Taking that first sip of coffee from his cup, Stan looked out of the front window across the street as the fellow across the street opened the wooden doors of his garage. The rear light-clusters of that superb car clearly visible in the sun-light. Stan smiled to himself.
That car was the most polished automobile in history. The bright red paintwork shone like it did when the Cadillac came off the assembly line in Detroit. The chrome glistened in the early morning sunshine. Dexter had every right to be justifiably proud of his car but Stan couldn't help but feel a little sad. Such a superb vehicle should be driven around and enjoyed.... not hidden away in Dexter's garage. But, struggling with a game leg, it wasn't often that he left the house at all.
Finishing his coffee, Stan returned his coffee cup to the kitchen placing it carefully in the sink. Picking up the empty milk-bottle he opened the front door to take it outside for the milkman the following morning. Just as he dropped it into the crate he heard Dexter calling and looked. Dexter summoned him over, a gallon can of premium engine-oil in his hand.
Soon the two neighbours were discussing the virtues of over-head cams and injection systems. It turned out that, despite the beautiful car seemingly going nowhere most of the time, it was time to drain the oil from the sump, completely flush the system and replace it with new oil. Presently Dexter broke off their conversation to fetch his overalls leaving Stan to peep around the heavy wooden garage doors to admire once more that beautiful 1961 Caddy.
He was still there caressing the fine paintwork as Dexter limped into the garage, his game leg making him grimace with discomfort. Stan told him to park his weight on a toolbox for a moment. There was no way that Dexter was up to such a challenging task that morning. There was only one thing to do. Taking the overalls from Dexter, Stan insisted that it should be he that scrambles under the car to perform the tasks whilst Dexter retired to his lounge and took things easy. Besides, if the truth be known, Stan was quite looking forward to work on, or under, such a prestigious vehicle.
As Dexter reluctantly made his way out of the garage pushing the door shut to protect his "darling" from dust, Stan took the tools he would need from Dexter's toolbox and prepared to slip under the Caddy's engine to release the oil-drain plug.
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Dexter's wife, Maureen, dried her hands on the front of her apron and glanced at her watch. Nearly an hour had passed since her husband had hurried outside with his overalls. She reached across the kitchen counter and flicked the kettle on to boil and retrieved two coffee cups from the mug-tree. She figured that, away in the garage, he'd be in need of a break by about now.