Fiction:

Y2Care

by Jack Weyland

When you’re 14, you still have some growing to do. Jed didn’t realize that the turn of the century would bring that growth so quickly.

Jed looked forward to the day when he, like his brother David, would be old enough to go into the world and be a missionary. In his last letter, David had written, “People here ask us why we’ve left our homes to come here, and we tell them we’re here to share something that is most precious to us. And that’s true. I feel a great love for each and every person we meet each day.”

Although Jed looked forward to being a missionary, he had just turned 14. He lived with his family in Broken Arrow, Wyoming, just across the border from Idaho. His dad ran the only auto repair shop in town.

In the late afternoon of December 29, his dad asked Jed if he’d fill in for him at the shop. “Your mom and I would like to go to the temple. All you need to do is stay there until closing time, then lock up.”

“I guess I could do that.”

“Oh, one thing,” his dad continued, “a lady will be coming in to ask about her car. She’s from out of state, and her car broke down just outside town. Tell her I won’t be able to get parts until after New Year’s Day. If she needs a car, she can probably rent one in Idaho Falls. That’s about it. Any questions?”

“Can I have some change?”

“What for?”

“To get some candy from the machine.”

Shortly after his folks left, it began to snow. That was hardly news for Broken Arrow in December. But then the wind started to pick up.

Jed liked being at the shop. He liked wearing his dad’s work coveralls with the name of the shop on the front. He even liked the smell of the place, a mixture of old oil, grease, and, at that moment, the candy bar he was eating. Someday he wanted to be like his dad, a mechanic who could fix just about anything. He helped out during the summers and sometimes, when the work was stacked up, on Saturday mornings.

Nobody came in until just before five o’clock, when a smartly dressed woman with a cell phone to her ear entered the shop, accompanied by her daughter.

The girl appeared to be about his age. She was nearly as tall as he, had long dark brown hair, brown eyes. She frowned at him and then ignored him and started checking out the advertisements for tools on the wall.

“I’d like to pick up my car,” the woman said. “The name is Smith-Porter.” She was wearing an expensive but not very warm coat.

“You’ve got two last names?”

“It’s hyphenated,” the girl said, running a finger across the dust covered counter.

“Oh,” Jed said, confused why a person would have two last names.

“Is there anyone here who actually knows something?” the girl asked.

“Bailey, that’s really not necessary,” her mother chided.

“I’m the only one here, and I know quite a bit about cars,” Jed said, his voice cracking as he said it.

“That’s my car there,” the woman said, glancing into the shop area. She reached for her purse. “How much is it?”

“My dad said to tell you that he won’t be able to get parts until after New Year’s, but if you need a car, you can rent one in Idaho Falls.”

“How far is that from here?” the woman asked.

“It’s about 70 miles.”

“Is there some other place in town that can fix my car?”

“No, we’re the only shop in town.”

“How are we supposed to get to Idaho Falls?” the girl asked impatiently.

“Well, there’s a bus twice a day. The next one should be coming in about half an hour. It leaves from the Broken Arrow Cafe, just across the street. I’ll warn you, though. We have a saying about that place, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t eat there.’” Jed chuckled enthusiastically for the girl’s sake because he knew she would not approve.

The woman nodded her head. “Well, that’s not too bad then. Thank you for your help. We’ll need to get some things in the car.”

The girl stayed behind while her mother went into the shop area to get their luggage. The girl scowled at the candy wrappers in front of Jed. “How many candy bars have you had?”

“Two or three.”

“Disgusting.” She scowled at him.

“Is your name really Bailey Smith-Porter?” he asked.

“Yes it is. So?”

“It sounds like a law firm.”

“Really? How old are you anyway?” she asked.

“Fourteen.”

“I’m way more mature than you.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m going on 15.”

Before Jed realized that anyone who was 14 was also going on 15, the mother returned with their luggage and they left. Jed watched them fight the wind and the snow on their way across the street. It was then he noticed the cafe, where the bus stopped each day, was closed because of the storm.

