In the school parking lot, Alex was talking to Isabela, trying to coordinate work for a science project. While to anyone else this interaction would have been insignificant, to Alex it was a small moment of normality, a window into what a different life could be like.
"So how do we divide up the work?" Isabela asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her tone was neutral, but Alex couldn't help but notice how her presence made the bustle of the parking lot seem more distant.
"We can do it together after school," Alex suggested, trying to remain calm. "The library would be nice, it's quiet and there's enough space."
"Sounds good to me," Isabela replied with a small smile. For a moment, Alex felt like everything was going well.
Before he could say anything else, a loud laugh interrupted the moment. Alex quickly turned to find Tomas, one of the most popular boys in school, surrounded by his usual entourage of friends. Tomas had no idea what Alex did outside of school, but that didn't stop him from picking on him every chance he got.
"Look at this, guys!" Tomas exclaimed, making sure his voice echoed throughout the parking lot. "Is this real? Alex Rivera talking to Isabela? What's next? Rivera driving a Ferrari?"
Tomas' group erupted into laughter, and Alex felt the heat rise to his face. Before he could react, Tomas took a step closer, feigning curiosity.
"What are you talking about, Rivera? How to stay unnoticed? Or maybe how your mom is always drunk and messes with anyone she sees? Tell me, how do you stand living with her knowing she's sleeping with half the world?"
Tomas' tone was cruel, his words cutting like knives. Alex clenched his fists, resisting the urge to respond. He knew anything he said would only fuel the teasing.
"You should stay where you are," Tomas continued, moving a little closer. "Because, let's be honest, Rivera. Look at you. You have nothing to offer. No money, no style, not even a decent face. If Isabela is talking to you, it must be because she's doing charity."
The group laughed again, and Alex felt his words sink in deeper. He looked at Isabela, waiting for her to say something, anything to defend him. But she just looked down, uncomfortable and silent. After a few seconds, she muttered a "Meet me at the library" and quickly walked away.
Tomás didn't let the opportunity pass. "What do you say, Isabela? If you want to talk to a real man, you know where to find me. I don't just help you with projects, I also know how to have fun." His insinuating tone elicited more laughter from his group.
Alex took a deep breath, feeling the humiliation burn in his chest. He knew he couldn't do anything at that moment. If he fought back, it would end up being worse. Silently, he watched as Tomás and his group drove away, still laughing and throwing comments into the air.
That afternoon, Alex and David boarded a bus headed to the gas station where Freddy, David's cousin, worked. The need to get money was more pressing than ever, and although their enthusiasm was not particularly high, they knew they could not give up. Freddy, known for his carefree attitude and ability to make jokes out of any situation, was their best bet for getting a job.
The gas station was nothing out of the ordinary. A small place on the outskirts, with two old gas pumps, a convenience store that always seemed about to close, and a makeshift workshop on the side. Freddy, a robust man with an unkempt beard, was finishing adjusting something on a car engine when he saw them approach. He was wearing blue overalls stained with oil and had an unlit cigarette behind his ear.
"Look who's here!" Freddy exclaimed, wiping his hands on a rag. "My lazy cousin. What are you doing here? Are you here to ask me for money again?"
David laughed and raised his hands as if declaring his innocence. "Not at all, Freddy. We're here to look for work this time. Do you have anything for us?"
Freddy raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Work? Since when do you work, David? I thought your idea of exercise was moving the TV remote."
David nudged Alex, trying to avoid the mockery. "It's not for me. It's for Alex. He needs money for something important."
Freddy turned his attention to Alex, sizing him up curiously. "Money for what? A new video game? A phone that doesn't look like it's from the last century?"
Alex shrugged, avoiding giving too many details. "Something like that. I just need something to make money. We promise to work hard."
Freddy scratched his chin, pretending to think. "Work hard? I want to see that. Well, I have night shifts available. They're not glamorous at all, but it's honest work. They start at eight at night and end at three in the morning. Are you interested?"
David grimaced, clearly unhappy with the schedule. "Don't you have anything earlier? You know, something that's not in the middle of the night."
