Nov 2 • Shop Talk Stories
Chapter 2: Dean the Bus Whisperer
By Stephen Lavoie & ChatGPT
© 2025 Stephen Lavoie
All rights reserved.
Part of the Mechanic Shop Series
No one really knew where Dean came from.
Some said he used to rebuild Greyhound engines bare-handed. Others whispered he once pulled a seized turbo apart using nothing but a crescent wrench and a mug of black coffee.
But at Ray’s Auto & Fabrication, only one thing mattered:
If Dean said the bus would be ready before the next run…
It was as good as done.
Bus #12 rolled into Bay 2 just after morning break — smoke curling from under the hood, coughing like it had just run a marathon in reverse. The transmission wouldn’t shift, the engine sputtered like a campfire in the rain, and something metal clunked onto the floor halfway through the entrance.
The new foreman, Toby, raised an eyebrow. “This one needs a full transplant.”
Dean didn’t say a word. Just gave a nod, wiped his hands on a shop rag, and opened his toolbox.
By the time the crew was finishing lunch, the hoist was already humming.
At 4:42 PM — three minutes early — Bus #12 rumbled back to life.
Not from luck.
Not from miracles.
But because Dean was in Bay 2, sleeves rolled up, face half-covered in soot, and eyes calm like a man fixing a coffee maker, not an entire diesel system.
Lars peeked in from the main bay. “Didn’t think that crate had another run in it.”
Dean just shrugged. “Runs fine. Just needed someone to listen.”
Kade, still holding a clipboard, blinked. “You talked to it?”
Dean didn’t answer. He just tapped the dash once and walked back to the parts room, like it was just another Tuesday.
Later that evening, Dale (the retired foreman) leaned over to Toby at the whiteboard.
“Still don’t know how he does it.”
Toby nodded. “I stopped asking. I just make sure Bay 2 stays open.”
Dean still doesn’t say much.
Still shows up early.
Still drinks his coffee like motor oil and fixes buses like they’re family.
And as the sign above Bay 2 says (someone carved it into the wall with a grinder):“Don’t bother the bus — Dean’s got it.”
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Chapter 2: Dean the Bus Whisperer
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Mechanic Shop Tales with a Touch of Metal and Madness
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