"We need Dave"

My Jeep wouldn't start. "dammit" I thought. "How are we going to do it with one car until I can get it fixed?" I needed my car for work and Angie needed the other one to do whatever it is she does during the day (just kidding honey). We couldn't afford to get the jeep fixed right now. When you have a kid with special needs, the out of pocket expenses force you to live paycheck to paycheck... unless you're Oprah of course. So we decided to see how it would work with one car for a while.

"A while" lasted one day when I said, "screw this. I'll fix it myself." I know a little about fixing cars but it had been a while since I'd been under the hood because "under the hood" usually lead to "under the car" and I hate being under the car, especially in February outside. Well I do have a 3 car garage but to use any one area for a car meant that I would have to rent the largest size dumpster there is and clear out eight years of accumulated garage crap to make room for it. I didn't have that kind of time.

Whenever I have to fix something around the house, be it a vehicle, furnace, drawer, etc., Liam is always right there with me. If he sees the tool belt or hears the words "mow" and "lawn" he immediately realizes that this is the pinnacle of his day. He simply can't get enough of this guy stuff, which makes me so proud that I almost forget that his favorite color is pink.

When I grabbed the tools and opened the hood, Liam climbed up on the bumper to peer in with me. He had a very serious look on his face like he knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it. If only it were true. "I wonder if it's the starter,” I said.
"Starter." said Liam. Liam is not conversational but he likes to use the words he hears when he can, and "starter" is an easy word for him to say.
"I should call Dave." I said
"Dave" said Liam.

Dave is a good friend of mine whose knowledge of car repair far surpasses mine. After answering a few of Dave's diagnostic questions over the phone, Dave said "You know, I'm just gonna come over there." This is what I was hoping for. Dave only has one tween daughter and a wife who loves him enough to not care what he does with his day (just kidding honey), so he can just pick up and go at a moment's notice...Ahhh freedom; just another word for let's go fix Gary's Jeep.

Dave arrived and in no time he, Liam, and I were putting our heads together. I was holding the socket set, Dave was holding a box end wrench and Liam somehow snuck the hammer from the garage and started whacking the battery with it and saying in a calm and sure voice "starter". By the look on his face it seemed that he was positive this would fix it. I traded Liam a rag for his hammer and he decided that polishing the fender was a better idea.

After Googling symptoms, we had a list of possible interventions. The three of us headed to the auto parts store to buy parts for the three cheapest ways to fix the problem. "Part store" Liam repeated the whole way there. Liam loves auto parts stores, hardware stores, Home Depot, anywhere there are tools or equipment. When we got to the parts store he began to jump around with giddy excitement, whooping and flapping his hands. This always gets looks from passers by that range from puzzled amusement to "What's his problem?" but Liam doesn't care and if he doesn't why should I?

We spent the rest of the day trying the agreed upon fixes and in the end the Jeep still wouldn't start. That meant that tomorrow I would need to try a few other more expensive and labor-intensive interventions. I paid Dave in his usual fee of "drinking some beers with me" thanked him and sent him on his way.

The next morning Liam got me up early. "Fix the truck?" he said.
"Yes, we will fix the truck today." I said
"Dave?"
"No. Just you and me today, buddy."
"Fix the truck."
"Yes, but I need coffee first."
"Coffee"
I was not looking forward to it this day because today involved being under the car. It was cold and wet outside but even if I was spending more money than I wanted to, it was still far less than taking it in to the shop.

Liam and I went back out to the Jeep and opened the hood. We both peered in in a moment of anticipatory silence. Then Liam said, "We need Dave."
"No. We don't need Dave Today." I said.
"We need Dave."
"No buddy, we can do this." I was trying to convince myself as much as Liam.
"Do this." He said.
"That's right man. We can do this."
"Do this."
"Yes, let's do this."
"We need Dave."

The next few excruciatingly frustrating hours were spent with me under the car in impossibly tight positions, bloodying my knuckles, and getting all manner of undercarriage debris in my eyes, while Liam stood on the sidewalk beside the car saying "We need Dave" and "fixing" something else on the Jeep with whatever tool I wasn't using.

In the end, I got the Jeep running again and I did a little victory dance with Liam on the sidewalk saying, "See? We don't need Dave."
"No Dave" Said Liam.

The next day when I came home from work, Liam's therapist asked about what Liam's weekend was like with an amused and concerned look on her face.
"Liam and I fixed the Jeep all weekend." I said.
"Oh" She said. "That might explain why he was saying 'fuck' today."
I don't remember saying that word when I was under the car but I am sure I must have in my frustration zone while I was racking my knuckles and banging my head on the undercarriage.
"And the funny thing is he was using it totally appropriately." She said. "When he dropped his cup or didn't get his way he would just say 'fuck'."
"Well" I said. "I guess that's a good thing right, that he knows how and when to use it. It does come in handy at times."

The next weekend Liam woke me up early again.
"Fix the truck?" He said.
"No buddy, not today. We already fixed it."
"Fuck."