Freddy laughed, crossing his arms. "Early? For you? What's next? Do you want me to bring you breakfast in bed too? No, kid. The shifts I have are at night, and let me warn you, it's not just filling up tanks here. You're also going to clean bathrooms, sweep the floor, and check oil levels. This is not a job for princesses."
Alex, feeling the pressure of necessity, looked at David seriously. "If you don't want to do it, that's fine. I can handle it myself."
David sighed, knowing he couldn't leave his friend in this. "Okay, okay. I'll do it. But if I fall asleep at school, it'll be your fault."
Freddy looked at them with a mocking smile. "I like to hear that. But don't think this is going to be a walk in the park. Work here means work. Come back tomorrow to sign the contract and I'll give you your uniforms. I'll also give you a little training so you don't blow up the gas station."
"Explosions? That happens here?" David asked, exaggerating his concern.
Freddy shrugged. "Only if you're idiots. But hey, I'm not going to lie to you, the men's room might be more dangerous than the gas pumps."
David grimaced. "That sounds comforting."
Freddy dismissed them with one last warning. "Don't be late tomorrow. And bring a desire to work, not long faces. This place is not a spa."
As they walked away from the gas station, David continued to mutter about the men's room and night shifts. "Eight to three… Freddy really wants to kill us. Do you know how hard it's going to be to get up for school after that?"
Alex, however, seemed more determined than ever. "Never mind. We need this job, and if it means losing some sleep, I'll do it. This is just one more step to fixing the Civic."
David looked at him in disbelief. "Bro, you and that car are a romantic couple. You should marry it."
Alex smiled slightly. "The thing is, this car means more to me than just driving it. It's… something of mine. Something I want to build from scratch."
David sighed, resigned. "Well, if I'm going to be cleaning toilets for you, you might as well invite me to the first race when that thing works."
"Deal," Alex replied with a smile.
-x.X.x-
After the visit to the gas station, Alex and David arrived at the workshop where Marcos was already working. From the entrance, they could hear the whirring of the welder and see the sparks lighting up the place. When they entered, they found Marcos leaning over the Civic's radiator, wearing protective glasses and a welding mask. The radiator was outside the car, supported by a workbench, and looked more like a rusty museum piece than something functional.
"You're just in time to learn something!" Marcos exclaimed without looking up, as he finished a line of welding. "This radiator was more broken than a politician's campaign promises. But with a little patience and welding, we're going to make it as good as new. Or almost."
David raised an eyebrow, observing the cracks that were still visible. "Are you sure that's not going to explode when we start the engine? Because I don't want to die in a car that doesn't even move."
Marcos laughed, pushing the mask away from his face. "Oh, easy, kid. If it blows, it'll at least be spectacular. But seriously, these cracks aren't too big. With a good weld, a couple of adjustments, and a decent cleaning, this radiator can hold up. It might not last ten years, but it'll be enough to keep this thing rolling for a while."
Marcos pointed at the radiator as he cleaned out one of the cracks with a rotary tool. "Check this out, guys. Cracks usually appear at the original welds, because the metal fatigues over time. See these hairlines here? That's the automotive equivalent of a heart attack. If we don't fix it, the coolant is going to pour out like a waterfall."
Alex watched intently, impressed by the level of detail. "And how do you know this will work?"
Marcos shrugged. "I don't know for sure. But that's the beauty of old cars: they're a mix of science and faith. And, boy, in this shop we have more faith than budget."
As he spoke, Marcos began applying solder to one of the cracks. "Now, pay attention to this part. You can't just fill the crack with solder and expect it to work. You clean the area first, then you apply even heat so the metal expands and the solder adheres properly. If you skip a step, this will end up worse than a blind date."
David leaned in for a closer look. "And what if we fail?"
"Then you try again," Marcos replied, not missing a beat. "This job isn't for those who give up on the first try. If you fail, you learn. If you learn, you get better. If you get better, maybe one day you'll stop ruining everything you touch. Maybe."
When they were done with the radiator, Marcos let it cool and headed to the car, gesturing to the engine with a nod. "Now, before we reinstall this thing, let's check the belts. If they're as bad as the rest of the car, they'll probably break on the first start."
