The Scooter After Closing

Pablo worked in a car garage on Mill Street. He liked the noise of the tools. He liked the smell of oil. He did not like to talk much.

A new mechanic started in March. Her name was Valentina. She was quick and funny. She sang while she worked. Pablo listened and said nothing.

In her second week, Valentina found an old scooter. It stood behind the garage. It was blue and dirty. A tree grew through the back wheel.

"Can we fix this?" she asked.

"No," said Pablo. "It is too old."

"I think we can," she said. "I will do it after work."

At six o'clock the other workers went home. Pablo stayed to close the doors. He saw Valentina in the corner with the scooter. She had a wrench in her hand. She had oil on her nose.

"You need help," he said.

"I thought you said no," she said, and smiled.

"I changed my mind."

They worked for two hours. Pablo took off the old wheel. Valentina cleaned the engine. They did not talk much. But the silence felt easy.

The next night they came back to the scooter. And the night after that. Pablo brought a bag of sandwiches. Valentina brought a small radio. She sang along to the songs. Pablo began to hum with her.

One night the radio stopped. Valentina hit the top of it. It did not play. Pablo took out his phone and found a song. They worked with the phone on a shelf.

On Friday they could not find the right spark plug. They looked in every drawer. Pablo found a box of old parts under the shelf.

"Here," he said. He held up a small silver plug. It was a perfect fit.

"You are good at this," said Valentina.

"You are good at everything," Pablo said. Then his face turned red. He looked at the floor.

Valentina laughed softly. She did not say anything. But she moved a little closer.

By the next Thursday, the scooter was almost ready. It had a new wheel and a new seat. The paint was fresh and blue. Pablo put a little gas in the tank.

Valentina painted the seat. Pablo painted the body. Their hands touched on the brush. Neither of them moved away.

"Do you want to start it?" he asked.

"No," said Valentina. "You do it. You worked hard."

Pablo sat on the seat. He turned the key. The engine coughed once. Then it made a loud, happy sound.

Valentina clapped. She jumped up and down. "It works!" she cried. "It really works!"

Pablo rode the scooter in a slow circle. The lights moved on the walls. He stopped next to her.

"Where does a scooter like this go?" he asked.

"I do not know," she said. "Somewhere nice."

"I know a place," he said. "It has the best coffee in town. It closes at ten."

Valentina looked at the clock. It was nine fifteen.

"We have time," she said.

Pablo moved forward on the seat. She got on behind him. He closed the garage door with his foot.