Jed looked at the clock. Just a few more minutes and then he could close up and go home. He walked through the shop, making sure everything was locked up. When he went to the front to turn off the outside light that illuminated the sign advertising the shop, he could see the woman and the girl huddled in the doorway of the cafe, waiting for the bus.

“With the way the wind is picking up, the bus probably isn’t going to come,” he thought. “I’d better go tell ‘em.”

He was standing inside in the dark about ready to leave. “There’s no place they can go tonight.”

He answered himself. “That’s not my problem. I did everything I was asked to do here.”

He thought about going out the back door, so he wouldn’t have to see them standing there in the storm.

“What are they going to do if you don’t help them?” he asked himself.

“That’s not my responsibility.”

He went to the back door to leave. As he stepped outside, a sudden gust of wind blew a blast of snow into his face. At the same time, part of his brother’s letter came to his mind. “I feel a great love for each and every person we meet each day.”

He stepped back inside. “I don’t like the girl. How many times did she put me down in the five minutes they were in the shop? I don’t need that.”

He walked to the front of the shop again. “Maybe the storm has let up and the bus will make it after all. For all I know, maybe the bus has come and gone already. Maybe it’s not that bad outside of town.”

He stood at the window and looked out. The storm had grown into a blizzard as the wind sent pulsating waves of snow down the main street of the town. Across the street, their coats now caked with snow, the two strangers huddled in the doorway, waiting for a bus that wasn’t going to come.

Suddenly Jed made a decision, stepped outside into the storm, made sure the door was locked, and walked across the street. “I guess the bus isn’t coming today.”

He expected the girl to insult him or the bus company or the town, but she was too cold to say anything.

“Is there a place in town we can stay?” the woman asked.

“There’s a motel in town.”

“Good.”

“But it’s closed down until May.”

“I see.”

“You could come home with me, if you want. At least you’d be warm.”

“Are you sure?” the woman asked.

The truth was he wasn’t totally sure what his folks would say, but one thing he was sure of, his brother David would agree it was the right thing to do.

“My mom and dad are out of town, but they should be home soon. I’m sure they’d want you to stay with us until things clear up.”

“That’s very kind of you. Let’s go, Bailey.”

He offered to lug their suitcases but they said they could do it themselves.

Because there was no traffic, they were able to walk down the middle of the street. They trudged their way through deep drifts alternating with places where the wind was sweeping the road’s surface bare. By the time they reached the house, they looked like snowmen. Once inside, they stomped and brushed the accumulated snow from their coats, slacks, and heads.

Bailey’s mother warmed up for five minutes and then got back on her cell phone.

“Who is she talking to all the time?” Jed asked.

“Very important people. Famous people. Business leaders.”

“Okay.”

“She’s a very influential person.”

Bailey rapidly went through a list of names of famous people that worked with her mother. Then, seeing no recognition in his face, she said, “You’ve never heard of any of them, have you?”

“No, sorry.”

“You’re really out of touch with what’s happening in the world, aren’t you?” she asked.

In a way Jed was amazed. Bailey was tall, had dark eyes and a penetrating glance. She stood with such good posture that he was sure it was something she’d been taught. And she stood too close, almost as if she expected an argument. Also, her voice was too polished. In short, she wasn’t like any of the girls he’d ever known in Broken Arrow.

More than anything, he feared she might make him talk about current events, so he tried to change the subject. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “I really am.”

“You want to help me cook up something?”

“Well, I don’t know how to cook very well. We eat out most of the time.”

“Can you peel potatoes?”

She started to blush. “Uh, well, you’ll have to show me.”

“You’ve never peeled potatoes before?”

“Not really.”

Jed went to the storeroom and brought back five or six large potatoes and set them on the counter next to the basin. He grabbed a peeler from the drawer and placed it in her hand. “The idea is, you try to get the brown parts off.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to tell me that.”

“I wasn’t sure.”

Jed got some ground beef from the fridge and started to make patties.

In the living room Bailey’s mother was pacing the floor complaining to someone on the phone.

“How come you and your mom came out here this time of year?” he asked.

“We wanted to be some place safe for the new year.”

“Safe?”

“You know, because of Y2K. My mother was worried there might be riots and no food in the city, so she rented a cabin for us until the middle of January. Then we drove here from Los Angeles.”

