Friday, 7:52 am, July 13, 2012


The Heritage Rental and Repair Yard sits smack-dab in the middle of London, England. A small but muscular arm free of tattoos tugs on the fastened links of a long chain, which extends over a pulley twelve feet off the ground. Lock and chain rattle against the door as Seth Jarret struggles to open the garage. One hand on top the other goes the routine as the morning chore of opening the doors to his shop and living quarters begins.

"Oh me aching arse," groans Seth as the door inches upwards.

He squints as the bright morning sun fills his bloodshot eyes with light sabers dripping with gin. A tall shadowy figure strolls between the bright sun and his short frame as a good morning greeting is spoken.

"Hi Mr Ferret."

"Who's there? Ah Leigh, you're bright and early. Good lad, good lad. Second day on the job and you already do me proud. Good boy. And it's Jarret, not Ferret."

"Sorry Mr Jarret, and about yesterday..."

"Well I got myself lucky last night Leigh," slurring his speech and cutting in. "Knockout of a lady. Biggest tits I've ever seen up close and personal and able to bend me steel with her teeth. Aye she was something!"

"You have any naked photo's?" Humors Leigh, trying to butter Seth up before Leigh's big confession about Seth's prized motorcar.

"Pictures? Only met her last night. What kind a woman do you think she is? Maybe the third date but I doubt if that will ever come about"

"Why so?"

"Well son try this story for a laugh."

Leigh hopes his story will bring the same good humor. "Mr Jarret about yesterday, I need to tell you about..."

"Later son. First off, she picked me up. Hard for the ladies to resist me charm I suppose". He says thinking out loud.
"We got one of those low rate rooms around the corner. Hell, just moving up the stairs was a experience. There was passion on each step. Made it to the room clothes when flying."

Then Seth's sour soul became drenched in poetry.

"I moved aside the straps of her bra and slowly the tips of her breasts came into view.
From the first touch of her nipples, fire exploded throughout my body as they sat ready for me milking their honey. With color of fine silk I believe, drenched in majestic purples and as to their texture, jell-o hardened to dry, on a cool day. Gulping in air as fast as her essence, left me short of breath. Her juices mixed intoxicating potions inside my mouth until I hardened. Get the picture so far?"

Nodding his head Leigh lights a smoke and passes it to Seth.

"Mr Jarret I need to talk to you about yesterday."

Seth continues.
"Then her hand moved like a race driver changing gears as she grab my zipper and yanked. Next thing I knew, both she and my wallet were gone. That was the best mugging I've ever had and it only cost me my three pounds and a old plastic wallet."

"Mr Jarret you want me to try and get your wallet back? I can find anything."

"Not to worry Leigh. She left her bra. I figure us even. Why don't you go open the front door and sweep the walk. I'm going have a morning drink to sober. Careful Leigh as you go about until you get to know the place. Could be a bit slippery around here. Spilt some oil here yesterday and the day before that and the year before that."

"Tell me about it. I found part of it yesterday Mr Ferrett. I must have slid twenty meters." Leigh is smiling and crying on the inside.

"The names Jarrett. You hurt boy?"

"No, but my clothes were a mess. Mr Jarret there's someth..."

"Son, did the McClarry's pick up their rental yesterday?"

"Oh... a, a..."

The big moment has arrived. How do you tell a man that his priceless 1938 Bugatti Type 57-SC Atlantic, had been rented to strangers and to add insult, for about 20 bucks a day? Leigh's body stood frozen like petrified wood and his teeth begins chattering like a woodpecker after termites. Lighting could have hit him in the very same way too, as he dashes through the next set of words like Barney Fife, arresting a criminal.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, sir." Leigh says, gulping air. " They came about midday Mr Jarret. The man seemed afflicted with impatience and his wife, I believe was drunk. Her pants were soaked and reeked of piss. Poor woman. Rather attractive for an older woman and she also had big tits!" Leigh says gulping in more air than a twin-prop jet engine. " The man with her, like I said, was a grump and he pressured me and pressured me, Mr Jarret, Mr Jarret, Mr Jarret. But, I treated them good sir, in spite of his rudeness and so I in a fit of confusion, Mr Jarret, sir; I gave them your favorite car. Sorry."

