Status: Infrequent updates, loosely edited
Here With Me
One; A Scorching Summer
Summers in Camden were scorching. There wasn’t a single cloud in the Georgia sky – only a bright ball of yellow fire amongst a pure blue canvas. The heat waves that rolled in from the west had temperatures peaking at 102 ° degrees on most days. To beat the heat, most town folk could be found taking a refreshing swim in the Savannah River if the water was cool enough.
Wesley Holden whipped the small beads of sweat that coated his forehead with the back of his hand. His skin was hot to the touch, the small freckles on his cheeks were sure to be more prominent by the days end. Strenuous labor and exposure to the sun was causing his loose-fitting white shirt to cling to his shoulders and back from sweat. His brown hair was darken and wet from constantly pouring water over his head to keep cool.
He longed for refuge from the insufferable sun but he had two customers waiting on him. It was at these moments that Wesley regretted finding a summer job. He could be out with his friend Mike or sharing an ice cream cone with some pretty little thing instead of repairing cars at Caleb’s Auto Repair Shop.
Sure, the pay was good, he liked his boss and he liked the sweet satisfaction he felt when it came to fixing things. He only had to spend a few hours a day at the garage, but when the air conditioning system wasn’t functioning, and the electric fans weren’t enough then the hours felt much longer.
Regardless, Wesley liked his work. He was good at it. He was uncertified but that didn’t matter to half the town or Caleb who always told him he had a promising career as an auto mechanic if he continued to pursue the field. But Wesley counted his time in the garage as a hobby and a way to pad his pockets with extra cash. Cash he needed for university expenses. Tuition, room and board, textbooks and other miscellaneous fees came at a hefty price.
It was a hot summer day like today when the Holden’s drove into Camden, in their beat up Ford truck a few years back. It was just him, his younger brother Theo and their newly single mother. He could remember sitting in the passenger seat, watching the orange sun set below the horizon and hating his father for leaving them and causing them to move.
It was September and he was eight when his mother enrolled him into the local elementary school. Making friends was hard for Wesley to do when everyone in his grade thought he was a freak of nature. Admittedly, he was missing numerous baby teeth causing him to talk with a lisp, his ears were too big for his head and his mother hadn’t mastered how to cut hair so he walked around with a pageboy style do.
Midway through the school year, Wesley resented everything and everyone in Camden Elementary School. The teachers, the students, the playground, the chocolate milk at lunch time because Stacey Graham loved to pour the brown liquid down his pants. He hated making crafts in art class because kids would stick mean words to the back of his shirt. They broke his crayons, they’d draw on his work but the worst offender of them all was Lilah Ansley.
She didn’t call him names, she didn’t laugh at him. She did none of the things the other kids did. Lilah kept quiet and did nothing as if Wesley didn’t exist. Ignoring him was probably the kindest gesture anyone had ever showed him in school but to Wesley, it was more hurtful than the red ants others would put in his shirt.
Everyone who knew the girl, knew she was a wild child. Teachers resented her short attention span and her obsessive need to doodle on books and walls. The students loved her 64 color crayons and the Disney coloring books she had. She was the lead soprano in choir and she performed an excellent Rapunzel for the school play. She was like a bright beam of sunlight, shining her light on everyone else but Wesley.
It wasn’t until his mom packed his lunch with honey buns did Lilah notice him. What a glorious day it was for Wesley to share one of his sweet deserts with her. Against the confused stares of her friends, Lilah sat with him all lunch. He thought it was a fleeting moment but the next day she sat with him again and again, even when his Superman lunch-pail didn’t have any treats.
They were good friends after that. She was Wesley’s only friend, truthfully. Lilah was always there for him until…she was gone. No call, no explanation of where she was going or why. It was like after all their years of friendship, Lilah went back to ignoring him.
Wesley was over it now. Over Camden and over Lilah Ansley. Come the end of the summer, he would be packing up his things and driving out of town for good.
