"It's fine, Uncle Dennis. I'm good here... Yeah, okay. Tell Aunt Elizabeth I said hi..." Mike politely turned down Dennis's offer to drive over and pick him up for a few days.
In just over two months, Mike would be old enough to get his driver's license. So, he was already planning to drive back and visit them himself during the next summer break.
"Mike, are you seriously not planning to go out today?" Meemaw, all dressed up for the bowling alley, looked back at Mike, who had just hung up the phone in the living room.
It was already the third day of winter break. Ever since school let out, Mike had basically gone into hibernation, refusing to leave the house.
"Nope. I plan to spend the entire break right here," Mike replied.
It was the coldest time of the year. Unless he had a specific reason to go out, staying warm and cozy inside was infinitely better than freezing outside.
"Suit yourself." Meemaw, who couldn't sit still for five minutes, couldn't understand Mike's commitment to being a couch potato. Then, as if remembering something, she smiled mischievously. "Your little girlfriends are coming over again today, aren't they?"
"You mean Cady and Regina? Yeah, they should be here soon." Even though Mike was staying in, he certainly wasn't going to be lonely.
Actually, Regina and her two minions had signed with Miracle Records and were currently at the company headquarters for training.
Speaking of which, the single they released at Christmas had been out for nearly a month, racking up an impressive 20,000 copies in sales.
Those numbers were solid enough to catch the attention of the higher-ups at Miracle Records. So, alongside their training, the company was booking them for small gigs to prep them for an official debut.
The "Plastics" were off to a great start on their path to stardom.
Meanwhile, Cady and Regina (George)—wait, no, let's stick to Cady and Lena (assuming "Lina" is a different character or a nickname, context implies two girls visiting)—who didn't have other plans for the break, were taking full advantage of the free time to hang out with Mike.
That was why Mike wasn't lonely.
Hearing Mike's confirmation, the grin on Meemaw's face turned into a knowing smirk. "There's some barbecue in the fridge, and you know where the beer is. Once I'm gone, you can have a little... private party with your girlfriends."
Meemaw had met both Cady and Lena before and had a pretty good impression of them.
"Got it, Meemaw. I'll handle it..." Mike laughed.
With a computer, beer, food, and two girls, Mike was definitely not going to be bored.
"Good. They're nice girls, don't mess it up." Meemaw nagged a bit more as she walked out the door, then turned back one last time. "Oh, and Mike? The 'raincoats' are in the usual spot. Remember to play safe~"
Dropping that bombshell without waiting for a reply, Meemaw slung her purse over her shoulder and strutted off toward the bowling alley.
Watching her leave, Mike shook his head, speechless.
Even if she hadn't said anything, Mike knew what he was doing. He had zero intention of becoming a teenage dad.
Not long after, Cady and Lena arrived at Meemaw's house almost simultaneously, as if they'd planned it.
Three people... perfect for a round of cards.
---
Around noon, during a ceasefire in their card game while they munched on barbecue for lunch, Georgie knocked on the door.
"Mike, do you know where Meemaw keeps her car tool kit?" Georgie asked.
"I actually don't know," Mike said. "Hang on, I'll call and ask her."
Meemaw didn't drive her car that often, so it rarely broke down. Consequently, Mike had never even seen a tool kit in the house.
"Sorry, Meemaw says she doesn't have one. When her car breaks, she just sends it straight to the shop," Mike said regretfully after hanging up.
"That's a problem. What am I gonna do?" Georgie looked stressed.
"What happened?" Mike asked.
"The car got a flat... If we try to drive it to the shop on the rim, we'll probably ruin the wheel..." Georgie explained.
The Cooper family's finances weren't exactly great right now. Ruining a good wheel for no reason would be a stupid financial hit.
"My house has a full set of tools. I can drive back and get them," Lena, who had driven over, offered.
Knowing Mike was close with the Coopers, she was happy to help Georgie out.
"My place has tools too..." Cady chimed in, also willing to help.
"Really? That's awesome!" Georgie's face lit up with relief, and he looked at Mike.
Since both girls were Mike's "close friends," their offer to help was clearly for his sake. Georgie knew this and waited for Mike to make the call.
"Hold on a sec," Mike said to the girls, then turned to Georgie. "Herschel next door works at a garage. Go ask him if you can borrow some tools first. If not, we'll drive to Cady's place."
Compared to Lena's house, Cady's was a bit closer.
If Herschel couldn't help, having Lena drive to Cady's to get the tools was the most efficient solution.
"Right! I can ask Herschel..." Georgie smacked his forehead, suddenly thinking clearly. "I'll go ask him right now!"
With that, he dashed out of Meemaw's house.
"Let's go. We should see if there's anything else we can do..." After playing cards all morning, Mike felt like getting some fresh air.
Besides, the Coopers had always been good to him. He genuinely wanted to see if he could help.
---
"Mike, you're here." Outside the Cooper house, George Sr. stood in front of the car, looking defeated.
The car wasn't totaled or anything; just a flat front tire.
But without a spare and without the tools to patch it, this small problem was a huge headache.
Luckily, it wasn't long before Herschel walked over with Georgie, carrying a professional tool kit.
As a pro, Herschel did a quick inspection. "Nothing major. Just a leak. I've got the stuff to fix it right here..."
"I really appreciate it," George said politely.
After their heart-to-heart in the chicken coop a while back, Herschel and George—two middle-aged men with equally frustrating lives—had actually become decent friends.
Herschel was a man of action.
With the right tools and the problem identified, it didn't take long for Mike and the other guys to help get the bad tire off the car under Herschel's direction.
"Can I try?" Just as Herschel was about to start patching the tire, Georgie asked with genuine interest.
"Sure thing." Seeing Georgie's enthusiasm, Herschel smiled and walked him through the steps.
Step one: Find the leak.
Following instructions, Georgie inflated the tire and, using just his hearing, instantly pinpointed the hiss of escaping air.
Then, following Herschel's guidance, he removed the inner tube...
After learning the entire process, Georgie managed to patch the tire and mount it back onto the car all by himself, without any physical help. His movements were sharp and efficient.
His natural mechanical aptitude was impressive.
"George, have you ever thought about letting Georgie learn auto repair? He's got a real gift for this..." Herschel remarked, genuinely impressed.
"Really?" George looked at his eldest son's handiwork, surprised.
"Absolutely. Just the way he found that leak by ear... he's already better than a lot of guys I know," Herschel said seriously. "If you're okay with it, he can come down to the shop where I work. start as an apprentice."
"What do you think, Georgie?" George turned to his son.
"I'd love to!" Georgie answered immediately.
Having never been "good" at anything academic, discovering he had a talent for mechanics was a huge confidence boost.
After getting his son's approval, George turned to Herschel solemnly. "In that case, I'm entrusting Georgie to you."
"No problem." Herschel nodded, then warned Georgie, "Learning to fix cars is hard work. Can you handle it?"
"I can," Georgie replied firmly.
---
Seeing his eldest son finally show some ambition, George looked relieved and proud.
"Herschel, want to come in for a beer?" George offered.
Truth be told, Herschel had been having a rough time with his wife lately because of work stress. Having an excuse to relax and not go home immediately? He wasn't going to pass that up.
The two middle-aged men quickly reached a consensus.
"Mike, you guys want to come in and sit for a bit?" George asked Mike and the girls as he ushered Herschel inside.
"No thanks, we already ate lunch," Mike politely declined.
"Alright then, I won't keep you." George had been young once. Looking at Mike and the two girls, he knew they had their own "afternoon plans."
He didn't push it.