Elliot

Fifteen

Alvin and I agreed to help Dad on the shop his friend, Roger, owns. He explained that the shop lack men and needs more hands on the deck. Customers are increasing and it's pretty ironic how it was also the moment that most of the workers on the shop quit.

My dad has been working in a garage with his friend for almost seven years now. Roger's father's father, who is his grandfather, passed the inheritance to Roger's father then to Roger himself and now the shop has been running for fifteen years.

I know a bit stuff only about mechanics. Dad takes me with him sometimes when I was ten and all I'd do is just sit at the corner with a box of donuts in front of me while I watch him and Roger do the repair stuff.

There are these customers whom I would encounter a few times and I'd be familiar with them.

There's Jonathan and his wife Daisy, who's a very sweet woman and would give me sweets whenever we meet. Their common problem is flat tires which is no surprise since Jonathan is a reckless driver.

Willie, who is a frustrated professor and would always cuss whenever he arrives at the shop. Dad would scold him for cussing while I'm around which is no problem to me to be honest.

Then there's, Landon, who is just a local jock who chews gum endlessly and literally winks at every girl passing by the road. There are no problems with his bike actually, he just wanted it checked if there were damages or engine failures.

I wish there had been one.

Numerous customers became familiar to me whenever I went to the garage. Dad became friends with some and Roger would be friends with those people too.

Then, I would be friends with them too, then it'll be a total cycle every time I go to the garage.

That shop has been standing for fifteen years and is the best known garage shop in town and almost every person from the settlement has also visited it, making it the "Town Favourite Mechanical Shop" as everybody calls it now.

For the whole night, I spent studying French. Only bits of it registered in my head. Why is this language so damn complicated? Like every word is almost the same in pronunciation but the spellings are completely different.

I do understand some French, but when I try speaking it or forming a sentence out of it, I eventually bluff or not form anything at all. Manta's tutors sessions are not even working, it's a shame for me to waste her time.

It's all screwed up. Exams are this week and I'm not making any fucking progress in French and I'd be totally damned if I get an F again on that subject.

I have a stack of books on my desk right now. All of them are borrowed from the great tutor, Manta, and I haven't touched 'em since the day she gave it to me. Not until now, actually. But the whole point is I have searched and skimmed and read the contents of those books but I still understand only bits of it.

I'm spending my whole might studying, it's pretty weird but I need to. I need to pass exams or else I'd be living like strolling garbage on the streets.

Suddenly, I heard a knock somewhere around my room. I went to the door first and checked. No one was there.

Then there was another knock. I now checked the window. I pulled up the blinds and then there revealed Alvin who's about to knock again. "Alvin?" I muttered in confusion then slid the window open. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Home stuff," he answered.

"Home stuff?"

Alvin went inside and I closed the window. "Yeah, problems at home. Home stuff."

"Why would you call it home stuff?"

"Because it's related to home," he explained  briefly. "And stuff is like a general synonym for problems."

I frowned, "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know. I quite failed my English classes in grade school," he muttered under his breath. I told him to settle down and just do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't bother me.

He has his Nintendo switch with him which is a good thing because I know he won't bother me with studying. A few minutes passed by and I'm still stuck on my own chair while Alvin is still playing.

Then he said he was hungry. I told him to go to the kitchen to get some food and it turns out that we don't have any snacks left. It was Clara's responsibility to do the groceries this week yet she forgot about it again.

In the end, I made the decision to go to the grocery store and at least pick a few supplies that can last for a week. The store is a twenty-minute walk so I took the bus. Alvin stayed at home because he's a very lazy guy and I'm used to it.

I picked up some refreshments and other perishable items that we can use for a week or two when I arrived at the store. That includes bread, a couple of veggies and fruits, then some stock of sodas.

Keeping it balanced, if ya know what I'm sayin'.

I paid for the items and headed out to go to the bus stop. Then, I waited.

No buses came, the first five minutes I waited. So, I waited again and then I waited. Still waiting. And waited. And waited. And waited.

Ten minutes passed and still no buses came. Someone sat on the bench I was sitting on but I didn't mind. "I see you've been shopping."

It was Tobias. Again.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelped.

He also slightly jumped. "What?"

"Why do you keep popping out of nowhere? Are you a fucking magician?"

"Last time I knew, there's a greeting that goes 'Hello' or 'Bonjour', if you're fancy enough."

"You didn't greet me." I said.

"I didn't."

"Then, I won't greet you too." Then, I turned around. I could hear him laughing and so did I.

"Bonjour." Tobias finally greeted. I laughed again. I looked at him. "Salut." I greeted back in french.

Tobias smiled. "You're getting good."

"Nah it's the only word I often use so I got used to it's proper pronunciation and delivery."

"Why are you so obsessed about learning French?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

He shook his head. "You didn't tell me nothing." So, then, I told him that I need to be good at French in order to pass my French class and pass the whole semester. Or else, I would be screwed up for the whole year and wouldn't be able to touch my skateboard or hang out with Alvin.

Tobias went silent for a second. Then he talked. "Well, I told you. I can help you."

I furrowed. "How?"

A bus arrived in front of us. It was still a mystery for me that night, at that moment, about what he said on how he can help me.