She paused. “What has your family done to prepare for the new year?”

“Well, I think my dad picked up a calendar at the bank. They give them away every year.”

“Don’t you people around here know what could happen? What are you going to do on New Year’s Day?”

“We’ll probably have nachos and salsa and watch football.”

“If that’s all you’ve done, then you’re not prepared. It’s as simple as that.”

“If we’re the ones not prepared, how come you and your mom are staying with us?”

“Believe me, this is the last place in the world I want to be.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It’s so isolated. Have you ever been to Chicago?”

“No.”

“What about New York?” she asked.

“No.”

“Europe?”

“No.” He glanced at how she was doing at peeling potatoes. “You’re doing a good job.”

“So, basically, you’re going to live the rest of your life right here?”

“I suppose so.” He paused. “Except when I’m 19, I’ll go out into the world for two years.”

“Doing what?”

“Being a missionary for my church.”

“What church?”

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

“My mom and I don’t believe in organized religion.”

“Sometimes we’re not that organized. Like this one time, somebody forgot to get the key to open up the chapel for an activity …”

Just then her mother came into the kitchen. “Well, this is quite a sight. Bailey, I hope you’re learning some great Wyoming recipes.”

“We’re just fixing fried potatoes and hamburgers,” Jed said.

“Sounds wonderful. Well, I’ve called everywhere, and it looks like we’re stuck here. The storm is building in intensity. Looks like the roads may be closed here for a couple of days.

“That’ll give Bailey time to finish peeling that potato she’s been working on since we got here,” Jed teased.

Bailey glanced up from her work, and, to Jed’s surprise, came very close to smiling again.

The food preparation sped up considerably with Bailey’s mother stepping in and taking charge. Jed insisted on cooking the hamburger patties. He thought they turned out pretty good.

While they were eating, the phone rang. Jed answered it.

It was his dad. “Jed, we’re in Idaho Falls. They’ve closed the roads, so we’re going to stay at your Uncle Mel’s place. We’ll try to get out tomorrow. Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah. Oh, that woman and her daughter who left their car at the shop. They were stranded, so I invited them to stay here. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t know what else to do. They didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“No, that’s good. I’m glad you invited them.”

His dad asked him to go to the shop in the morning and make sure the flat roof didn’t have too much snow on it, and then Jed talked to his mom and told her about the unexpected guests. She gave him a flurry of instructions of what he needed to do to be a good host.

By the time he returned to the kitchen, the dishes were done, and Bailey’s mother was pacing back and forth in the living room, talking on her cell phone.

Bailey was sitting at the kitchen table, deep in thought.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’ve got a question. Why aren’t you worried about Y2K? If all the computers break down, it will be like all of us don’t exist anymore. It will be like we’ve all been erased.”

“Come with me,” he said.

He opened the front door, and they went outside into the storm. “You feel the wind in your face? That’s real. The snow is real. It’s not going to be erased by some computer. Some things can’t ever be erased.”

“Like what?” she yelled over the storm.

“Like who you are and what you stand for.”

They hurried back inside and sat down again at the kitchen table.

“What did you mean when you said, ‘What you stand for’? Do you stand for something?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“What?”

Jed wasn’t ready for this. He always imagined he would have to go to some faraway place before he’d have a chance to tell people what he believed. He never imagined they would come to him.

He told her about the Prophet Joseph Smith and gave her his copy of the Book of Mormon to read.

While Bailey was reading, he went in the bathroom and set out the guest towels, like his mother had told him to do. And then he put clean sheets on the bed in the guest room, got an extra blanket from the closet, and turned up the heat.

When he finished getting the room ready, he stood in the doorway and looked with satisfaction at what he’d done for his guests.

The first time he’d read his brother’s letter, Jed had had a hard time understanding how his brother could love all the people he met on his mission. But as he watched Bailey sitting at the kitchen table reading the Book of Mormon, and her mother, who had joined her while he’d been making up the guest room, he now understood how that could be.

Jed smiled. He was very happy, and he looked forward with great anticipation to the new year.

Illustrated by Paul Mann