After inquiring about my health, Mr. Barnier smiles. “A surprise today, Miles. After today your hours of community service will be completed. We’ll be on our own time.” I follow him out to the garage where he unrolls the cover from the rod, like a sculptor unveiling his masterpiece. The paint glows. Ned lifts the hood. His sudden yell makes me jump. He points, gasping. A mouse has made a nest on the intake manifold! It takes a moment for Ned to regain his voice. I smother a laugh. He turns and gives me my first order as his hot-rod mechanic. “Get that thing out of there!” I do and we proceed. “Okay, Miles, the first thing to remember is Primum non nocere. That’s Latin. It means First, do no harm. Always keep that in mind when you’re working on a rod. We’ll remove the hood and lay these mats over the fenders so we don’t scratch the paint. That’s a $1,500 paint job!” “Where do we start?” “Our job today is simple. First, grab a pan and we’ll drain the coolant.”
