“Bit of a Chat” – Part 2

“Thanks for the ride, Mate,” Colin told Adam, as he slid awkwardly out of the car, using his crutches for support.

“No worries,” Adam replied, as he walked along in front of Colin, stopping to open the office door for him to enter.

Colin had gotten his new brother-in-law to give him a ride up to the garage so he could have a chat with Arthur about Dom’s return to work there. He knew Arthur had been quite upset and frantic the day Dom had called in to let them know he was going to be away on holiday and Colin wasn’t sure how he was going to take the lad’s return. Arthur was a nice bloke, overall, in Colin’s book. Just a bit ‘prickly’ at times, though, which could cause problems if it wasn’t nipped in the bud right away.

As he entered the office, he found Arthur sitting behind the desk, going over the day’s invoices. “G’day, Arthur,” Colin said, smiling at the lad, “mind joining me for a cuppa?”

“Colin?” Arthur asked, surprised to see his boss walking through the door. “Of course, um... what brings you into the office then? Surely you’re not thinking of trying to come back to work already? Not with that cast still on your leg?”

Arthur walked around the desk, poured two cups of coffee, handed on to Colin.

“Mind if I have one of those too, Artie?” Adam asked, sullenly.

The look the two lads exchanged wasn’t lost on Colin and he spoke up, “Of course, mate,” he told him, handing him his cup then grabbing another for himself.

“Ta, mate,” Adam replied, “I’ll just be out in the bay if you need me then.”

“Yeah, thanks again for the ride, Adam. I’ll stop in before I leave to say goodbye.”

Adam nodded, then walked out of the room to leave Colin to talk with Arthur.

“Pull up a chair, mate,” Colin told him, as he fell back into the desk chair Arthur had just vacated and set his crutches aside.

Arthur smiled and nodded, then slid a chair in from the waiting area and sat down, wondering to himself what all this was about.

“Everything been running smoothly then while I’ve been away?” Colin asked. He took a sip of coffee, set the cup down on the desk in front of him.

“Oh yes, everything has been running quite smoothly here while you’ve been away,” Arthur told him, proudly.

“Yeah, I saw that the numbers were up,” Colin replied, “Adam’s sure brought in the business, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, um... he sure has at that,” Arthur said, holding back what he really thought about Adam’s new customers of late. Colin had enough on his plate right now to worry about, Arthur supposed, so for now he’d just keep his feelings about Adam under wraps.

“Everything alight between the two of you, then?”

“Why, what did he say?” Arthur asked, a bit defensively.

No worries, mate,” Colin chuckled, “I’m just wondering how the two of you are getting on is all.”

“Oh well, Adam’s... a hard worker, indeed,” Arthur said, choosing his words carefully. “He’s managed to... um... find his way around the garage and tools quite nicely, and... with my help, of course, seems to keep on top of things quite well. Rest assured, I’ve got the whole thing under control here, Colin.”

“Good, good,” Colin replied, a bit distractedly. He could tell Arthur was most likely keeping his true feelings from him, but that was okay. As long as business was up and jobs were getting completed that was all that mattered at the moment. He took another sip of coffee, frowned a bit.

“Is... is there something else, Colin? I mean, surely you could have just rang me up to ask how Adam and I are getting on and not have bothered to trudge all the way down here.”

“Actually, yeah, there is something else I wanted to talk with you about, Arthur,” Colin said, “Seems our prodigal son as returned from his holiday.”

“Ex....excuse me, sir?” Arthur asked, a look of confusion spread across his face.

“Dom,” Colin chuckled, “Called me up this morning in fact. Asked if he could have his job back.”

“And you said... yes?”

“Well, yeah, ‘course I did. With me still out of commission the place could sure used a crack mechanic like Dom around. Adam’s fine in a pinch, but he’s still wet behind the ears, could use a bit more training as far as heavy engine work goes.”

“Of course, of course,” Arthur nodded in agreement, a bit sullenly. He liked Dom only slightly better than he got along with Adam. Both men seemed to be cut from the same cloth as far as he was concerned.

“Thought you’d be pleased, having a second mechanic on hand for when things get really bogged down here.”

“Yes, yes it will be quite convenient having the two of them here,” Arthur agreed, “They won’t... um... both always be here... together... though, will they?”

Colin chuckled, “No, mate, they will each get a day or two off. I’ll get with them both and make out a workable schedule to give to you.”

“Thanks,” Arthur nodded.

“No worries, mate,” Colin told him, then sat back in his chair and grinned, his arms folded behind his head, “Now, why don’t you fill me in on how you’re getting on with that new girlfriend of yours?”

TBC...