Air left the room as the tomb from the unknown lay open with a gallows awaiting in the backdrop as Seth studies Leigh with open mouth, like a psychiatrist viewing a nut-cake whose speaking like Elmer Fudd on speed. Seth reaches and places his arm around Leigh's shoulder, gripping firmly.

"That's good son. Sometime these foreigners are just a pain in the arse and you need to give them what they demand. Why not give them the best!"

"But Mr Jarret I thought you'd be mad. Tommy said you'd kill me."

"Mad? Kill ya? Tommy, my ace mechanic said that? That's a hoot. Not to worry Leigh, you did the same as I lad. Give them what they want I always say. Now run along lad and tend to the front."

"You want me to finish opening the door?"

"No you tend to yer duties Leigh. I've been doing this for fifteen years and rather enjoy it."

Seth's heart is good. It had been placed there by his father whose care and compassion taught his son to always do what is right by people. He ran his business on those principles. He was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. He started drinking from the loss of his wife Alice but even more so from his fathers death.

Father and son had what was described by them both as the best summer since Beth, Seth's mom, had passed. It was a summer, a few years ago, filled with closeness and a bond that grew to a crescendo early on Sunday morning.
His father was run over right in front of him, by a woman whose laughter Seth remembers to this day. A haunting wail that seemed to cry out in joy as if her intentions had been fulfilled.

Fog ran in patches on that morn and out of its depth a Range Rover appeared, and quickly picked up speed steering towards the two. His father pushed him out of the way just before he was hit. His body flew. The wind was cold and blew like a Arctic witch on a steel broom as the Range Rover disappeared quickly into the fog carrying the drivers penetrating wail, which echoed into its mist. That was four years ago. His wife Alice left a month later.


Seth and Leigh split company as Leigh quickly heads for the front relived and confused over Seth reaction. Once more, another skidding incident takes place, but on a different island of oil. He waves to Seth like a water skier to the crowd. Seth try's to focus on Leigh but only sees a fast moving blur,thinking to himself,'now there's an odd fellow.'

Calling his folks on the front office phone Leigh tells his dad all is well and not to worry. "Bye dad."
Seth wishes everyday only to do the same.

After securing the chain Seth stumbles into the garages and deep where the doors light refuses to venture.
This overindulged and wobbly zombie weaves his way through the bays of cars. His blurry eyes suddenly fail him as last nights drunken escapades attack him. Hangover city pounds and pelts his mind confusing his stability.

Lurching into bay number four he moves to sit on the stability of his 1938 Bugatti Type 57sc Atlantic which proudly stands for him, like the rock of Gibraltar only to find the safety of the cars fender has been replaced by the cold reality of an oil slick cement floor. The actual fall to the cement felt like a lifelong quest that took all of his forty-five years to complete. The thud fell against the dank walls.

"Ah, ah, my ackin arse! Where in the bloody hell is my car?" He bellows out. "What in the hell?"

His anger rolls him over on all fours while he unsteadily tries to rise to his feet, but his hand slips on the oil and all his bridge work pops out as his chin strikes the floor. Two pearly white front teeth now sit in a pool of oil, the same as he.
Standing in disbelief and feeling the gap where his teeth use to set he bellows out.

"My tooth! My tooth! Where's my teeth? Alice? Leigh, young Leigh, come here? Alice where are you, damn me? Get your arse out here Leigh!"

His head explodes with each spoken word. He knew he drank a lot last night but the way the morning was shaping up it was not enough.

The office door swings open, producing a piercing bright light, throwing a spotlight on Seth. A panicky Leigh bursts through its doors and darts towards him like a Olympic sprinter.

"What's wrong Mr Jarret?" said Leigh still thirty-five meters away, but closing fast.

"My tooth! Help me find my tooth"

"Your what?"

The crackle of a Seth's teeth under Leigh's boot quickly echoes throughout the stillness of the shop. Both heads turn towards the other after Leigh moves his boots revealing Seth's broken teeth. One set of eyes say "oops" while the other says "you didn't!"

"What have you done to my teeth?"

Like a freight train jumping the tracks Seth tackles and grabs Leigh by the throat giving him rapid CPR movements, but to his neck.

"You jackass yob punk!"

