asakiyume | car repair

Our beloved mechanic told us the cheapest way to fix the hole in the flex pipe of Wakanomori's cute little car would be to get a patch welded to it, and he recommended a place to do it. "I've sent lots of people there," he said.

So today, early, we were set to drive there. "I forget exactly where it is," said Waka. "But you lead the way."

"It's right near where we used to live," I said.

"Oh ... that place? I thought it was the other place [a stone's throw from this place], where you got that pot lid welded, and where we had that other car work done."

"Nope--we've never been to this place."

Uneasy sounds from Wakanomori.

"But beloved mechanic is recommending it," I said. "So I'm sure it's fine."

So we get there, walk in, and the first thing that jumps out at both of us are THE TRUMP BUMPER STICKERS LINING THE WALL. Next is the Trump baseball cap one of the guys behind the counter is wearing. On a bulletin board, a photocopied sheet that says, "If this is a racist symbol [picture of confederate flag], then so are these [pictures of black lives matter poster, etc.]"

"Hi," says the Trump-cap-wearing man, with a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," I said. "I called last week about a hole in my husband's exhaust? You were going to take a look and then maybe do it today or else we'd schedule a different day."

"Oh yeah; I remember. Why don't we put it on the lift and take a look."

While they're looking at the car, the other guy behind the counter makes a call to a metalworks shop. "Hi, yeah, can you take a look at the design I just faxed over to you? Yeah, a guy wants to make two of those. I was thinking maybe aluminum. You could maybe do it by cutting out hearts?"

"A client wants to make giant three-leafed clovers for the wall of his business," explains our man with the Trump cap. "You know, because he's Irish?" I realize he means shamrocks, which explains why the guy on the phone is suggesting heart shapes.

"Where's the metalworking place?" I ask.

"Up in Bernardston. It's a father-and son team. They have all the tools for cutting and stamping."

"Makes me want to design something out of metal," I say.

"Right?" he says, and laughs.

In the end they give us an estimate, and because they're busy today, we agree to come back later in the week, and we leave. Waka has to hurry off to work, so we don't get to unpack the whole experience at all--just exchange significant looks.

My thoughts as I drive home are all over the place, including, but by no means limited to (I mean, I started writing more, but edited down) the following:

--So maybe that's why there are two welding shops so close together--to cater do clientele with different political leanings
--There are lots of students, including international students, living in the area of that welding shop; would those guys be polite and affable to a foreign student as they were to us? How about a person of color? [ETA: it's not a rhetorical question. Maybe they would be.]
--Waka and I can choose not to reveal our political views to the people at the shop, but you can't choose not to reveal your melanin.

It's not like there aren't plenty of other businesses signaling opposite-direction politics. In Massachusetts, and near a college, things going the other direction are much more common. To pick a flagrant example, there's a copy shop I use a lot, Collective Copies, that has all kinds of progressive posters up, like this one or this one.

And many businesses try to present neutrally. I have thoughts about all this, but they're incoherent and don't have an and in conclusion. so I'll just stop abruptly here.