The Mechanic's Fix 1, page 7
part #1 of The Mechanic's Fix Series
A look of shock washed over his face as he stuttered, “Well, what can I do? I’ll do anything I can to make you happy.”
“I know,” I replied as I took his other hand.
“Can we sit and talk for a minute?”
He flashed me a worried half-smile, “Sure babe.”
Once we were back inside of the station we took a seat away from the other riders and I began, “Look Billy, you have your work and everything to keep you busy and I know you said that I didn’t have to work if I didn’t want to but I need something to make me feel like I have a purpose.”
He cupped my face in his hand, “Oh baby boy, you do have a purpose far greater than you can ever imagine. You’re one of the sweetest people I have ever met and until you walked into my life it had no purpose other than to just make to the next day.”
I closed my eyes and listened to the words he was saying. He paused for a moment, prompting me to open then and search his expression. He furrowed his brow and stared blankly ahead in contemplation before turning to look at me, “You want purpose?”
I nodded silently then replied, “I need a reason to get up in the morning. I’m not the best by any means but I at least want to feel like I’m earning my keep if we’re going to try and make a go at this together.”
He smiled, “So, it honestly has nothing to do with us personally?”
I gripped his hands, “Of course not, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. When I’m with you I’m not afraid anymore because you’re the strongest man I’ve ever known. You’ve overcome so much; from getting off drugs, to living with your illness. You wake up and make a difference in people’s lives every day.”
I could see the emotion in his eyes as he replied, “I’ve never thought about it that way.”
He met my gaze again, “I’m just a grungy old mechanic and I don’t know what you see in me, but until the day I saw you I felt like I was asleep at the wheel. You awakened desires inside of me that I thought were long dead.”
I whispered, “You’re so much more than a grungy old mechanic, you’re my hero and I hope when I get older I can be just like you.”
I could tell he was trying not to cry when he reached out and grabbed the back of my head. He clutched my hair in his fist, “All these years I’ve spent fixing things for everyone else, I never took the time to check my own engine.”
I smiled, “Custom engines take custom parts and you were just waiting for the right one to come in…me.”
Then he wrapped me in a hug and pushed my face into his chest. He rested his head on top of mine and I sighed, “Don’t worry mechanic daddy, Leo’s got you now.”
EPILOGUE
On the drive home, Billy and I had a long talk. We talked about what our relationship goals were and what we needed to do to make things easier for both of us. We established that we had a strong foundation of love to build on and he acknowledged that he couldn’t protect me from the world by locking me up like a classic car.
He put me to work in his shop as his personal assistant and told me the front counter was mine. Now I answer all the phones and take the payments from the customers when the crew finishes up a job. Billy came out to them and told them if any of them bothered me he would kick their ass into next Tuesday. But they were all cool with it and took me under their wing.
Now, I have a bunch of mechanics who spoil me and treat me like a little brother. It’s actually really nice since I was an only child. I called mom and dad on the way back home with Billy and told them I wasn’t coming. They were disappointed but once I told them the reason why they understood. Dad was a little sketchy about me being with Billy but mom said he would come around eventually.
I still go jogging every morning, the same route I used to when I lived with Martha. Every once in a while I get lost in the music and forget she’s gone. I still have the urge to call her and tell her about my day. Charlene went back to California after she had a service hold an estate auction for all of Martha’s antiques. You should have seen the look on her face when Billy and I showed up.
He told me I could buy anything but the only thing I really wanted was the porch swing and some of the knitted blankets she made. Unfortunately, Billy wasn’t able to fix my little car and ended up selling it to scrapper. The wreck caused my mom and dad’s insurance to go up a little but I pay them the difference monthly.
My birthday was a couple of days ago. I wasn’t really expecting anything but Billy surprised me after work by taking me to a fancy restaurant in the city. He also rented a hotel room and we had marathon sex until early in the morning. Obviously, he called the guys at the shop and told them he wouldn’t be in the next day.
However, we did stop by so he could give me another present. Remember the red corvette that he was fixing up for his late husband Denny? He finished it and when we got to the shop, it was sitting out front with a big red bow on top. I’d never been so surprised and so happy.
One of the hardest conversations Billy and I had was about his condition. I had no idea how many pills he has to take every day. It’s not easy being in love with a man who has HIV, but I’ve never been one to believe that a medical condition defines who a person is or whether they are worthy of love. I hope one day there will be a cure because I can’t imagine my life without him. But until that day, I’ll do anything I can to help him with his treatment.
Until I met Billy, I didn’t think HIV and AIDS was still a thing with all of the new drugs they have to treat and prevent it. But, he reassured me that it was; it’s a subject he’s very passionate about and insists that even people who aren’t positive should still take the proper precautions. So, if you’re like me and have found yourself a daddy make sure you talk about status and protection before succumbing to sexual bliss.
You would think at this point in my life that I would have it all figured out. That I would have unlocked all the mysteries to life; that I would have the world eating from the palm of my hand. Well, I still haven’t figured everything out but every day with Billy is a new adventure filled with excitement and love.
The world still isn’t eating out of the palm of my hand and I’ve realized that I don’t need it to because Billy would give me the world if I asked for it. Just when I’d resigned myself to the thought that this was as good as it gets I met a man named Billy and he showed me the meaning of the mechanic’s fix.
THE END
(For now)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel Elijah Sanderfer is a retired Hospitality Manager who currently resides in Southern Indiana with his husband William. Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountain region of Virginia, he moved to Indiana to be closer to his then fiancé. They have been married for two years and together for fifteen total years.
He was always interested in writing even from a young age and was featured in a few poetry collections as a teen. When he is not writing he is caretaker, as his husband is disabled and requires full-time care.
He enjoys going to antique stores and in the summer weekend long yard sales. He currently writes LGBT fiction with a positive direction as he feels too many love stories experience tragedy. He likes to highlight the stories that survived; the couples who fought to stay together and the families that do accept them.
For more great stories by Daniel, please check out his website: http://www.sanderferbooks.com
You can find his entire catalog on Amazon.com
Also, for exclusive excerpts and other content join his Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanderferbooks/
Daniel Elijah Sanderfer, The Mechanic's Fix 1