Wesley wiped his oil sleeked hands clean on a rag and ran a hand through his brown hair. His work was finished. He had replaced Mrs. Cole’s leaky radiator and changed Mr. Stevenson’s oil. The sun was still high in the sky but Wesley was ready to close up shop.
Just then, an old Chevrolet Impala drove into an open garage stall. It was a real piece of work. The turquoise paint was chipped and rusty. From the deep rattling sounds coming from the engine, Wesley guessed the old thing’s cam shaft belt was badly aligned or slipping. It was a wonder on how the car was still running.
The engine cut off and a man climbed out. His blonde hair was framed around his face and his green eyes flashed with a certain brilliancy that rivaled a well-cut jewel. The man was in his late-30s but between his flamboyant smile and boyish demeanor made him appear younger than his years.
“Well, what do you think?” He brandished his arms in a way to boaster the unappealing car all the while keeping a wide smile.
Wesley moved from his station. Scratching the back of his neck, unable to figure out what his boss was so pleased about. “Honestly, Caleb? It’s a pile of junk on wheels.”
“I know! It’s terrible right?” Caleb asked excitedly, not deterred by Wesley’s comment.
Together they started to circle around the car. “What are you doing with this thing anyway?”
Caleb threw him the keys. “It needs a lot of work done to it and I don’t have the time to fix it up. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind tending to it.”
Wesley groaned. He understood it was his job to work on cars but he wasn’t a miracle worker. Repairing this thing was beyond what he could do. “I don’t know, Caleb.”
“Look Wes, think of this as a summer project.” Caleb bargained, tapping his hand on the hood. “You can work on it in your spare time.”
Wesley looked at the man doubtfully. He was perhaps overexposed to the heat and heard him say wrong. “You’re telling me I have all summer to fix this car up?” Caleb nodded his head. “What if it can’t be fixed?”
Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “Send it off to the junk yard! I’d be impressed if you can get it to tip top condition. I’ll even throw in a bonus if you do.”
The young man thought about his options. The only thing he would be losing was precious time. Though a big bonus was just what he needed before he left town.
“Alright, Caleb – you have a deal.” They shook hands in way to cement their agreement. “Who’s the owner of the car, anyway?” Wesley hollered out, as Caleb started to disappear into his office.
“It’s my daughter, Lilah’s.”
Wesley Holden whipped the small beads of sweat that coated his forehead with the back of his hand. His skin was hot to the touch, the small freckles on his cheeks were sure to be more prominent by the days end. Strenuous labor and exposure to the sun was causing his loose-fitting white shirt to cling to his shoulders and back from sweat. His brown hair was darken and wet from constantly pouring water over his head to keep cool.
He longed for refuge from the insufferable sun but he had two customers waiting on him. It was at these moments that Wesley regretted finding a summer job. He could be out with his friend Mike or sharing an ice cream cone with some pretty little thing instead of repairing cars at Caleb’s Auto Repair Shop.
Sure, the pay was good, he liked his boss and he liked the sweet satisfaction he felt when it came to fixing things. He only had to spend a few hours a day at the garage, but when the air conditioning system wasn’t functioning, and the electric fans weren’t enough then the hours felt much longer.
Regardless, Wesley liked his work. He was good at it. He was uncertified but that didn’t matter to half the town or Caleb who always told him he had a promising career as an auto mechanic if he continued to pursue the field. But Wesley counted his time in the garage as a hobby and a way to pad his pockets with extra cash. Cash he needed for university expenses. Tuition, room and board, textbooks and other miscellaneous fees came at a hefty price.
It was a hot summer day like today when the Holden’s drove into Camden, in their beat up Ford truck a few years back. It was just him, his younger brother Theo and their newly single mother. He could remember sitting in the passenger seat, watching the orange sun set below the horizon and hating his father for leaving them and causing them to move.
It was September and he was eight when his mother enrolled him into the local elementary school. Making friends was hard for Wesley to do when everyone in his grade thought he was a freak of nature. Admittedly, he was missing numerous baby teeth causing him to talk with a lisp, his ears were too big for his head and his mother hadn’t mastered how to cut hair so he walked around with a pageboy style do.
