Bobby Stark-Barton (i_asked_grandpa) wrote,
@ 2010-05-07 20:01:00

In the garage
"I promise this won't hurt a bit," Robert Anthony Stark Barton said as he leaned over the quarter panel and under the hood. His hands worked as he talked. Talking to one of his girls was nothing new. He loved his cars and he loved working on them. His mother said he inherited it from Grandpa Tony and she was probably right. Some of his earliest memories were working on cars with Grandpa Tony.

"I'll make you feel good when I'm done," he continued as his hands worked on engine parts. "You'll be just fine, honey. You'll be purring like a kitten in no time."

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	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 03:20 am UTC (link)
	"Not bad. The same," he said with a shrug and went back under the hood. He could talk and work on cars at the same time. He didn't understand why girls got upset when he did this. "Mom works insane hours and Dad tries to get her to take a break." "I'm thinking about getting a 65 Vette Sting Ray next. What do you think?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

mishaloganovich
2010-05-10 03:40 am UTC (link)

"It's a sweet car. I say pick it up." Misha finished coating his hands with the protective layer and went to work on the alternator. Working and talking was second nature. "You can never have too many classic cars in your garage."

He was familiar with the working mother syndrome but he offered no suggestions or advice. Bobby was level-headed. If he wanted something, he'd ask for it. "I lucked into frames for a '69 Firebird and a '70 Cuda. Got them set up in the garage but I probably won't get to them for at least another year. Still working on the Road Runner."

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i_asked_grandpa
2010-05-10 04:13 am UTC (link)

"You try telling that to Mom. She thinks I have too many because I'm out of space in the garage. I told her that I just need a bigger garage. She didn't find it funny."

Mom worked and like a typical member of the family, she was a workaholic. Bobby was the same with his cars. He spent every free minute working on them. He never lacked for attention from his mother.

"Nice. They should be awesome when they're done." A paused. "You're /still/ working on that? I thought you had that finished by now."

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	mishaloganovich 2010-05-10 04:20 am UTC (link)
	"Your mom is a lot of great things, but she just doesn't get the importance of a bigger garage. A bigger lab, that she gets." He shook his head. He adored the Brat, but he shook his head over her as much as she did over him. "I did, but something felt off so I took the engine apart to start again. And had the seats redone while I was at it." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 04:24 am UTC (link)
	"I have Dad on my side, but if that doesn't work, either of my grandfathers will take pity on me. They understand about a man and his cars." Bobby cursed as his hand slipped and he banged it. "If you want help, you just have to call. I always have time to work on cars. How's Darlene?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

mishaloganovich
2010-05-10 04:43 am UTC (link)

"She's still the same pain in my ass as she always is, so that means she's excellent." Misha had stopped drawing a line between the car and the AI long ago. If Darlene had a flat or needed an upgrade, it was understood that it was just Darlene. "Somebody gave her access to my home computer and now she corrects any document I'm writing. Do you know what it's like to find my latest funding proposal to the Foundation edited before I've finished it?"

"Careful there," he said automatically when he heard the bang. "I just pulled the engine back out and I'm taking it apart now. I'll probably have a rebuilding party soon. Beer, rough talk, rude jokes, the works. Dad will probably supervise, so it'll be the good beer." Misha's life may have taken a few turns, but his father was still a fixture. Logan dropped in regularly to each of his kids to make sure everything was all right.

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	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 05:16 am UTC (link)
	"Mom must have thought you missed her or something," Bobby said with a laugh. His mother loved having Darlene mess with his uncle. "It's just a bang. Not the first time I've done it. Just let me know. I'm always willing to help get a girl running." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-10 05:37 am UTC (link)
	Some sisters called or sent text messages. His sister had an AI keeping an eye on him. "I'll let you know when the party is. AJ too. There's some mechanic talent down at the center. I might take in one of the frames and let the kids do most of the restoration work. Then sell it at auction for the scholarship fund." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 06:28 am UTC (link)
	"Please do." There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "I have a 68 Karmann Ghia that I'm working on. I'll gladly donate it for the auction if you want it." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-10 06:36 am UTC (link)
	Damn if the kid's heart wasn't as big as his mother's. Misha smiled to himself. He knew what the car meant to Bobby. As somebody who put heart and soul into every restored car, it was a true act of charity to give one to a good cause. "That would be great. I have a lot of hope for the scholarship applicants for next year." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 06:41 am UTC (link)
	"When is the auction?" he asked. Fully intending to get the Karmann Ghia done before then along with another car he had his eye on. Why donate one when you can donate two? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-10 06:59 am UTC (link)
	"I'm getting it into the winter charity auction. Work the Christmas giving spirit." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 07:15 am UTC (link)
	"Plenty of time," he mused. He could get Penny finished and another one started and finished before then. Though he could also donate Abigail and get a replacement for her. It was something to think about. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-10 07:59 am UTC (link)
	"I want to give the kids plenty of time to work on a car," Misha explained. The alternator was textbook to him and didn't need his full attention. "I'm thinking the I'll take in the Firebird and the parts I collected for it. Some of the kids are amazing artists. I'll ask them to submit designs for a paint job." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 08:02 am UTC (link)
	"That's a good idea," he replied. "I'm sure they'll love doing that." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

mishaloganovich
2010-05-10 08:13 am UTC (link)

He smiled. Given half a chance, he'd talk anybody's ear off about his kids. The first year he set up the scholarship fund, he managed to send three kids to community college. Last year he sent six on a full ride to good universities and a dozen others to the local community college and a couple of good tech schools.

"That's my hope. Coming up with projects to interest them isn't easy, but I have a lot of help."

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	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-10 09:00 pm UTC (link)
	"If you need any help down there, let me know. I'll always help out. It's the least I can do." Misha was family. Family always helped family. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-10 09:59 pm UTC (link)
	"You always have and I really appreciate it. I couldn't get half done without you guys." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-12 06:40 pm UTC (link)
	"What else is family for besides driving a person crazy?" he asked as his fingers tightened a bolt. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-13 05:00 pm UTC (link)
	Misha laughed. "We're good at that. Does Grandma still tell you that you have more choices for your life than wearing the armor?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-13 05:52 pm UTC (link)
	"Which one? They both do," Bobby said with a chuckle. His grandmothers were two of the most important ladies in his life, but they did love to freely offer advice and suggestions. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-14 07:45 am UTC (link)
	"Blame your parents, kid. If they'd had at least one more, you could've shared all the attention from two generations." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-15 11:03 am UTC (link)
	"Yes, but then I would have siblings to put up with. I think that's worse. I don't mind spoiling from the grandmothers." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mishaloganovich 2010-05-15 12:33 pm UTC (link)
	"You get used to having brothers and sisters, especially if you don't have to live with them." The sounds of metal against metal clinked softly from under his hands. "And if you're a lot older." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_asked_grandpa 2010-05-17 08:16 pm UTC (link)
	"Yeah, well thankfully Mom's too busy to have any more." (Reply to this)(Parent)

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