Page 60 of Rat Park
“No! You’ve never—I smiled as soon as I saw your name on the screen, but is everything okay?” Flor said with the sort of casual bravery that always calmed Dominic as much as it baffled him.
“No. Everything—I, uh, got the job.”
There was a slight pause before a loud whoop made Dominic cringe but smile.
“Dominic! Yay! I mean, I totally knew you would because you’re going to be amazing, I mean their profits will go up just from the soccer moms alone, hot mechanic fantasy—hello!But well done! Oh my God, yay!” Flor babbled. Dominic laughed, finally feeling settled enough to sit on the couch.
“Well, I think we’ll have to wait and see if I’m actually good at it. I’ve never done it before.”
“You will! You’re smart and like, good with your hands, so.”
“How would you know if I’m good with my hands?” Dominic asked, thinking about how Flor had never seen him repair anything before.
The silence that followed dragged on a little too long. From its smoke appeared the heat of a memory, of Dominic’s hands on Flor’s skin, of his fingers inside Flor and the way Flor had squirmed and begged for more.
Dominic had to close his eyes for a moment against the sudden flare of want.
“I’ve seen you bake. And cook.”
“Right.” Dominic cleared his throat, the word having come out as a croak. “Well, hopefully my brains can keep up.”
“Oh, please. You’ve got such a good memory. When we go on the Brown Paper Bag rounds you always remember, like, the minutest detail about everybody. Like, a few car parts aren’t going to stump you.”
“I think there’s a little more to being a mechanic than—”
“Don’t argue with me! Jeez! If you really think you can’t do it, then go out there, work your ass off, and prove yourself wrong.”
Dominic let out a little huff of amused breath. “That’s probably one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. Iamamazing after all.”
“Yeah,” Dominic agreed, and barely noticed that the buzzing sensation under his skin was all but gone.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dominic didn’t have a magical talent for fixing cars, but he tried to be diligent in everything he did. He took notes on a pad during the more theoretical parts of training. Fiona was obviously amused, but she seemed more pleased than anything and never commented on it, so Dominic didn’t stop. He took notes and worked late and tried to keep his head above water, even on the days he felt like spinning out of control for no other reason than being alive and awake and himself.
The first day, Dominic had been so busy worrying about his performance on the job that he’d forgotten to feel anxious about meeting the rest of the team. It made him stiff and barely responsive when they were first introduced, but the other two team members seemed to take it in stride.
He was first introduced to Kali and her teasing smile. She was of South Asian descent, with an oval face and dark eyes that would slit mischievously as she poked fun of Dominic good-naturedly for his methodical approach to most everything on the job. She always wore plain but bright hijabs that were a burst of colour in the workshop, even if she complained about them getting dirty with grease.
The other member was Alfie, white and blond and looking like he was about to step out of a Captain America poster. He was the picture beside the definition of ‘gentle giant’. There was something settling about the way he looked at Dominic, his calm eyes quiet and unjudgmental.
Unfortunately for Alfie, he was often the one sent to defuse difficult clients when Fiona was busy, Kali too hot-headed to keep her cool in the face of “all that stupidity”. Alfie didn’t seem to mind too much, and Dominic started taking some of the burden once his training was advanced enough to do so.
The first time they had all invited him out with them after work, Dominic had been a little stunned. He’d accepted quickly, and none of them had so much as blinked when he stuck to non-alcoholic drinks all night.
It was nearing the end of the night when Dominic had learnt Alfie was also an ex-con.
“Breaking and entering, a few counts of robbery…” Alfie explained. Dominic had stared at him, completely astonished. Alfie smiled a little, shrugging. “I fell in with the wrong crowd and made some mistakes. Would have probably made more if it wasn’t for Fiona and Kali. They…well, you know. It’s tough to make good decisions for yourself when you’re alone,” Alfie said.
They looked at each other for a moment in understanding before Dominic nodded his head. Alfie looked towards the bar, where Kali was gesturing widely at Fiona, who seemed vaguely amused.
Dominic followed his gaze and thought of rats and loveless cages, of hot meals and soft touches and that feeling inside he got every Monday night, like he was finally home.
**********
A year passed by, putting one foot in front of the other. There was work, and the Romeros, and Flor, when he came back for the summer holidays after his second year and then back to more interesting lands as the new semester started.
