to leave and the night wishes for the day to stay. The two hold onto each other as long as possible until the day can no longer hold on, but even as it fades away, there are still traces left behind.

A hum of an engine echoes through the quiet streets, sending a very pleasing expression across my face. The mechanic is wearing her work attire again, I love it when she wears it, and she knows I do. I admire her from a distance; she's wearing leather gloves along with a leather jacket over her jumpsuit. It's very form fitting on her, and it accentuates her muscular yet slim figure, a beautiful moment that needed to be noted.

"Wow," I take in her presence and cover my mouth out of astonishment.

"Look who's talking" she smirks and pulls me in by the waist and presses her lips firmly against mine.

"Babe, no," I shake my head and move a strand of my hair behind my ear. Compared to her, I am only wearing one of her old white sweatshirt with the words "NASA" written in red-she gave me back a week or so before and some black jeans. There isn't a lot for me.

"Well, to me, you look stunning. As always," she draws me in close, resting her hands on my hips. The comfort I get from hearing her heart as I rest my head on her chest is indescribable. Sometimes experiences can not be put into words for if they were the signs would be lost. This is one of those experiences that no words will ever compare to the actual sensation.

"Okay, let's get going," she breathily speaks, and let's go deliberately.

"Okay, so what are we doing?" I take her hand as we walk over to the motorcycle.

"Well..." she rummages around in her pocket for a second before passing me a pamphlet. It's ancient as the flimsy pages are crumpled with speckles of brown ripple stains scattered on the cover. I take it from her, rubbing the paper between my fingers, it's fuzzy and thin, flipping it over. I read the bold, blocky text: "McDonough Observatory" with a picture of a hyper-realistic giant telescope surrounded by various planets and stars in an assortment of faded neon strokes.

"We're going to the old observatory?!" I excitedly blurt out. I giddily bounce on my toes enthusiastically and cover my face with my hands to keep my rosy cheeks hidden.

The mechanic chuckles, then bring my hands away from my face and kiss my forehead. I sigh my heart feeling so full at that moment.

"Come on, let's get going. Sun will be setting soon" she sneaks one last kiss before straddling the bike and patting the space behind her.