chapter 4b 
(The Auto Mechanic) 

Moïse Berri 

and the Reconstruction of the Haitian 

Space Agency 

by Jude Jarda 


4b 
The Auto Mechanic 

In the meantime, on the second floor of Elzéar Michelet's gas station, the old man is pushing some magic tricks on young Gargarine. The elder is manipulating liquid fire without getting himself burnt. The adolescent is wondering how that can be. He knows for sure that it is just an illusion. That black malodorous matter is probably a type of kerosene or gas oil mixed with something that looks like molasses. Despite the big age difference, Gargarine and Elzéar are two inseparable buddies. The decades between them are a blessing, not an obstacle. The juvenile gets to hang out with an experienced grandpa whom he can treat and question like a brother; the patriarch gains a grandson and a friend who acts before thinking and does not judge. Before the Great Quake of January 2010, Gargarine used to crash at the Mission Legitime orphanage. He was Mrs. Larouche's right-hand man, helping her and Mr. Saint-Saëns to run the Canadian funded NGO. Seven days after that horrible day, Pastor Louis Éloïse, who had lost all his family in the disaster, confessed being Gargarine's real father on a night he was drunk. The reverend expressed his desire to take care of the teenager and stop being a deadbeat parent. Gargarine avoids him like the plague since, because he is unable to deal with the mixed emotions caused by this unexpected declaration. 

After a good rest, Gargarine will work at the garage with Elzéar and Lordy de Grâce in exchange for some food, a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of rum. For now, all he wants to do is sleep and make his headache go away. He uses his backpack as a pillow, even if it is uncomfortable and hard like a rock. The electric drill he used to vandalize the police truck is still inside that bag. That makes it evidence. Something no one should see before he gets the chance to throw it in the Momance River. 

Lordy de Grâce shows up late at work as usual, a smile so wide on his face, it looks fake. Lordy does this on purpose. Being extremely religious and superstitious, this chubby faced and potbellied disbarred lawyer believes that fatality is always on time. The best way to avoid death and general bad luck is to never be on time for anything. The mechanic doesn't even try to make up stories anymore to explain himself about his punctuality problem. The joyous grin on his visage clearly indicates that Lordy did not sleep at home with his wife. He adjusts the suspenders of his overalls, switches his sandals for a pair of steel toe boots and starts his shift. 

Lordy's brother, Leopold de Grâce, the head of human resources at the Zanmi d'Haïti Foundation, found a very well paid job for him. Around noon, a goon who works under contract for Willy Bossal, will bring him the limousine of the Vilaj Espwa project manager; the Lincoln Town Car of the guy most parishioners affectionately calls Number One, Brainer, sometimes Billionaire or the Architect; the man most youngsters calls Superstar because he is always surrounded by people filming every move he makes. Lordy's task will be to disinfect and dismantle the vehicle so that each part of it becomes unrecognizable and impossible to identify. Lordy could have asked more questions, but when he learned that he was doing this for William-Anne Dumortier, aka Willy Bossal, the leader of a fearsome gang from Gônave Island, he decided to play dumb and just cash in the down payment. Morally, out of respect for his family, Lordy knows that he should not get involved in such monkey business, but the proposed salary was to tempting. His wife, Ange Emmanuelle, does not understand that they are completely ruined. She keeps borrowing money to maintain the lifestyle they had before the Big Quake; Lordy's son, Paul Émile, believes that studying music at Berklee is still a reachable dream; finally, his youngest, Émilie Paule, is convinced that her annual trip to the Far East is a must for her mental equilibrium. They all refuse to face the disarming reality. Lordy de Grâce is not a high profile attorney working for the government anymore; he is no longer in a position to sign himself multiple paychecks when no one is paying attention. He is now just a self-taught auto mechanic, working for a senile old man who believes that he is a certified alchemist.  

Gargarine spies on the corner of the street from his shakedown, located on the second floor of the garage. He quickly dodges behind a pile of dirty clothes, when he sees Ludovic biking down the boulevard. Ludovic is that slow-witted itinerant patty vendor who works twenty-four seven up and down Capois-la-Mort Alley. When people ask Ludovic how come he never tries to bring his business elsewhere, he answers that the other streets are not part of the plan of his sponsor. When people dare to question him about that mysterious benefactor of his, Ludovic becomes extremely agitated and begs whoever is inquiring to be quiet, looking around like if there were hidden cameras and microphones recording all his moves and words. Since finding refuge in Father Romuald's presbytery, Ludovic has memorized every single verse of the Bible. The patty vendor promised himself to transmit all his knowledge to Gargarine. The adolescent avoids the peddler like the flu and hides from him ever since that pledge was made. 

Gargarine is very nervous. Even if he's been up for more then thirty-three hours, he can't let go, empty his mind and fall asleep. He can call himself a gun owner for the first time of his short life; and we're talking about a brand new Beretta, fatto in Italia, that was once the possession of a real cop. The piece was recently fired, so it really smells like bad news. To top it all, there is one bullet left in its magazine.

Gargarine asks himself out loud, but not expecting any answers: “Should I use that pistol to blow somebody's brain out for Chuck or Jones, and finally gain some respect from the Diabbakas?”