Day Twenty-five - Thursday
Even though I was suffocating, struggling to get air, I had a feeling of dejavu. Waking, my face was buried between Sue's abundant breasts. It was heaven to be hugged to those giant pillows of beauty but torture to be held so tightly between them to not be able to breathe.
My struggles woke Sue, who pulled me up for good morning kisses. She said, lets get cleaned up and get started on our day. In the bathroom we both used the toilet, brushed out teeth. Actually I brushed my teeth while Sue cleaned her dentures. It was amazing how comfortable we were in all of our natural functions. In the shower we washed each other's hair and body. The intimate touching became passionate groping that soon became enthusiastic lovemaking.
At my trailer we had coffee going in a couple of minutes. Sue whipped up a large batch of Bisquick biscuits. By the time the coffee was done the biscuits were in the oven. She set the timer and joined me on the patio turning on the light to let everyone know it was coffee time.
Ruth and Tiny were first with Tiny saying he couldn't hang around this morning, as he had to travel up to Gainesville for a meeting at noon. Glenda and Hanna came next then Shawna. Finally the three missing guys came over just in time to have a hot biscuit with butter and jam.
Sue put out paper plates and napkins for everyone then settled back to watch two dozen biscuits disappear. Tiny left to get started on his trip, leaving Ruth with us. Jim said the dealership was getting in a big shipment of bikes today so all the mechanical staff would be busy uncrating them and prepping them for either delivery or to put on the showroom floor. Charlie said Dell was up in Georgia at an auction buying more bikes to sell.
Hanna said the hospital had called and she was finally going back to work. We all pondered the fact that the news folks always lamented the lack of nursing staff but Hanna said she knew of at least twenty to thirty unemployed nurses. She said that hospitals were having nurse assistants do a lot of the care nurses used to do. She also said she would continue to look for work at a doctor's office as that type of job had better security.
We broke up with Sue saying she was going to go to the gym with Ruth then have her bring her to the shop when they were done. She said, "I have to stay in shape. I'm never going to be big again. Our swimming is good but not enough to stay in shape."
I dressed in my regular jeans, shirt and work boots but brought along a clean coverall. Arriving at the shop at eight, Abe was just opening his overhead door when I pulled up.
Abe strutted around the completed generator and said, "help me pull it out so you can hear it run."
We pulled it out where he went through several steps in preparation to starting it. He pushed the button and the big diesel engine turned over faster and faster until it caught belching out a little black smoke then settling down to a gentle roar. Abe pointed at all the dials indicating the generator was putting out the amps it was supposed too. The unit was big enough to probably support a block of normal homes.
After shutting the generator down, Abe said, "Let's get thing sold and out of here, I'm going to have another done early next week, I need the space."
I used my cell phone to call the welding supply house that had bought the other equipment and talked to the owner. I described what I had asking him if he could use one right now. There was a long pause, "Do you really have that model to sell?"
"Yes sir, I'm looking at it right now. It looks really nice. The sheet metal is not perfectly smooth but you have to look closely to tell it's used," I said selling the generator.
"Same warranty?" he asked.
I whispered the question to Abe and he smiled shaking his head yes.
"Of course, the same warranty."
"Bring it, right now, I'll call my customer to meet us. I thought I was going to lose the deal as the factory is back ordered. My customer wanted to save a little by buying a used one anyway. When we show the customer the generator, don't quote a number. You and I will make a deal then I'll dicker with my customer. How soon can you be here."
I looked at the generator noting the brand new tires, "Half an hour."
"Good we can make our deal before he gets here. See you in thirty minutes."
I smiled at Abe and said let's go sell this thing. He said he was ready and went into the shop and came back out wearing an "Onan" factory tech shirt. This may be false advertising but as long as he doesn't say he's a factory tech, no harm done.
We hooked up the big generator to the pickup then pulled it down to the supply house. The owner came out of the building as I was backing the unit into the slot that I had put the other in.
The owner asked if he could hear it run so Abe opened up all the panels, doing the appropriate safety checks then hit the starter. The engine whirled into operation smoothly. Abe checked each of the gauges pointing out the indications to the owner. He nodded then made a cutting motion to his throat. Abe shut the motor down then closed all the panels.
"Can you wait and have your man do that demonstration again? That would seal the deal," the anxious owner said.
We agreed to stay and didn't even have to bargain for the price we wanted. "When he asked what we wanted for the unit, Abe said, "Fourteen even for this first one."
This surprised me as I thought we were going after twelve tops.
The owner just nodded and said. "Let me get you a check real quick so our deal is done before the customer gets here."
While he was writing out the check and getting our receipt, he asked, "You can get me more of that unit? How much will another cost."
Before I could answer, Abe did it for me, "For the older models fifteen, for the late models seventeen-five."
"In that kind of condition, I'll take what you can get me. If I get too many, I'll tell you but right now it's near the beginning of hurricane season, I'll take as many of the heavy-duty generators as I can get. I could use another big compressor too so keep a look out for me."
We went back outside to greet his arriving customer. He presented the generator to the customer who looked it over on the outside very closely. The supply house owner pointed at Abe's shirt logo and said, "This technician will demonstrate the starting procedures for the generator for us."
Abe opened all the panels, checked the oil, confirmed all the connections were clear describing what he was doing with each step. He hollered, "Clear" very dramatically then hit the starter. The big motor caught on the first turn.
