My car died- A Gas Monkey Fanfic

Goddamned car

My Camaro SS spluttered to a halt as I managed to pull over to the side of the road.

"Shit"
I muttered as I turned it off, I had just moved to Dallas and I had no idea where I was.

I got out my car and popped the hood, I looked around to get my bearings and luckily I had broken down outside a garage.

"Gas Monkey, sorta name is that?"
I questioned as I read the sign on the side of the building.

I looked at the engine as smoke poured out.

"Ya'll need a help?"
A voice called from behind me.

I turned to see a tall man with salt and pepper hair and beard stood on the sidewalk by the garage.

"Second opinion wouldn't hurt"
I called back as the man walked over.

"Names Richard"
He held a hand out as he stood next to me.

"Sofia"
I replied and gently shook his hand, it was soft but rough and warm.

"She's nice"
He nodded at the car and took a look at her engine.

"She was my dad's"
I said solemnly and looked at my boots.

"He pass away?"
Richard asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah, 4 months ago, that's why I moved here to sort out his old place"
My voice cracked at the end of the sentence and I wiped away a tear.

"I'm sorry kid"
Richard said and pulled me into a hug, his warmth engulfed my body and immediately calmed me down.

"Thanks"
I mumbled against his chest, I could smell engine oil on his shirt.

We pulled apart and smiled softly at each other.

"I think it might be a broken radiator"
I said as the smoke blowed in the wind.

"Looks like it, I can see if we have one that will fit in stock, if not we'll have to order one"
He stepped back and looked at the front of the car.

"Yeah, I can see a slight crack in the radiator just there"
Richard said pointing to where it was.

"Oh shit, must have been a stone or something"

"You wanna come into the garage, better then standing out in the cold?"
Richard asked as he noticed me pulling my jacket around me tighter.

"Yea, don't wanna get a cold, I got a lot of shit to clear out of my dads place"
I chuckled as we walked over to the garage.

"What was your dad like?"
Richard asked as I leant against a work bench and he shifted through some boxes.

"Kind of a hoarder really, god knows what kinda stuff he has pilled up in those rooms, he's got a couple of old cars that you might wanna take a look at?!"
I pulled out my phone and found a photo of a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T and showed Richard, it wasn't in too much of a bad condition.

Just needed a new side panel and a re-spray of paint and it'd be brand new.

Richard held my phone in his hand and looked at the Charger, he whistled and looked up at me.

"Do that thing up and you'll probably get around $5,000"
He said as he handed me my phone back.

"I don't have any tools, I don't think dads will be good enough to get it done"
I replied as I slid my phone into my back pocket.

"You can always work here, I mean you just moved to town, you seem to know your stuff about cars, why not?"
Richard raised an eyebrow as I pulled a radiator grill out of a box.

"Really?"
I questioned not knowing if he was just joking.

"Hell why not, I could use the extra help as one of my guys left"

"Shit, ok"
I chuckled, I had been in town less then a day and I had already broken down, met a cute guy and got a job.

"You think we can push your car into here and replace the grill?"
Richard asked as he placed the new one on the work bench.

"Possibly, it might start just enough to pull it up on the sidewalk and push it from there"
I replied as we walked out into the cold air to try it.

It took a couple of attempts but she started enough to roll her into the garage.

I helped Richard take apart the old radiator and fit the new one, there was a massive crack in the old radiator grill obviously made by a stone or something hitting it with a lot of force.

Once we had fitted the new grill I cleaned her up and started the engine.

It roared to life, filling the garage with the sweet sounds of a straight 6 engine.