Chapter 2 - Part 5

“So, can you fix it?” Amber asked.

“What’d you throw at it?” Jordan countered as he looked at the blank plasma screen.

Amber punched him in the arm lightly.  “Just the remote,” she admitted.  “It’s not my fault though.  They killed off my favorite character.”

Jordan rolled his eyes as and Amber moved the entertainment center away from the wall so he could get behind it.  He hit the power button and listened for a moment before unplugging the TV.  It actually looked like the remote had flipped to the backside of the screen and knocked a few wires loose.

As soon as school had finished, Amber had roped him in to fix her television.  It really was not that big of a surprise, since Jordan already spent most afternoons in Amber’s apartment anyway.  Callie was there, as usual, as well.  Ever since elementary school the three of them had hung out together.

Jordan pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and looked behind the TV.  “When was the last time you cleaned behind here?”

“Whenever you last fixed it,” Amber called from the kitchen.  “Probably just before my dad died.”

Amber’s father had died about a year and a half ago, leaving her an orphan.  Some sort of child welfare group had tried to step in, but they learned very quickly that Amber was capable of taking care of herself.  After she terrorized the first two who came by, they arranged to check up on her once a month while she was still a minor.

Jordan did not know much about Amber’s mother, she had died while they were pretty young, but he had known her father well enough.  He was the one who had asked Jordan if he could get the apartment free cable.  For a man who worked for the government, Mr. Maddock had been quite mischievous and willing to support the illegality of free TV.

“Try turning it on,” Jordan said as he pinched two wires together.

Amber flicked the remote in her hand and the familiar high pitched whine of electronics started up.  “Well, I’ve got picture now, but it’s a little dim.”

“Really?” Jordan asked as he let go of the wires.

“Now it’s dead,” Amber complained.  “Don’t tell me you broke it more?”

“No, I can fix it,” Jordan sighed as her complaining was starting to give him a headache.  “Just give me a minute.”

He quickly fixed the offending wires and then tried to think about why the picture would have gone dim.  His dark brown eyes roamed the back of the screen when they suddenly found an answer he was not expecting.  The TV was still unplugged.  He had forgotten to plug it back in for the test.

It was like what happened in the summer, only on a much larger scale.  Jordan had been telling the truth when he had mentioned that he could operate one of his hand held games without batteries.  He had actually done it several times over the summer, but he had never shown Amber or Callie.  They would have just thought it was a trick that Jordan had hardwired.  Which was something he could do, but he had not.

Jordan shrugged and plugged the television back in and signaled to Amber.  The screen jumped to vibrant life as one of Amber’s favorite crime dramas came on.  Laughing at the future investigator, Jordan cleaned out behind the entertainment center before he and Amber pushed everything back against the wall.

“What are these?” Jordan asked as he picked up a pair of dusty, dark goggles.  “They look like welding goggles.”

“Oh, those were my dad’s,” Amber said.  “I was wondering where they were.  When my dad died some person came to collect all of his issued gear.  They just never found the goggles so we assumed my dad must have left them at his work locker or something.”

“How do I look?” Jordan asked as he cleaned off the goggles and pulled them on.

“Like a bug.”

Jordan did not listen as he started fiddling with the goggles.  They automatically adjusted to the light in the room, and he could actually get them to zoom in and out.  Trust the boarder patrollers to have pretty awesome equipment.

“Can I borrow these for reference?” Jordan finally asked as he lifted the goggles up and rested them on his head.  “That welder I ordered should be coming in next week and these really do look like welding goggles.”

“Is that welder being sent here?” Amber asked.

“Um, yes.  Do you think I could store it in your spare bedroom?”

“Why not?  You’ve already turned it into your own shop,” Amber teased as she and Jordan walked into the kitchen.  “As for the goggles, just don’t lose them.  They’re pretty much the only thing left of my dad’s job.”

“Don’t worry,” Jordan assured.  “I’ll keep them on me while I’m borrowing them.”

“You’re like a sad fashion disaster.”

“Um, Jordan?” Callie interrupted.

“What do I need to get?” Jordan asked.

“Amber’s out of milk, flour, and oregano,” Callie said.  “Could you please get some?”

“On my way.”