goodbye blue sky. ``for kade trent.

[``braydon parks.]

the flames are long gone,
but the pain lingers on.

There was something uniquely frustrating about today, something that he hadn't experienced in a long time, that he couldn't remember being part of his life since he'd left his home in California. Before today, nothing had gone wrong, nothing had shown up to disturb the ongoing peace that had developed since he came to Seattle. It had all felt like the right decision had been made, like his last minute trip to the city, like his apartment, his job and his college choice were all perfect. Nothing had really, truly gone wrong and while he'd been severely stressed out, there hadn't been a true and clear reason for it. He'd been loving life, in fact. Today was different, today was a flash back from California, the warnings his parents had given him compiled into one big, nasty, putrid mess. They'd told him he'd run out of money, that he'd be lonely, that he wouldn't be able to make friends, that his grades would suffer, that he'd have issues trying to do his laundry... and of course, they'd told him the big event that was happening today was going to come about. They had most certainly informed him that his car was going to break down. Not something small, either. Not a muffler falling off or a flat tire. They'd mentioned engine failure and problems with the suspension. He guessed, even though he didn't want to admit it, that his folks were right.

When his car had broken down on the way home from work, he'd nearly started swearing, but that wasn't exactly characteristic of Braydon. He wasn't the sort of guy to go around dropping f-bombs and scaring small children, but he wasn't past a few curses when he was feeling some extreme tension. Since he'd been quite tired this morning and he'd been hoping to get in a nap before he went to his evening classes at college, he'd been feeling some pretty strong emotions when his car decided to call it quits. Instead of getting angry, however, he'd turned on his emergency lights, carefully stepped out of his car on one of the busier streets in the city and then taken a long, deep breath. Everything was bound to work out, it had to, because he just wouldn't have had it anyway. Experience proved to be on Braydon's side when he moved to get his car onto a side street after calling for a tow truck. His car during his last couple years of high school (once his parents had let him get one, of course) had been old and loved to break down on main streets. It took him a very small amount of time to get his car in park safely on the side of the road, even without any help. Then it had just been a matter of sitting on his hood and waiting for the tow truck to arrive. When he'd gotten there, they negotiated price and he managed to get his car hauled to the nearest garage. Still, despite how flawless it had been to get the car to the auto shop, the after care hadn't been quite that way.

Braydon had been to the auto garage a few times over his currently short stay in Seattle, once for an oil change and a few other times for some minor problems. The thing that was bothering him the most when he walked into the front office of the shop was that his car was so new, yet experiencing all these problems. Braydon had only had his Honda Accord for about eight months now, which certainly couldn't be considered a very long time. The blue car had been expected to run a lot longer without problems like this, but he guessed that things didn't always go as planned. Sitting at the front counter and filling out forms was somewhat calming for Braydon, but then they had to start talking prices again. "Two thousand? You're serious.... Alright. So you have the part here already then, just have to change it? Okay. No... I don't think the car company will cover it, but it is on warranty still...." he edged his words out carefully as the price was settled, but he knew one dreaded thing as he walked out of the office, letting them get to work on the car. It was possibly the worst thing he could do at the time, especially since he'd only been in the city for less than a month, especially because rent for his apartment was coming up in just a few weeks. But the deed had to be done, he had to call his parents, he had to call them and ask for money. Enough to cover at least half of the repairs, maybe more, since he had to pay rent.... They were already giving him money, to pay for college stuff, at the very least.

Asking for money made him feel considerably dirty, the thought of calling them just to beg for a few thousand dollars was so wrong. How should he approach it? "Hi Mom, how are you? Oh I'm great.... Can I borrow a few thousand dollars? Or more... have a few thousand dollars?" Or should it be more... "Hi Dad, yes, you were right, I did run into problems, I miss you and I'm sorry for leaving California. I admit that you know what's best for me... Can I have a few thousand dollars to fix my car?" He wasn't even sure if those would work, wasn't sure if his parents would automatically give him the money or if they'd just worry about him. Then again, he knew that his mother would give in, she always did, she wouldn't want him stranded in Seattle without a car. His father on the other hand... Braydon had a feeling that his old man would just be mad, mad but laughing at his son on the inside, he supposed. Sighing as he came outside into the fresh air again, cellphone open in his hand, he wrinkled up his nose in distaste. Staring at the number on his cellphone that read 'home', he groaned. "I really, really, REALLY don't want to call," was spoken to nobody in particular, back thudding against the outside wall of the auto garage, eyes closing for a second as he slumped to the ground, defeated. Why did Seattle have to be so cruel?

