Beyond The Fine Line

Chapter X - Shift

The late evening had draped the city in a dusky embrace by the time Sean finally returned to the garage. As he approached the familiar, slightly worn door, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise. The lights were still on. Izzy didn't usually work this late, which made Sean wonder if someone from the group had dropped by. A slight annoyance crept into his mood at the possibility of running into Tay.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "This asshole is the last thing I need right now."

With a resigned sigh, Sean pushed the door open and wheeled his motorbike inside. To his relief, he found Izzy hunched over an engine, his hands deftly tinkering with its inner workings. The soft glow of a work lamp illuminated his focused expression, highlighting the streaks of grease and oil smudged across his face and hands.

"You're up late," Sean commented, breaking the silence.

Izzy glanced up from his work and wiped his hands on the rag. "Yeah, an extra job. One or more cylinders in the engine are not firing correctly, and there is leakage. Honestly, the whole thing is on its last legs, but they can't afford to replace the engine. They can't go without a car either.... He literally begged me to fix it by morning so he wouldn't miss work. I couldn't say no."

"Need help?" Sean asked, already heading towards the back room to grab his work clothes.

"I thought you had an essay to write," Izzy yelled after him, knowing that Sean wouldn't listen to him anyway. He was more than aware of how stubborn his little brother could be. Besides, he could genuinely use his help to ensure the car was ready on time.

They worked seamlessly in silence for a couple of hours, focusing on their tasks. The quietness of the garage was occasionally broken by the clutter of tools or simple commands and instructions. They always enjoyed fixing cars together, ever since Sean was old enough to reach the engine from the stool. 

Izzy was already in secondary school when nearly five-year-old Sean stayed with them for the first time at night because his parents were stuck at work. Initially, he was scared, asking when his mum would be back, but then Izzy took him to the garage and showed him all his father's tools, showing off some things he learned from him. Since that night, every time Sean stayed with them, he wouldn't leave Izzy's side, following him everywhere. Even now, Izzy sometimes liked to tease him about it and never stopped seeing him as his little brother.

"Do you still remember the first car we fixed together?"

Sean looked at him questioningly, whipping his forehead with the back of his hand. "You mean your father's old Honda? Poor thing was never the same," he grinned shamelessly. "I still remember the look on his face. I was sure we would die on the spot."

"Yeah, same here... not sure what was scarier. The look on his face when he saw his beloved Civic or the way he laughed right after."

"He never actually punished us for utterly destroying his beloved car, didn't he?"

Izzy shook his head. "Although, he did start to teach me more seriously after that... It got me all the way here."

"This place will never be the same without his dad's jokes."

His eyes unwittingly swept over the garage his father left for him. His gaze was tinged with nostalgia. It had been a couple of years since his father passed away, and on days like this, he still missed him, wondering if he was up for the task.

"So, where are you going with this?" Sean questioned him, waving the socket wrench.

"Do I have what it takes to be a father?"

Dark eyes widened in surprise at this rather sudden question. If anyone Sean knew was father material, it was Izzy. Where did these doubts even come from? "If being a father is anything like being a big brother, you got this," he replied honestly. "You are a pain in the ass, but at the same time, you always know what to say or do to keep me out of trouble. I imagine raising a child is something along these lines. So, I guess you are welcome for letting you practise your parenting skills on me."