Page 91 of Molly's Mr. Wrong
Finn simply smiled and got to his feet. “I appreciate the heads-up about the grades. Ms. Adamson is a good instructor. You’d be foolish to let her go.”
And he’d be foolish to continue as he was, wasting people’s time. He was better, but he was never going to be much more than a D student in English. He had other skills and maybe it was time to see about using them rather than trying to teach them.
Rather than go back to the feed store, Finn did something he probably should have done a while ago. He consulted the campus map and found the ag mechanics building. Since he attended night classes, most buildings were closed by the time he arrived, so he never investigated what ag mechanics had to offer. Perhaps the instructors would have an idea of how he could best use the skills he did have—whether they had career and course options more in the line with his specific talents. Maybe he wouldn’t be making a huge difference in society, helping people achieve their goals, but he could fix their cars and bend their metal.
When he pulled open the door, he was hit by smells that made him feel instantly at home—diesel, lubricants, engine sludge. The hall was only half-lit and all the doors were closed with the exception of one at the very end of the hall. A faint metallic banging came from inside, making Finn feel even more at home.
Having perused the college catalog many times while trying to decide what he wanted to do with his life, he knew EVCC offered certification in diesel mechanics, ag mechanics, automotives and metal fabrication. While all those subjects interested him, he didn’t need training in them. He’d wanted todothe training. Make a difference. Help people. Kind of like Molly had helped him...
Once he reached the open door, he stepped inside a brightly lit shop that put his to shame. The banging came from a corner to his left, where a guy in a blue shop coat was hammering away on a vintage fender. Finn ambled closer and the guy suddenly stopped hammering as he realized he wasn’t alone. He straightened up and Finn realized the guy was a woman.
“Hey,” she said, setting the neoprene weighted hammer down on the bench. “Can I help you?”
“I hope so.” Finn tucked a thumb in his front pocket. “I’m a metal fabricator and a student.”
“You’re Finn Culver.”
He squinted at the woman. “Barney?”
She smiled widely. “Yes!”
Julia Barnes had been a fixture in the ag shop at high school. Some people thought she never took any other classes, although he’d had history with her once, which killed that theory. “Your hair’s a lot shorter.”
She pushed her fingers through her two-inch-long brown hair. “Made sense to cut it. I got tired of trying to keep it out of machinery.”
“That does seem like a good idea.”
She moved closer, smiling widely. “Age didn’t hurt you none.”
“Uh...thanks?”
“You’re welcome.” She settled a hip on a piece of I-beam standing on end next to her. “What can I help you with?”
“I... It’s kind of a long story.”
She motioned to the tractor seat welded to a large stiff spring. “Pull up a seat.”
Finn knew looking at it that he wouldn’t be pulling that thing anywhere. He sat and found it surprisingly comfortable. “I served overseas with the Guard.”
“I heard.”
“Came back and wanted to do something other than the feed store.” He paused and then said, “I wanted to do what I think you’re doing.”
“Teaching ag shop?”
“Yeah. Only I wanted to do automotives. I signed up for a math class and an English class here at the college to test the waters. I’m doing great in math and I suck in English. I think it’ll take me about ten years or taking English over and over again to get an education degree, because you have to take several classes.”
“You want to teach high school.”
“I thought that would be better than junior high.”
“Why not teach community college? You only need a two-year degree for that.”
Finn blinked at her. “That wasn’t in the catalog.”
Barney leaned forward. “They pretty much take any two-year degree as long as you have the skills...” She gave an appraising nod. “If I recall, you do.”
“I worked in the motor pool in the service. All kinds of vehicles.”
