Free Running Home by T.A. Hardenbrook Page A

are out in the garage looking at her car,” she said with a wink.
    “Yes ma’am .”
     
     
    “Hey , Uncle Jim?” I called out, as I wandered back to the garage.
    For as long as I could remember I would always find Uncle Jim out in the shop. He was a man who knew a little about everything in life and could fix just about everything. I spent weeks with him during the summer going into my junior year, getting my old Bronco up and running, finally making that motor work two days before school started. I noticed the old beat up car of Sadie’s up on blocks and two pairs of feet hanging out underneath. I took the opportunity to listen to the muffled conversation; Sadie’s voice was like magic to my ears. Completely cheesy, I know, but I could listen to her talk for hours. Rapidly, the pair of them started to wiggle out from under the car, as I panicked on what to do next.
    “Oh , hi, Officer,” Sadie said, as she brought her body upright from the concrete and wiped her hands on the back of her little shorts.
    I couldn’t seem to bring my eyes away from the grease spots she left on the thin khaki material. “You, um, have grease all over,” I mumbled, as I tried to break the obvious staring problem I was having.
    “Happens when you crawl under a car ,” Sadie laughed, and walked over to the front of the old car, and began to fiddle with something under the hood.
    “Dinner, I was sent out here to tell you dinner is ready.” Seriously, can I be any more of a dork?
    “Thanks S on, Sadie you ready to head in? We can head over to the parts store tomorrow and see if we can’t get a replacement for that pump. Hopefully, they won’t have to order it,” Uncle Jim said, as he wiped his hands on a work towel that was draped over his shoulder.
    I watched as Sadie closed the hood , and dabbed the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a black streak across the delicate creamy white skin. “Thanks Jim; I’m sure this rust bucket is finally on his last leg but I just need it to survive for a little more,” she mentioned, while smiling at me, and heading out the door.
    I reached out and grabbed her arm as she started to walk by, causing a spark between us when our skin connected. “You have…..” I started to say , as my voice trailed off and I reached up and wiped the grease off her skin.
    “Thanks ,” she replied in a hushed tone. It was then that I realized I couldn’t let this woman walk out of my life, too. I already made that mistake once, and I refused to let it happen again.
     
     
    “Dinner was absolutely fantastic , Mrs. Mason,” Sadie gushed as she stood and began picking up her dishes from the table.
    “Oh dear , you call me Aunt Patty; Mrs. Mason sounds too much like my mother-in-law,” she replied with a chuckle.
    Everything just seemed to fit with Sadie here; I already knew my aunt and uncle were in love with the girl, and I could probably say my mother would feel the same way once she meet this woman. She possessed every quality a man could ever want, or even need; not only was she gorgeous, but she could hold a conversation with you on a very high intellectual level. It wasn’t like talking to most of the women in this town. No, when Sadie spoke she had something to say, and it wasn’t about the weather or who wore what to Sunday church. Looking into her eyes was like reading a story; she was a book that would keep you captivated for hours. Not once during dinner, did I wish she would shut up; I wanted her to talk forever. I wanted to know everything about Sadie. I needed to know everything about her. This wasn’t a woman I was going to be able to walk away from. I was pretty sure I just may fall ass over feet for this girl, tonight.
    “Well , I guess I better get to cleaning myself up, and off to bed,” Sadie declared with a smile.
    Shit , my mind screamed, as I tried to come up with a way to get her stay down here and talk with me. How is it that I’ve never had trouble