“When the sprocket—”
“I’m not paying you for a lesson.”
“Yessir.”
I finish checking the sprockets. There aren't any shark fins, thankfully, so I spray the chain with a chain cleaner. Then I use a chain brush to get off the caked-on gunk. I really work hard at it and maybe even shove my tongue into my cheek, not sure if the guy can see or not, but it's something I do when I'm working hard. Sometimes, I'll stick my tongue out. It's not like it helps me concentrate or anything. Just a habit, I guess.
Another round of spray, and I dry the chain.
“Doesn’t seem like lube,” the guy grumbles.
“You have to clean and dry the chain first,” I explain. “It’s time to lube now.”
“Great.” He actually rubs his hands.
I roll my eyes again. Little does he know that I don’t have to lube the chain like you would lube a cock. It’s just another spray with a thin red nozzle.
He grimaces as I stand again. “There you go.”
The guy rubs the back of his neck. “I guess you put on a good enough show.”
I ignore him and walk around his bike. “No streaks at all,” I say proudly.
“Yeah, yeah. Here you go.”
He tosses me two twenties.
“Are you kidding me?” I ask. “I spent almost an hour on this bike!”
“Yeah, well…”
“I only stopped in because I saw you here. You should be lucky—”
“It’s one hundred,” Max says flatly, coming out from the back.
“You have got to be kidding me,” the guy whines.
“She did a top-notch job. You aren’t going to shortchange her, you shmuck. You better pay up, or—”
“Or what, tough guy?” the guy snaps.
Max just crosses his arms.
The guy rolls his eyes and tosses me three more twenties.
“No tip?” I ask.
The guy narrows his eyes. “Flash me and—”
“F—”
"Another twenty, or I'll call the cops and tell 'em that you're harassing my employee," Max says.
“You really think I’ll stick around for the cops to show up?”
Max recites the guy’s plate to him.
The guy’s jaw drops, and he throws another twenty onto the ground. “I’m never coming back here again,” he says.