Midway through the school year, Wesley resented everything and everyone in Camden Elementary School. The teachers, the students, the playground, the chocolate milk at lunch time because Stacey Graham loved to pour the brown liquid down his pants. He hated making crafts in art class because kids would stick mean words to the back of his shirt. They broke his crayons, they’d draw on his work but the worst offender of them all was Lilah Ansley.
She didn’t call him names, she didn’t laugh at him. She did none of the things the other kids did. Lilah kept quiet and did nothing as if Wesley didn’t exist. Ignoring him was probably the kindest gesture anyone had ever showed him in school but to Wesley, it was more hurtful than the red ants others would put in his shirt.
Everyone who knew the girl, knew she was a wild child. Teachers resented her short attention span and her obsessive need to doodle on books and walls. The students loved her 64 color crayons and the Disney coloring books she had. She was the lead soprano in choir and she performed an excellent Rapunzel for the school play. She was like a bright beam of sunlight, shining her light on everyone else but Wesley.
It wasn’t until his mom packed his lunch with honey buns did Lilah notice him. What a glorious day it was for Wesley to share one of his sweet deserts with her. Against the confused stares of her friends, Lilah sat with him all lunch. He thought it was a fleeting moment but the next day she sat with him again and again, even when his Superman lunch-pail didn’t have any treats.
They were good friends after that. She was Wesley’s only friend, truthfully. Lilah was always there for him until…she was gone. No call, no explanation of where she was going or why. It was like after all their years of friendship, Lilah went back to ignoring him.
Wesley was over it now. Over Camden and over Lilah Ansley. Come the end of the summer, he would be packing up his things and driving out of town for good.
Wesley wiped his oil sleeked hands clean on a rag and ran a hand through his brown hair. His work was finished. He had replaced Mrs. Cole’s leaky radiator and changed Mr. Stevenson’s oil. The sun was still high in the sky but Wesley was ready to close up shop.
Just then, an old Chevrolet Impala drove into an open garage stall. It was a real piece of work. The turquoise paint was chipped and rusty. From the deep rattling sounds coming from the engine, Wesley guessed the old thing’s cam shaft belt was badly aligned or slipping. It was a wonder on how the car was still running.
The engine cut off and a man climbed out. His blonde hair was framed around his face and his green eyes flashed with a certain brilliancy that rivaled a well-cut jewel. The man was in his late-30s but between his flamboyant smile and boyish demeanor made him appear younger than his years.
“Well, what do you think?” He brandished his arms in a way to boaster the unappealing car all the while keeping a wide smile.
Wesley moved from his station. Scratching the back of his neck, unable to figure out what his boss was so pleased about. “Honestly, Caleb? It’s a pile of junk on wheels.”
“I know! It’s terrible right?” Caleb asked excitedly, not deterred by Wesley’s comment.
Together they started to circle around the car. “What are you doing with this thing anyway?”
Caleb threw him the keys. “It needs a lot of work done to it and I don’t have the time to fix it up. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind tending to it.”
Wesley groaned. He understood it was his job to work on cars but he wasn’t a miracle worker. Repairing this thing was beyond what he could do. “I don’t know, Caleb.”
“Look Wes, think of this as a summer project.” Caleb bargained, tapping his hand on the hood. “You can work on it in your spare time.”
Wesley looked at the man doubtfully. He was perhaps overexposed to the heat and heard him say wrong. “You’re telling me I have all summer to fix this car up?” Caleb nodded his head. “What if it can’t be fixed?”
Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “Send it off to the junk yard! I’d be impressed if you can get it to tip top condition. I’ll even throw in a bonus if you do.”
The young man thought about his options. The only thing he would be losing was precious time. Though a big bonus was just what he needed before he left town.
“Alright, Caleb – you have a deal.” They shook hands in way to cement their agreement. “Who’s the owner of the car, anyway?” Wesley hollered out, as Caleb started to disappear into his office.
“It’s my daughter, Lilah’s.”