“My truck is parked out front,” I said, picking up the toolbox. “Get in. We’re going to fix your mom’s car.”
The drive to his apartment complex was silent. I learned his name was Leo. When we pulled into the dimly lit parking lot of his building, he pointed out a rusty, beat-up sedan sitting dead under a flickering streetlight.
“Go get the keys,” I told him. “And tell your mom to come outside.”
Ten minutes later, I was buried under the hood of the sedan, ratcheting off the fried alternator. I could hear footsteps approaching. Leo had come back down, and his mother was right behind him, wrapped in a worn bathrobe.
I pulled my head out from under the hood and wiped the grease off my face. The mother stopped dead in her tracks. I saw her eyes flick over my massive frame, my scarred hands, and the tattoos snaking up my neck. I saw the familiar flash of fear.
“Ma’am,” I said politely, giving her a nod. “I’m Hank. Leo told me you were having some engine trouble.”
She looked from me to her son, completely bewildered. “I… I don’t have any money to pay you, sir,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “I don’t know what Leo promised you, but we don’t have anything.”
“Nobody asked for a dime,” I replied, grabbing the new alternator from my truck bed. “Just give me twenty minutes.”
I swapped the parts, tightened the belt, and dropped the new battery into the tray. I connected the terminals and slammed the hood shut. I wiped my hands on a shop rag and tossed Leo the keys.
“Turn it over, kid.”
Leo jumped into the driver’s seat. He turned the key. The engine hesitated for a split second before roaring to life, settling into a steady, reliable hum.
His mother let out a sound that was half-sob, half-laugh. She covered her face with her hands, the tension of the last twenty-four hours melting right out of her body. She walked over and, completely ignoring the grease covering my shirt, wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she cried into my shoulder. “You have no idea what you just saved us from. How can we ever repay you?”
Leo stepped out of the car, looking up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. “I’ll come work at your shop,” he said fiercely. “I’ll sweep the floors. I’ll clean the tools. I’ll work every day after school until it’s paid off.”
