Brake Check

            "Excuse me, Sir?"            I'd noticed the girl when I sat down. She was next to another girl talking on her phone.They were the only other people in the auto shop's waiting room. A daytime talk show was on the TV, and I imagined she wanted to change it or adjust the volume with the remote near me on the table.            "Yes?"            I lowered the dog eared book I'd been reading and got my first good look at her. She was pretty, with dark hair worn loose, and her clothes were simple but fit well.             "Sir, have you heard about the Church of Jesus Christ?"            She was holding something, a kind of instruction manual, spiral bound and thick. She had big green eyes that held a trust there you don't see often. She was young, barely twenty.            "I have," I said, lowering his book. I wished she'd leave me alone but knew she wouldn't. Best to have it all out at once.            "Oh!"             She brightened and smiled.            "My cousin's a Mormon." I winked at her, indicating I was in on the secret. She blushed and ran her fingers behind her ear. My cousin wasn't really a Mormon, but I didn't feel like going into the details.            "That's fantastic. So you know a little bit about us then?"            "Yeah, a bit."            I looked at her and wondered if she was wearing the special Mormon underwear. Something like a chastity belt combined with the look of old time long johns that miners wore. She was too pretty for long johns.            "Well, I'm Sister Katherine and this is Sister Lucy."            She straightened in the seat, glancing at her friend who was still on the phone.            "I'm Henry."            "Well…Henry…" she paused before she said my name, as if holding her breathe to cross the threshold of intimacy. I liked the way it sounded coming out of her mouth. "As you probably know, we don't like to push our faith onto anyone, but if you had some time, I'd love to show you our church. Do you practice any particular religion?"            "I'm Buddhist," I said, even though I wasn't.            "Oh," she said. She absently thumbed the pages of her manual, and I wondered if there was a section in there on how to approach Buddhists. I wasn't really Buddhist, but I'd always had a great interest in it.  Sometimes it's better to give a concrete answer than vague indications of spirituality.             She pursed her lips and thought for a moment.            "I've never met a Buddhist before."            I smiled at her, letting my gaze drift down to my book.            "What is it you…um…Buddhists believe?            "Well, you know, reincarnation and all that. The Eight-Fold Path. Basic goodness."            I had a more difficult time explaining it than I thought, but I stumbled through.            "I suppose it could be categorized as both a religion and a philosophy," I said.            "You look like the philosopher type."             "Yes, I suppose I am."            "Is that what you do? Are you a philosopher?"            "No," I said. "Books. I publish books."            She looked at the paperback in my hands.            "Not this one. Though I wish I had. It's very good."            We both smiled.            "So would you like to come see our church. Maybe this weekend?"            "I'm afraid that won't be possible. I'm leaving town soon. Tomorrow actually."             "Oh," she said.            We both went back to our reading. After a few minutes, a mechanic came out and told me my car was ready. I stood to follow him, glancing back at the girl. She was talking to her friend and didn't look up.