Page 119 of The Side Road
Oliver chewed his lip. ‘Can it wait? I need to be at the top of my game for that conversation. There are a few other things on my mind at the moment.’
‘Really? Like what?’
‘Leo, of course. And I think Mary’s moved in. Recently, my girlfriend dumped me – she told me she wanted to be friends.’
Mia sighed. ‘Are you going to forgive me?’
‘Yes. Eventually.’
Suddenly, she realised what that meant. ‘We’re not getting back together, are we?’
‘Are you going to run away again?’
She couldn’t answer.
‘Then, probably not.’
She let his response sink in.
‘Stay for dinner. I’ll give you wine and drugs. You’ll sleep like a kitten. We’re having schnitzel, it’s Mary’s favourite.’
‘There’s nothing like your own home when you’re not feeling your best. Can you please drive me?’
37
MACHINE PARTS
Oliver’s restorationjourney was almost over. Soon, he would part ways with the Black Shadow. Like many relationships, it had started with excitement and some apprehension. While it had been fun, he knew it must end. The exhaust was still proving to be elusive, but once he commissioned a suitable replacement, he would sell the bike. It belonged to a collector.
Outside, it was miserable. Huddled inside the garage amongst his tools and bikes, he was warm and content. With the space heater blazing and the rain drumming on the tin roof, he felt at peace. It was the perfect place to work on his new project. Mia was at the core of this idea. With her broken arm, she couldn’t knit, so he wondered how she might create something with one hand.
Assembled on the workbench in front of him were a ball of wool, two small needles, pliable copper wire, pliers, and cable ties. Earlier that day, he had drawn a rough plan for his invention. After several iterations, he was happy with the sketch, but first, he needed a prototype. He got to work.After making a circular base from the wire, he attached two vertical cables on either side. From there, he suspended two more horizontal wires. To the base, he attached a lever, which would turn the device.
Oliver cast on a few stitches. He hooked two knitting needles through nooses in the bent wire, which was suspended over the circular base of his machine. When he turned the handle on the side, this cranked the needles, pivoting them together. The point of one needle pierced the loop of a stitch, casting it onto the adjacent needle. He wound the wool over and tried again. It worked. His invention was clunky, and he had to hold the base down to stop it from moving, but it worked.
He sat back and smiled. ‘I could patent this.’
There was a knock on the side door and Oliver looked up. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but new clients were always welcome. ‘It’s open, come in,’ he said.
The door opened, letting in a slice of Arctic wind and rain. After a brief argument with an umbrella, a man stepped into the garage.
Miles left his umbrella by the door. ‘I’m here to apologise,’ he said.
‘For which time?’
Miles raised his eyebrows. ‘For everything, I guess.’
‘Heartfelt, then.’
‘Overton, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. My future looks like hell?’
Oliver sighed. ‘Why don’t you pull up a chair? On your way over, grab us a couple of beers out of that bar fridge?’ He pointed.
Miles did as Oliver suggested. After opening a beer, he sat down on the opposite side of the workbench. Eyeing Oliver’s latest invention, he asked what it was.
‘A knitting machine.’ Oliver turned the handle; the needles began to knit.
Miles put his beer down. Oliver slid the knitting machine toward him, and Miles, holding the base down, turned the handle. ‘It’s pretty good.’