[kade trent.]

Being back at the garage after such a long period of absence was, well, different. Kade had been working at this auto garage as a mechanic for nearly three years now, and during that time, not much had ever changed about it. It was still owned by the same, kind old man that had always treated Kade well from the start. Some of the same men still worked there. It was basically the same as it was when Kade had started there, and as when he had had to be pulled off of the working tab for awhile due to being seriously injured in a car accident. Kade didn’t know what made it so different, but it just didn’t seem the same as it had before he had been involved in that crash. Oh wait, he knew he what it was. How could he have missed it? Before the accident, he was a mechanic. He was the one under the hoods, under the cars on the rollers, operating the lifts and getting to actually fix the cars that came in. Now, when he had come back, what was he doing? One would think that he would be given that old position back, that his boss and all the other workers would be glad to have him back on the work force and let him go on as if nothing had ever happened. But no. What was Kade doing? He was sitting, watching everyone else bustle around the garage, their hands turned black from oil and other grime, but happy with that fact. He was allowed to supervise some of the new employees, and he was allowed to go back and do inventory if he got bored with supervising, but that was about it. And it was really pissing him off. He had been more than happy to see Jim Franks’ phone number flash on the screen of his cell phone earlier that week, knowing it was his boss from the garage and knowing what the call was about. Now, Kade almost wished that he hadn’t gotten the damn call at all.

Kade understood that he had been pretty damaged after the accident and couldn’t go to work. He wouldn’t have lasted through the first hour with as much pain as he had been in, and he knew that he wouldn’t be doing anyone any good by being there. He had been glad to take some time off to heal, but then it had just gotten ridiculous. Kade had never been good at just sitting back and doing nothing, but that was what everyone had expected him to do. His injuries were healing very well for the most part. His right knee wasn’t doing so well, but Kade didn’t need it to be doing well to get up and go to the garage, or to go the bar that he was the co-owner of. He limped when he walked still, but there wasn’t anything wrong with that. He had suffered that kind of pain before and gone on with it, but everyone kept babying him, doing things for him, and it was getting to be more than annoying. Kade knew that he was just lucky that they hadn’t tried to keep him from taking care of his two-year-old son, Cooper. That would have caused some serious problems, and Kade was sure that was why they didn’t try. They had kept him from doing everything else, though. His friends were at his apartment whenever they could be, trying to do things for him, and also trying to keep him from going bored out of his little mind at the same time. Then there was Brit. Kade loved that woman, God knew he did, and he also knew that Kade appreciated everything that she was doing for him, but calling Jim and telling him to keep Kade out of the garage as much as was possible was going a little overboard. Brit worried, and she loved Kade and didn’t want to see him strain and wreck the repair that his body had made during the break. Jim was the same way, quite aware of Kade’s condition and telling the young man to take it easy. Kade had thought that taking it easy meant that he wasn’t supposed to be doing the heavy lifting and things like that. He hadn’t thought it would meant that he wouldn’t get to do anything at all.

The two new workers that he was supposed to be supervising were doing something so routine that anyone, mechanic or not, could have done it, so Kade left them to it and found his way back to the break room. It wasn’t anything to get excited about seeing, and could hardly be considered a lounge of any sort. There was an old TV that worked some of the time off in one corner, that section of the room looking like a make shift living room with an old couch and a couple of old recliners and stools. Then, there was a little kitchen area on the wall beside of that, with a table, chairs, refrigerator, and a microwave. Lockers lined the other wall with a few benches here and there. It wasn’t much, but it was comfortable, and it was a place to go when there was nothing else to do. Kade had rarely been in this room before, usually not taking a lunch break at all, or when he did, he ate it out in the front part of the building with his son and the receptionist, Gina. Cooper was out with Gina in his little play area, and Kade was going to head out there shortly, but he thought it would be good to go back and get something to drink out of the fridge. Plus, it would give him some time to cool down all of this frustration before he had to go out and deal with the public out in the waiting.. Reception area. Whatever it was called. At that moment, he didn’t much care to be correct with his terminology. Kade made his way back to the break room, the going being a bit slower as he had to take it easy with his knee, but he made it there just the same. He grabbed a soda from the fridge, and had just been about to turn and head for the front of the garage when he saw Martin, one of his co-workers, sitting on the couch, watching something on the TV. Eh, might as well sit down and talk. Kade hadn’t seen Martin during his time off, and the two were pretty good friends. Not close, but close enough. They had played on the same football team in high school, Martin a defensive lineman, and Kade playing on the offensive.

