Irreplaceable

10

"Hey kid. Come to the office for a second." Dan was standing there in his greased coveralls and wiping his hands on a towel. I nodded and quickly logged off the computer terminal. I went to the office where he was waiting and he ushered me inside. I was a bit nervous when he shut the door behind him and went to sit in his chair. He sighed heavily and looked at me. "Take a seat."

"Is everything okay? Listen, I am sorry I yelled at Charles in front of a customer but he was about to make a huge mistake." I winced a bit as I apologised.

"No, no, that's okay. You did good kid. The guy told me you tried to talk him down first. You saved me a whole lot of trouble back there. Thank you for that. Also, you had the customer come to me personally to deal with the matter, so that is also in your favour." He was scratching his cheek thoughtfully and I saw him pick up a piece of paper from a folder on his desk.

"So I'm not getting fired then?" I asked hesitantly as I watched him. He looked up in surprise. I gave him an awkward half-smile.

"What? No. Is that what you thought this was about?" He asked. I nodded.

"Well, I mean I yelled at your apprentice and caused a scene... so...." I scratched the back of my neck and leaned forward.

"He quit. Without notice or a decent reason. He couldn't admit he made a mistake and let his pride rule his judgement. Now I am down an oil change assistant. According to this," He held up my resume, "you got top grades in both Mechanics I and II. Your dad told me you do all the oil changes on your parents' cars as practise. Correct?"

"Ah, yes. I do them." I was confused. I tilted my head and looked at him curiously as he regarded me.

"Okay. My daughter will take over the desk for the next week and you are on the oil change station. If you manage alright, then I will make it permanent for the summer. I can give you a junior apprentice position and pay, starting at the very bottom. What do you say?" He looked at me expectantly and I was just floored.

"Uh.... You mean you are promoting me?" I shook my head trying to figure out if this was a dream.

"Temporarily. Unless you do a good job, then we can chat again about making it permanent for the summer." He cautioned me. I grinned. This was my break. I jumped up from my seat and held out my hand to Dan.

"I would be honoured, sir." I said in a chipper voice. He chuckled and shook my hand. I couldn't believe it. I was going to be a junior apprentice at an actual garage. I was only sixteen years old and I was already starting to work in a real garage. I could put this on my college application to improve my chances of getting in.

I left the office after signing the agreement with a definite bounce in my step. It wasn't much of a raise, only a buck after my week probation, but it was what it signified to me that mattered most. Someone was finally recognizing my talents in the garage. Someone had faith in me, outside of my family and friends. That meant the world to me. A chance.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked me as he came around the counter to meet me. We headed out the door to the car together and I exploded with my news. I was so incredibly excited and my best friend watched me carry on all the way to the car with a sparkling glint in his eye and a grin on his face.

"You should have seen it, Nate. It was awesome. I am so excited." I concluded as I sunk into the seat of his car.

"Congratulations Brad. I am happy for you." He replied. We both just sat there in silence for a moment. "So should we do something to celebrate? We could catch a movie maybe?" I blinked at him.

"Yeah we can do that. Oh shit! I gotta call Greg first though and tell him. He was so disappointed when I failed English... I need to make it up to him." I mumbled as I fumbled with my phone. I hit his number on the quick dial list and held the phone up to my ear. It buzzed a few times and then I heard his voice.

"Hey Brad. What's up?" He said curiously in my ear.

"Hey bro. You would never believe what just happened to me. So I was at work...." I proceeded to tell him the whole story from the beginning as Nate started up the car and drove us home. Then I told him the best part, about my junior apprenticeship.

"Brad! That is awesome buddy! I am so proud of you. Did you want to get together to celebrate? I have some time right now." He exclaimed excitedly. I was so happy I bounced in my seat.

"Really!? Oh my god, I would LOVE to. I have to get changed into some clean clothes before that though. Did you want to meet up at my house? I still have to tell mom and dad the good news. This is really great!" I gushed over the phone. He was laughing on the other end of the line and I couldn't keep the big grin from my face.

"Alright, I will meet you over there in about forty-five minutes. Okay?" He drawled. I replied in the affirmative when I saw we were only five minutes away from my house. We hung up and I turned to my buddy in glee.

"Did you hear that!? I get to see Greg tonight. This is like the best day ever." I saw him glance over at me with a half-smile as I bounced in my seat. "Oh, we can do the movie on Saturday, right?"

"Yeah sure. I know you don't get to see him that often. It's fine." He said quickly. I grabbed his arm and hugged his elbow across the console.

"Thank you thank you thank you." I squeezed it and jumped out of the car. I ran to the front door and barreled up for a quick shower and change. I heard my mom shout after me and I told her Greg was on his way over from the top of the stairs. I got done in the fastest time I think I had ever managed and clomped back down the stairs.

Mom and Dad were standing there staring at me like I had become an alien, so I quickly told them the great news. I was squashed into hugs and given hair ruffles, finally feeling like I was smart. They waited for Greg to show up and then everyone decided to go out to eat and celebrate. My grades were forgotten in the wake of my most recent achievement. Thank god.