Chapter Seventeen

She called Delly again. "Delly, is Sid gone?"

"Yeah, I packed up his truck with all of Steve's things. It's all gone now. I don't think he was anticipating getting ALL of Steve's things." She giggled.

"Well, at least he can't say that I withheld anything of Steve's, other than the racecar and his tools. Unfortunately, those are what Sid really wants and I don't think it's necessarily because it was Steve's. He would never be able to afford any of that stuff."

"What did you find out at the bank?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Because we live in a community property state, I just have to provide the death and marriage certificates and the money is mine. I have to go get a death certificate at the funeral home tomorrow. I want to do this as quickly and quietly as possible. I don't want Sid to find out."

"What are you going to do with the money?"

"I don't know, Del. I'm going to transfer it out of that bank so there's no way they can change their minds. After that, I'm not sure. I am going to use the money we found in his dresser to finish the racecar, that and the life insurance money. After that, I am not sure."

"You're going to finish the car? Are you sure?" Delly sounded skeptical.

"Yeah, I'm going to finish it. I know nearly as much as Steve did. I think it would be fun. Steve would have never let me drive it if he were alive."

"Gosh, Kel, think about it before you do it. Are you sure? It's a lot to take on."

"Do you think I can't do it Del?" Kelleigh began to feel defensive. She hated anyone telling her that she wasn't able to do something.

"No, I don't think that you can't do it Kelleigh." Delly's tone let her know that she'd regretted saying anything. "I just think it's a big project to take on."

"Not really though. I can pay someone to finish the chassis and paint the body. Then its just assembly. I can do most of it and I'm sure that I can find someone who will help me. I've already made a telephone call to someone at the track. Hopefully, they'll be able to steer me the right direction. Excuse the pun."

Delly laughed. "It sounds like you're determined and Lord knows there's no stopping you once you get your mind set on something."

"That's right. I think it will be fun. Now, I need to go find my marriage certificate for the bank. I'll call you after I get out of there tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure. Good luck. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"You got Sid off of my back for the time being, that's enough for now. By the way, did he mention when they planned the funeral? He never told me."

"Yeah, it's Tuesday, during the day. 2:00 p.m."

"I'll have to take the afternoon off…" Kelleigh was shocked at her own words and replied before Delly could. "Yikes, did I just say that out loud? I keep waiting for it to hit me Delly. I should be some sort of sad, don't you think?"

"I guess it just shows how much the marriage was over. No one can judge how or when they'll react. I wouldn't worry about it. But I would refrain from comments like that, people will talk." She ended it on a giggle.

Hanging up the telephone, Kelleigh realized that it was early afternoon already. She had spent most of the morning on the telephone. She returned to the garage and gathered up all the paperwork that she had found. Bringing it back into the house, she set it down on the kitchen table, next to Steve's books for his mechanical certification. Pulling out the chair, she sat down and began flipping through the book.

She was surprised as she read through it just how much she actually knew. All the time that she had spent with her grandpa then with Steve had apparently stuck firmly in her memory. There was a workbook that accompanied the textbook, Kelleigh opened it and flipped through the pages. Steve hadn't used it at all. While looking at it, Kelleigh remembered Steve muttering something about having all the information he needed in his head and he didn't need any stupid workbook like a first-grader.

As Kelleigh remembered these moments, she was increasingly surprised and disappointed in herself for putting up with Steve for the past few years. With these unpleasant memories, it was no wonder that she wasn't upset over his death.

Without thinking about it, she picked up the pen by the telephone and began to fill in the questions in the workbook. At first, she filled in only those that she knew for certain were correct. As she went along, however, she began to look up the answers that she didn't know and write them in as well. It was an exciting challenge for her. She loved the feeling of knowing and of learning more.

The telephone rang and she ignored it. She had books spread across the table and was steadily flipping through the workbook. When she finally finished the last page, she looked up to find it dark outside. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was nearly 8:00 p.m. She had worked the afternoon away finishing the workbook.

She fanned the pages of the workbook out, looking for any uncompleted tasks. To her surprise, there were none. She had completed the entire workbook. She reached over and picked up the folder that held all the information for the class.

Kelleigh was surprised to find that the workbook was the only "work" that was needed to test for the certification. Reading further, she learned that there was a hands-on portion of the test in two different categories: troubleshooting and repair. The examples that were given were things that Kelleigh's grandpa had taught her years ago.

She sat back in the chair with her fingers drumming on the table. "I could take this test." She thought about it, "No, I could PASS this test." Smiling, she rose from the table. "I'm going to take the test. I'm going to do it. There's no reason not to."

She looked at the calendar; the test was ironically Tuesday. It was scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at noon. "That will give me time to go to Steve's funeral." She giggled at her plans. "Oh my God, I'm going to do this!"