The Unveiling - Modern Magic: Book 1

Chapter 27

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Chapter 27 - Days Go By

The next few weeks slipped by, mostly blurring together.  That happens pretty easily with a routine that involves work Monday through Friday.  I would help my grandfather around the house on the weekend, too.  We would sometimes be asked to come in after hours, but it was only for emergencies or when some really well-off customer was willing to pay a premium.

I had picked up a lot from my grandfather to the point where he could trust me to handle some aspects of repairs and testing, making the whole process faster.  I was usually still the one to walk around and gather parts or obscure tools, but I didn't mind the exercise.

Working with my hands was perfect for keeping my mind distracted.  Sometimes a customer would have their boat towed into the repair dock when they had no idea what was wrong with it.  It was almost a game between Alistair and me to see who could guess the problem and repair first.  He went easy on me at first, but recently he's been winning far more often.  We had an interesting repair on a huge 82-foot yacht.  It looked like a simple blown fuse, but we replaced the fuse, tested the electrical system, and immediately blew the fuse again.  We spent a couple of hours trying to track down a short, when it turned out he had just installed a new set of speakers that were over-taxing his electrical system.  Most of the next day was taken up with us installing a second battery and running new wiring to split the load.  He was happy that he didn't have to remove the new speakers.

On the weekends, Alistair and I would run errands and clean.  He loved talking about things that had changed in Vancouver over the years.  His parents had immigrated to the area when he was four.  He would also spend time talking about what hadn't changed.  While logging was an active industry in the area, they did avoid preserves and certain sections of woodland to provide opportunities for regrowth.

The toughest time of any day was the evenings.  Everything was done for the day, dinner was comfortably in my stomach, and my grandfather and I were usually watching a movie or something on TV.  My mind had the chance to wander, to over-analyze, to agonizingly question 'What if?'  These times always ended the same - knowing that it was Diana's choice, and probably a good one in the long run.  That knowledge didn't make it hurt any less.  I had sent her a text on Friday evening, saying I received her letter, and that I wished her nothing but happiness.  Diana didn't reply, but I assumed this was hard on her too.

I did my best to send texts weekly to my mom, sometimes a few times a week if something interesting happened.  Alistair had an international plan on his cell phone, so any important calls were made with his phone.  I was a little surprised at the quality of his cell service until he told me about Simon Fraser University just south of us.  It was impossible to see through the dense forest, and no roads connected except by long east or west loops, but it was less than a mile away in a straight line.  After more than a few nights of sulking, Alistair recommended I see what social events went on at the university.  I thought about the idea, but I wasn't ready to dive into anything social outside of work just yet.

I was able to get letters to Aki, for her and James since at first I didn't know his new address.  Things were still running smoothly back home.  James had started a summer job and was able to get a gym membership with his roommate, George.  George Tanaka's parents had moved from Japan before he was born.  They had known Aki's family for generations, apparently.  All in all, it sounded like James was in a good place.  Aki kept me up to date about anything important.  The media had finally given up their obsession with the videos after another mass shooting in Oklahoma.  I can't believe I'd ever be relieved to hear about another one of those.

June came around, and I was able to wear short-sleeved shirts more often at work.  The nature of the work required long pants, but thankfully it hadn't gotten so hot that this was a burden.  Business definitely picked up.  It got to the point where I wondered how my grandfather kept up without any help.  Most days he was able to fully trust me with easy repairs while he tackled tougher ones.  I was handling most battery and fuse replacements, and more minor things like door or aesthetic repairs.  The messiest job I had was a clogged sewage system.  I had to take the rubber end off a plunger and hook it up to an air compressor to literally clear the whole system.  It worked beautifully; I even heard the obstruction hit the water, but it did stink up the repair dock for a few hours.