Loyalsock Trail
Pennsylvania
September 1998
The car breaks down outside of Williamsport, an hour shy of our destination, trailhead for the Loyalsock Trail. Turns out we need a new transmission. Yikes! We make a few calls and rescue comes.
Car secured on the truck bed, we jump into the cab for the ride to the car dealer. We get to talking with the mechanic who is driving. He and his wife worked until they got laid off last year at the Corning factory. He made the glass faces of computer and television monitor screens. “Fair chance that every time you look at a television or computer,” he tells us, “you’re looking at my work. Know what I mean?” That’s a lot of screens. What are the chances.
“Rumors are that a diaper factory may move in next year,” he tells us, “but that kind of work just doesn’t appeal to me. Know what I mean?” Now he’s hauling other people’s cars around.
“What does your wife do?”
“She… um… she’s in home improvement.”
“Home improvement? Oh really?”
“Well, actually,” he admits after a short, meaningful pause, “she started up her own company. Calls it ‘F Y P.’ For Your Pleasure.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You know…” He makes air quotes, “Enhancement apparatus. Know what I mean? Sex toys. She’s not really in home improvement. But the car repair business is slow, y’know?”