Just as Kade went to walk over to the little living room area, Martin glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “No, no, Trent. I’ll come to you.” Kade sighed. Another person not letting him do what he wanted and babying him, but he didn’t argue with Martin. He was a big, black man that had played defense well. Not a lot of people argued with him. “You know, it amazes me that you even came back here. You have to hate cars by now,” Martin said, coming over and leaning against the counter that Kade was standing beside of. Well, that was observant, and Kade could see where Martin got that way of thinking from. When Kade was seventeen, he and his brother had been in a bad car accident that had taken his brother’s life, and Kade had narrowly made it out alive. Jus at little longer without medical attention, and he would have bled to death. Then, there was his recent car accident caused by a drunk driver that had made three out of four doctors believe he wouldn’t make it through even a few hours. Was Kade a little more cautious around cars and driving now? Hell yeah. Anyone that had been through accidents like that and with half a brain definitely would be. Did he hate cars? No, not so much. He just hated drunk drivers and brakes that gave out when you most needed them. Kade just shrugged. ”It’s my job.” Martin seemed to think that one over, but chose not to comment on it, shrugged his broad shoulders himself. “Whatever you say, Trent. I’ve got to get back out there. That poor fool with the Honda Accord had to bring his car back again. Can’t wait to see what’s wrong with it this time.” Martin was grinning and shaking his head as he left the break room, and Kade had to grin himself. That car was pretty much new, and he had seen it in this garage more often than some of the old junkers. There was something comical about it, but he did feel sorry for the guy that owned it.

Now that there was no reason to stay back in the break room, Kade left, forgetting about the stupid soda, making his way back through the work area and out to the front where Gina sat at her work area, Cooper behind her in his playpen of sorts. He was coloring contently, and Kade smiled. He had still felt the frustration building just with having to be as careful as he did when he moved and walked around as he came to this part of the building, but seeing that little boy made it all better. Gina looked up from her papers that she was working on, and offered Kade a smile. She was a few years older than Kade, a dark haired and subtle beauty. They had gone to school together, too, but they had never really spoken until Kade came to work at the garage. He had found a good friend in her, and she was great in the way that she watched Cooper when Kade had to work and had no one else to take care of his son. ”Hey, Kade,” she offered. That was all that it took to make Cooper’s bright green eyes turn up from his coloring book, his face lighting up and him up on his feet. ”Daddy!” Kade walked back behind Gina’s desk and over to Coop, taking the boy up his arms easily. ”Hey, Coop. Have you been good for Gina?” Cooper just smiled, seeming to be simply thrilled that his father was there with him. “You know he’s been good. He’s always good,” Gina answered for Cooper, smiling before she turned back to her paperwork. Kade certainly was blessed in the way of having such a good kid. Even during the time when he was supposed to be in his terrible twos, Cooper was still good. For the most part. He had his moments, of course, but who didn’t?

“Where’s the guy that owns the Honda?” Kade looked up to see Russell, another mechanic, coming up to the desk, directing his question at Gina. “He just went outside.” Kade looked questioningly at Russell, and he noticed the man was kind of grinning, but trying to hide it. “For such a new car, it’s sure not holding up like it should. It’s going to take a little longer than we thought to fix it. You said he went outside?” “Yeah. You want me to go tell him?” “Yeah, if you don’t mind. Thanks, Gina.” Russell then headed back toward the work area, Kade hearing the door shutting behind him. ”I’ll go tell him, Gina,” Kade offered, setting Cooper back down into his playpen. ”At least I’ll be making myself useful.” Kade tousled his son’s hair gently, and then walked back around the desk and toward the front door of the garage, letting himself out into the damp Seattle air. It wasn’t raining at that moment, but one look up the sky and one knew it was soon to be pouring, as was usual in the city. Kade let his hazel gaze start looking around, and saw the slumped figure of a man against the outside wall of the garage. The guy looked miserable. ”You’re the owner of the Honda Accord, right?” he asked, approaching the other man slowly, though his tone friendly, if not a little sympathetic. Kade stopped when he saw just how down this guy appeared. Wow. This really sucked for him. ”You look like you could use a drink,” he commented, not meaning it as an insult of any sort, but just as a note to be made. ”Anyway, one of the mechanics just said that it looks like it’s going to take a little longer to fix than they thought. You might want to call someone…” Even if he had volunteered to do this, Kade hated being the bearer of bad news, and this probably wasn’t making this guy’s day any better.