"I'm sorry Mr Ferret,"squeaks Leigh with a high pitched helium voice.

"The names Jarret, Jarret! Get it?"

A hard ass stare lingers in the air as Seth considers choking and dumping Leigh's body in the river Thames.

"Hear me boy and listen good!" Moving his hands to Leigh's shoulder.

"Tell me, Leigh." A dry rattle to Seth's voice took on the ominous tones of a coiled snake.

"D'ye see anything odd, the least little thing, now? In particular, is there anything odd about bay #4?"

"Well there's a lot of oil on the floor, but I'll get to cleaning it up right away."

Leigh tries moving but Seth hands steadily wrench downwards becoming clamps, digging into Leigh's thin shoulder blades as he began hissing.

"Where's my bloody car boy? Where's my car? Where's the Alice?"

"The car? I told you sir! The American couple picked it up yesterday."

"They what? You what?"

Leigh's response causes Seth to loosen his grip. Leigh rolls away and leave's Seth knelled on the floor toppled in disbelief.

"Tell me you didn't boy." Swallowing hard, Leigh again confirms his answer. "Why boy, why?"

"I didn't mean to do anything wrong Mr Jarret."

"Wrong? Wrong? Are you kidding me? You, gave away my Life son! That car were everything! It's me life. Leigh, how could you just give it away?"

"Well Mr Jarret you see, first they.."

"Shut it!"

Weathered bricks surround the two story garage of the Heritage Rental Yard in downtown London. Seth Jarret huddles on the cement in disbelief after hearing the news, his face stained from oil. With one hand supporting his body the other clutches his weary head as he let in a deep sigh and released a gust of breath, stale, reeking of booze.

Seth grabs his teeth, stands and begins pacing. His back and forth movements were like that of a robot gone mad on the fringe of explosion, mumbling half words functioning on the border line between drunk, hung over and asleep, while quickly approaching total insanity as thunder rolls within. He gazes into a nearby reflecting glass as this moment of truth catches up to him and holds on tight.

"The world was a buzz with my name. I was on top. Look at me now. My first kiss with Alice was in that car. Look what you've done!"

Shaking his head he begins to wonder how, and why, did he end up like this.

Deep insights race inside his mind as the past days pile one on top of the other in a heap of ashes. Tugging and calling from someplace in his being is his silent, and seldom listen to soul. His head tweaks to one side as the memory 'of how he use to be' catches up and holds on tight, for dear life.

"Don't worry sir we'll get it back. They only rented it for a week."

A small narrow corridor of small rooms lead into Seth's office and its there he is headed, staggering all the way.
The quick shuffles of Leigh, ten feet back, glide behind him in silence while the pronounced steps of Seth lead the way. The taps on Seth's polished black shoes, dance a drunken and dismal tune, towards his office.

Abruptly Seth stops, spinning on one heel. Like a man born again he straightens his stance with his hands reaching to heaven and immediately shouts, "hallelujah. I've been saved! I've been saved!"

A queer puzzled expressing sits plastered on Leigh's face. "You o.k. Mr Jarret?"

"Yes! Yes! I've got Lojack! The Alice can be found"

Seth also informs Leigh that the cars insurance policy had been in force for years and if not found that it might pay off better that the races and opens up saying," this might be a blessing Leigh, maybe it's time for me to move on with me life. What's happened to me lad, what's happened? I use to be different."

"Mr Jarret, you're right by me. No one else would give me a job, but forgive me for saying so sir, maybe you drink too much."

"I know that. Come Leigh. We got work to do. Fetch me some Crazy glue I believe I can mend this tooth."

Seth rushes to the phone only to receive a recorded message saying," thank you for choosing Lojack, but due to a virus attack from some hacker, the system will be down for a day and with any luck everything will be back to normal tomorrow. Push one to be connected to..."

Seth begins to pour a tall drink then chooses to shorten the amount by half, gulps it down then heads quickly out the door for the races with his newly repaired tooth, nearly repaired.

"Leigh, I'm heading to Liverpool for the National. Don't give anything else away and I want you to come again, day after tomorrow, on Sunday."

"Good day sir, sorry again, and good luck at the races. Sunday?"

"Yes son, you and I are going in search of the Alice."