Prepping for winter
Balancing a plate of Jelly sandwiches on one a hand like a professional waitress Penny closed the front door behind her with her free hand and turned left towards the garage. Her son had taken to practically living in the large double car garage lately, he was always taking something apart or putting strange things together in there. Taylor hadn’t let his grades slip though, not that she would have allowed it, garage time came after homework, always. If nothing else the pink haired woman was happy that Taylor had found a new hobby to occupy his spare time with. It still seemed related to his love of comics but there was also a productive aspect there, he wasn’t just reading something and daydreaming but actually accomplishing things.
A moment later Penny stepped into the dimly lit, concrete floored structure and frowned. Taylor sat a few feet away on an old wooden workbench with a small red toolbox open beside him and his bike before him. That wasn’t what Penny had a problem with though, her issue was why his bike had no wheels on it and there were two sets of them on the garage floor.
“ What are you doing?” The question was accompanied by the raising of an eyebrow and a pulling back of her arm which carried the sandwich plate. No Jelly until she got an explanation.
“Is that lunch, did you make jelly sandwiches?” The eagerness in Taylor’s voice and the way his eyes were now focused on the plate seemed genuine. Still it didn’t answer her question.
“ Why does your bike have no tires?”
Taylor’s eyes seemed to flick between her and the bike for a moment before he smiled “ Oh I’m putting on the winter tires so it’s safe to ride in snow and ice and on slick streets.” The pride spawn’s explanation was accompanies him picking up a tire and showing Penny some strange looking studs , presumably what made it safer.
“ It’s not winter yet though,” they were probably due for their first snowfall in the next couple weeks but there was non on the ground just yet.
“They’re carbide studs, so they don’t slip on normal dry roads and it’s a pain to take the special tires off and put them back on again” Taylor explained.” Plus temperatures can drop fast and become freezing rain while I’m out so it’s better to be safe that sorry” he continued. “And manufacturers suggest that you keep them on all the time in the winter anyways, we’ve already had some frost and slick cool roads so now is a good time to install them” Finished speaking now the nearly teenaged child spun the newly installed, as he’d be putting it on while he talked, front tire and eyed it carefully.
Penny nodded slowly, that made sense and it seemed like Taylor really knew what he was talking about. “Why do I imagine the internet taught you this and not Nickel?” Her friend and housemate might put winter tires on his car but she doubted he’d even considered thinking about putting them on Taylor’s bike if she hadn’t. While she spoke the pink haired woman stepped forward and put the plate of sandwiches down on a clear spot on the work bench.
Taylor nodded his head and bobbed his tail at the same time. “ I checked on the internet and confirmed with the local bike shop guy.” There was clear look of pride and accomplishment on Taylor’s face now. Penny couldn’t help but smile back at him, her son was growing up so fast; he’d gone from unable to handle a kite properly and training wheels to twirling a wrench casually and schooling her in bike maintenance in less time than she’d ever imagined.
“ Alright carry on then but wash your hands before you eat” she warned seeing the boy reach out towards his favorite food, “there’s a sink in here for a reason.” Content Penny headed out of the garage smiling as she listened to Taylor grumble good naturedly as he made his way to the old plastic sink. Her son might be growing older and wiser but he still needed a mother’s reminders every now and again.
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