"You know what you're looking for?" Said the tall, dark man dressed in a blue mechanic coverall. The patch on his left breast wrote "Jimmy" in red cursive.
"Hardly," Ariel replied. Jimmy's hands were worn, calloused, and his ears stuck out. Still, his squinting eyes had flecks of green and Ariel felt herself perspire a little.
"Well, it could be a lot of things. But a car this age, I would guess it's the catalytic converter."
"Is that expensive to replace?"
Jimmy smiled softly. "Let's just get it hooked up to the computer before we worry about that." Ariel didn't like the way this way this was going. But what choice did she have? She needed a car to get work so she could continue to eat and have a roof over her head. Life hadn't stopped. Jimmy went inside the shop and came out with what looked like an over-sized game boy with two long, wire appendages coming from the bottom. "Get in and turn on the engine."
"Ok." Ariel twisted the keys and got out. Jimmy hooked up one of the wires inside the driver's side of the car. He studied the computer and looked at her. "It's the thing you said it was, isn't it?" she said.
"Yeah. I don't know if it's the one in the front or the back, but it's definitely one of 'em."
"How much does it cost to replace?"
"It depends on which one it is, but anywhere from $500 to $1500 if you get it done here. Whatever you do, I wouldn't go to your dealership. It isn't worth it."
Ariel felt her heart sink. "I don't have anywhere close to that kind of money right now. My husband just left. I have to pay for a divorce. I was thinking about getting a cat..." Ariel's eyes got wide and she started to shrink in her t-shirt.
Jimmy avoided eye contact and stepped back. "I'm, um, sorry."
Ariel looked up at his old man cap. He was too young and too attractive to work a place like this, but he probably didn't think so. "It's ok." Her eyes went from inside the car back to him. "Is it something I have to get done right away?"
"No." He brushed his hand under his nose which left a grease mark. "You've probably got a month before you really need to worry. I wouldn't wait longer than that though. Just check the temperature gauge on your dashboard and make sure it's not over that middle mark so it doesn't overheat."
"Thanks. How much do I owe you?"
Jimmy unhooked the computer from her car. "You don't."
"What?"
"I didn't do any work, so you don't owe me anything."
"Ok. Well, can I give you a tip or something?"
"Don't worry about it. Just come back when you're ready."
"Well, thank you."
"It's alright. Be careful, though. Whatever it is you're going through, it's not safe to go trekking along this road without at least a taser in your glove compartment."
"Thanks for the advice, Jimmy," she replied.
"Name's not Jimmy, it's Sam." He stuck out his hand. Ariel followed suit. "I found this at Goodwill," pointing to the coverall. "Most people don't know my real name."
"I'm Ariel." Sam shot her a look. "My parents changed it after I saw The Little Mermaid. I begged them for months."
"Wow. Your parents are pushovers."
"You have no idea."
"I bet."
"Well, thanks for everything. This was really nice of you."
"My pleasure. See you around." Sam waved and went back inside, Ariel opened the car door. She turned out of the parking lot and started home. The coffee was lukewarm and there were stale muffin crumbs all over the passenger's seat. Across the street, a woman was pushing a cart full of cans.