Alex and David walked over as Marcos shined a flashlight on the belts. "Look at this. See those little cracks? Those are like wrinkles in the skin. But here, they're not wisdom, they're problems. If one of these belts breaks while the engine is running, you don't just lose power, you can damage something more expensive. And, boy, do we not have the luxury of breaking expensive things."
Marcos showed them how to remove one of the belts with a ratchet wrench. "First you loosen the tensioner, which is this little piece here that keeps the belt taut. Then, you remove the old belt and compare it to a new one. See the difference? This old belt is more worn than my will to live."
David let out a nervous laugh. "That's a little dark, Marcos."
"Welcome to the mechanics," Marcos replied with a sarcastic smile. "We don't just fix cars here, we bury our hopes and dreams."
After replacing the belts and reinstalling the radiator, Marcos began to refill the system with fresh coolant. "This green liquid is like the car's blood. Without it, the engine heats up faster than an egg in a hot pan. But you have to do it carefully. If you don't remove the air bubbles from the system, you can cause more problems."
Alex watched intently as Marcos gently squeezed the radiator hoses to release trapped air. "And how do you know when it's ready?"
"When the liquid stops bubbling and the level stabilizes," Marcos explained. "But don't get too confident. Always check the levels after starting the engine for the first time. Better to be safe than sorry."
-x.X.x-
After finishing with the radiator and belts, Alex, still with some grime on his hands, turned to Marcos. There was some pride in his expression; although the car was still far from ready, he felt like they had made a small breakthrough.
"Marcos, I have something to tell you," Alex began, adjusting the cap he always wore. "I got a job today. It's at the gas station where David's cousin works. It's not a big deal, but the hours are at night, and with that I can start buying the parts the Civic needs."
Marcos raised an eyebrow, wiping his hands on a greasy rag. "A night job? Look, kid, that's fine. It's a step. But don't go crazy buying things willy-nilly. Before we spend a single peso on this thing, we have to see what that damn noise in the engine is. I don't want you to end up investing in paint and spoilers when the heart of the car is on its last legs."
Alex nodded, understanding the point. "So what do we do with the engine? Do we open it up?"
"Not so fast," Marcos replied, indicating the engine with a nod of his head. "First we inspect it thoroughly from the outside. It could be something simple like a loose rocker, or something more serious. But, if you need something, don't spend extra. Talk to me first. I have contacts who can get you parts at a good price."
Alex smiled, relieved to have Marcos' guidance. "Okay. I'll let you know before I buy anything."
Marcos patted him on the shoulder. "That's what I want to hear. Now go get some rest. And tell your friend David to stop snooping around the shop's fridge. I don't have any food hidden there."
David, who was inspecting the place as if looking for something interesting, raised his hands. "Hey! I just wanted to see if you had anything to snack on. This place is like a hidden treasure."
When they left the shop, the sun had already set and the streets were beginning to be tinted with the glow of the night lights. David walked beside Alex, hands in his pockets and a mischievous smile on his face.
"So, Rivera, you have a job now, a Civic in the works, and… oh, right. You have a project to do with Isabela, right?"
Alex stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly remembering his engagement. "Damn! I totally forgot. What time is it?"
David pulled out his phone and checked it. "It's almost eight. Did you miss it?"
Alex shook his head, feeling a pang of guilt. "I met him at the library after class. She must have left by now."
David laughed, elbowing him in the arm. "Well done, genius! The prettiest girl in school wants to work with you and you stand her up. You already have a half-dead car, now you want a love life too?"
"Shut up, David!" Alex replied, embarrassed. "I'll talk to her tomorrow. I'll tell her something got complicated."
David couldn't stop laughing as they both continued walking. "Yeah, kid. Just don't tell her you were fixing a rusty radiator. Although, come to think of it, there's a certain style to that: 'Sorry, Isabela, I was saving a 90s car from death.' Sounds romantic, doesn't it?"
Alex couldn't help but smile. "You're an idiot."
"I know," David replied proudly. "But at least I'm an idiot who won't let you sink alone. Now hurry up, you have to make up with her tomorrow. And you have work too. You know, the shift where they make you clean apocalyptic toilets."
Alex sighed as they both continued walking through the streets. Even though his life seemed like chaos, deep down, he was starting to feel like it was all worth it.
End of Chapter 7