Page 22 of Mac
Traffic cleared and Mac eased across the intersection before speeding up to match the rest of the traffic on the highway through what looked like just another tiny town.As they left the small community, to one side of the road, Elyse spotted something she didn't think she'd ever seen before.There was a tall thing that she could only describe as a chimney, but why was it so tall?And as far as she could tell, it wasn't attached to anything.As they got closer, she noticed the large piles of black debris surrounding the chimney.That only made her confusion worse.
"What's that?"she asked.
"What's what?"Mac looked in both directions.
"That."She lifted one arm and pointed to the chimney, still in front of them but approaching swiftly.
"Oh, remember that mine I mentioned earlier?"
"Yeah."Elyse frowned.It hadn't been but a few minutes ago, of course she remembered.
"That's part of it.I thought they'd knocked them all down, but I guess not."
"What's it for?"
"It's called a smelter and it was for melting copper to take it out of the rock."
"So that's the burnt rock all around it?"The giant chimney and surrounding mess were behind them now, but she couldn't help but recall the sooty mounds that for some reason reminded her of the fake snow on some of her Christmas decorations.She could only imagine it had been dumped there after they'd finished extracting what they wanted.
"It's called slag, and yes."
"You know an awful lot about it, did you work there?"
"No, but I knew a few people who did."
"Friends?"
"A few, but mostly customers."
"Customers?"Elyse couldn't help but be aware of how much she was talking and how many questions she was asking, but she couldn't help it.Mac's tendency to let information out in dribs and drabs made her feel like she had to pull each one and see what came next.Just thinking that made her visualize a clown's handkerchief.You know the one...Where the clown pulls one, and out comes a second, then a third, and the string just keeps going.Elyse felt like if she didn't follow one hint of informationwith a question or two, then he would stop talking all together.She didn't want to be the only one talking, so she asked another question."Do you run some kind of business?Oh, that’s right you said you have a mechanic shop."
"Yep, it's not the most glamorous job but it's honest work and I like it."Mac didn't sound annoyed or irritated by her questions, so she asked another.
"Have you done that long?"
"A while.I started out working for someone else, just another wrench monkey in a big operation, but I saved what I could, and a friend pitched in and helped me out, so I was able to buy a little run down, three bay shop almost fifteen years ago."
Elyse stared at the back of his helmet for several seconds, wondering what else he might have told her that she’d forgotten.
"Is that a deal breaker?"Mac's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"No, not at all.I was just trying to remember if I'd ever seen you drive anything but this."She tilted her head to one side even though he couldn't see it."I don't think I've ever seen you with anything else."
"I've got a tow truck at the shop, but that and the bike are all, most of the time.We do have a few loaner cars, and if I must use something else, I just take one of them."
"I guess if that works, then even better.I'm sure you must prefer the motorcycle to anything else."Personally, she didn't mind the bike, but she liked her car too.She liked being able to load a week or two weeks’ worth of groceries in the back, maybe with a couple bags of books, and not worry about making more than one trip or having to go again any time soon.
"I do.I like the bike.Given the choice, I'd probably never drive anything else."
"Is your shop a bike shop?"
"We work on bikes, sure, but not exclusively."He lifted one shoulder."I might make enough to stay in business with bikes only, but I'd have to go into fabricating customs and doing high end work.While I can do it, and I do once in a while, it's not my preference.I like the challenge of figuring out the problem and fixing it.It's not just about the bikes, it's about the puzzle, the taking something that's not running or not running well, and tracing out the problem and making it work, usually far better than it has in years."
Elyse couldn't help but hear the affection for his job in his voice.The passion with which he spoke, told her how much he really did love his work.She could relate, as it was much how she felt about her job.
"Enough talking about me and what I do.How are things going for you?"
"Not bad.We've been a little shorthanded, but I've hired a couple new staff, and so far, their training is going well.They're almost ready to be put to work on their own."
