I love my mechanic.

I got my Jeep in 2004 and started seeing Denny for oil changes and inspections. He and my dad were in the National Guard together and have been friends forever, so even before I started taking the Jeep to Denny, I heard stories about him.

Not even necessarily from my dad, either--from my mom! (Admittedly, my mom is a better storyteller than my dad.) She used to talk about how Denny was in a band, and how he had a long ponytail, and how he had the most beautiful handwriting.

When I started seeing Denny, I asked him about some of these things. He's an interesting guy, you know? He likes classic rock and sings along with the radio while he examines the Jeep. His ponytail is no longer around, but his singing voice is. I'm sort of sad that I never had an opportunity to see his band perform. I'll bet he was a character on stage!

I once got the scoop on his handwriting. When I confided to him that my mom had referenced his beautiful cursive for years, he laughed and thought it was so funny. Turns out, his mother used to make him copy (I think, if I remember correctly) Bible verses that she'd written out for him. She was actually the one with the nice handwriting: Denny was just mimicking hers!

Today, while waiting for the Jeep's oil to be changed, I hung out with Denny's cousin Tony. He, like Denny, was a really nice guy. One of the things that he said to Denny that was so true was, "Even when you're talking sh*t, you're doing it with a smile on your face! You're one of the happiest guys I know." And it's true. When I first got there today, Denny made some comment about how he's glad he's still able to "bounce around." The man is seventy, I believe (that's what he said in passing today; he could've been rounding up), and he's almost as agile as a cat. And the best part? He knows he's almost as agile as a cat and appreciates being almost as agile as a cat!

Anyway, I just wanted to give a shoutout to my favorite mechanic because he really is a special person. There's a very good chance that he'll end up being the inspiration for a fictional character in one of my future books, so watch for that. I mean, Juli Singer (Just Whistle) was already influenced by him a bit because he sings while he works. Denny doesn't get the lyrics wrong, though. Juli does.

End note: The Jeep's AC needs some work and Denny no longer does AC stuff, so I'm taking recommendations.