This was after 10 minutes of him driving me around in my car, claiming he was trying to find out why the wheels were making a funny ‘rrerrr’ing noise.
When he asked my mum if I was going to be getting out, I started scooping up my belongings and reaching for the car door handle, only to be re-informed that I would be going along for the drive; which I found out from my mother later, he wasn’t overly upset about.
Mechanic Man was 3 or 4 inches taller than me, and covered in oil from changing other people’s tyres. Shamefully all I could think about was him getting it all over my car seats. I cringed as oily clothes hit clean seating – then my third degree commenced.
Granted, Mechanic Man was lovely. Making light conversation and banter, I later realised he got me to spit out almost everything bar where I was born and what shampoo I used.
For a few minutes we debated about who’s got the best holiday plans.
‘I just got back from Portugal’ I said, flashing my new golden tan, hoping with all my might that I hadn’t started peeling yet – because that would be super attractive!
‘I’m going to Ibiza with the lads later this year’ he came back with. ‘Oh really now’ I thought to myself. Well if your upping the stakes..
‘I’m going to New York in December, and Tokyo next year’ I replied with a slight grin. He informed me he’d love to go to New York and I couldn’t resist slipping in that I used to live outside of it when I was younger. As he laughed and granted me 1- 0 he asked for my name. ‘Helena’ I said, ‘and yours?’ ‘Robbie*’ he replied.
By the time we pulled up in the car park outside the garage he was asking me if I was single – about the only information left to gather from me by this point. I looked at him as his cheeky smile shone through and I replied, ‘yeah I’m single. Boys are too much hassle’.
Whilst he fixed my car, my mum found it her sole mission to embarrass me by announcing loudly that she thought he liked me. Mums are great like that aren’t they? But it turns out that wasn’t the deal breaker.
As he handed the keys back to me, and I got in the car to drive off – there was only one thing he could do ruin our whole conversation. And he did it.
‘Bye Anna’ I heard, as I sped off into the distance.
Close but no cigar Robbie*. I drove on.
*Name Changed.