The buyer went to his truck and brought back an oscilloscope checking all the outputs. When he was satisfied, he told the owner it was a deal if they could work out the numbers. The owner shook our hands and we left, dropping by the bank to make a deposit. I had them give me a three thousand-dollar cashier's check for Abe then we headed back to the shop.
On the way back, I gave Abe the check. He was smiling, saying it was way too much but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He also said that if he kept getting this kind of money, it was going to be even more fun to fix up these generators.
At the shop Abe gave me the credit card receipts he had so far for the two generators. The total was less than two grand so we were easily up ten grand already.
I opened my side of the shop and mounted a big piece of cork bulletin board. Pinning up the blue print, I looked it over again to get ready to start cutting and bending tube steel. I had to go to the truck to get my measuring tools and thought that an additional set for the shop would be good to have. I checked over all the welding equipment that I had bought for the shop and was satisfied that it would do the job.
Sue arrived about ten-thirty and was excited to hear about the generator sale this morning telling me, "See, it didn't even take a couple of girls to sell it either."
Sue helped me measure, cut, bend and de-burr the tubes readying them for welding. We set up and tacked the first frame double checking all the angles and measurements for the tubing and the plates. When Abe said he was going home for lunch, Sue and I said we were going down to our favorite restaurant for lunch too.
Sue gave the restaurant owner a treat with another half-inch of cleavage while we consumed the special of the day. Back at the shop, I finished all the welds then gave Sue the frame to finish the smoothing of the welds. I finished tacking all the parts together on the second frame just as Sue was done with the first one.
We re-measured all the lengths and angles then as I was going to start welding I asked Sue, "Want to learn how to weld?"
She looked at me a little funny then said, "Sure let me go get the gloves and smock you bought me. Do I need a hood?"
The truck had another good hold so I went with her to get her stuff and the other hood.
First was a twenty-minute show and tell of safety procedures. You needed to be aware that as arc welders could be dangerous. Next, I showed her all the different parts of the welder and their names.
I set up two pieces of pipe in vices to that one end was at a right angle to the other. Next I had Sue pull her hood down and I showed her how to tack the two together at two different points. I handed her the wand and told her that when she was ready to hold the trigger down and touch the pipe connections at two more places. She jumped when the arc started but held rod at the connection steadily. A little long, but steadily.
We pulled the hoods up and I showed her work and told her how to keep the welds small and tight.
I set up two more pieces and had her tack them again. She did well, both tacks were fairly small and tight.
On the piece we had started with I had her pull down her hood and showed her how you drew the weld around the metal leaving a fairly smooth ridge on the connection.
I handed Sue the wand and had her try on the second piece. She did real well. She only varied her weld one time on the three hundred sixty degrees of the weld. Damn good for a beginner.
I took her to the bike frame and welded the frame to the neck at both points then handed the wand to Sue showing her where I wanted her weld. She did pretty well. Sue welded four joints before handing me the wand saying, "You do it so I don't screw up the frame."
I disagreed with her but she also said it was tiring to concentrate that hard while physically doing something. I finished all the welds then the two of us cleaned up all the welds, smoothing the connections. While I cleaned up I asked her to sweet talk Abe into spraying the two frames with a light coat of black paint to get ready for delivery.
When Abe was done with the first one I hung it in the back of my shop. When he finished with the second I loaded it into the pickup to take to the drag-bike builder.
Sue and I were just getting ready to deliver the frame when the UPS truck pulled up. I unloaded the pipe, double-checking that it matched the order. I separated the standard tubing with the eighteen-percent stuff then signed for the delivery.
The bike builder was happy to see me saying he had another order so he would need another frame in a week or so. He said anytime that it was ready to bring it by. Sue and I smiled at each other then left to go back to the shop.
Back at the shop Sue and I immediately hung the race car blueprint up and began cutting and bending the tubing for the standard metal tube frame. We were finished with that one plus cutting out the tabs and plates numbering everything with out number system by five.
I stretched, asking Sue if she wanted to knock off early. She said she didn't care but why don't we go home for supper then come back and see how much we could get done tonight as we had two more to do as soon as we finished and delivered this one.
We went home with Glenda supplying the down home food for the evening. We had some real chicken and dumplings. I thought Jim, Charlie and Tiny were going to pop, they ate so much. Glenda was beaming at their exhibition of enjoyment. Sue and I did not have any beer just iced tea, as we wanted to be alert to work.
Back at the shop by six forty-five we assembled and tacked until we had all three sections tacked for re-measurement. We carefully checked every length and angle then I set Sue up on the rear end with another welder while I worked on the front and the cage.
I finished my sections and watched as Sue gently finished her last weld. It was very good, very tight with a very low ridge. I pointed out to her how she had improved as she progressed around the section. We set the three pieces up together checked the connections and tacked. After double checking all the connections, I welded all the contacts securing the three pieces together.
Sue began cleaning the welds while I drilled the holes then began at the opposite end of the car cleaning welds. We finished at eleven thirty, standing back to admire our work. Not bad time, less than twelve total hours to do a frame. We cleaned up the shop, put our tools away then headed home. We sat on the patio alone drinking a beer, celebrating our first car frame at the shop and Sue's beginning the process of learning to weld.
We went to Sue's, took a quick shower and were in bed snuggled asleep within a half-hour.