He did not lift her.
He asked what she needed.
She told him.
The wheelchair folded partially.
Rear wheels removed.
He placed them carefully in the bed under an old tarp.
She transferred herself into the passenger seat using the door frame and seat edge.
He stood far enough away to help only if asked.
She noticed.
Again.
When she was settled, he closed the door.
The truck heater groaned like an injured animal.
The woman looked toward him as he climbed behind the wheel.
“Does that work?”
“Eventually.”
The vents released air roughly the temperature of disappointment.
She laughed.
He started driving.
For the first few minutes, neither spoke.
The road narrowed.
Snow thickened.
The woman held her dead phone near the heater vent.
The single father kept both hands on the wheel.
Finally she asked:
“You said the factory closes Friday.”
“Division.”
“What happens to the rest?”
“Depends which rumor.”
“Tell me.”
He glanced toward her.
“You ask a lot of questions for someone I found freezing at a bus stop.”
“I’m distracting myself.”
Fair.
He shrugged.
“Northstar makes mobility equipment.”
“Power-assist modules.”
“Wheelchair brake assemblies.”
“Seat-position actuators.”
“Some rehab components.”
“Riverside builds mechanical assemblies and final integration.”
“How many employees?”
“Two hundred twelve now.”
“Used to be three hundred.”
“How many lose jobs?”
“About one sixty.”
The woman turned toward the window.
“What’s the reason?”
“Corporate says the plant underperforms.”
“Does it?”
He laughed.
“You really want the worker-floor answer?”
“Yes.”
“We make what they tell us.”
“We buy parts from vendors they choose.”
“We get schedules nobody can meet.”
“Then somebody in a suit creates a chart proving we’re inefficient.”
Her eyes moved toward him.
“You think the numbers are wrong?”
“I think numbers are obedient.”
“What does that mean?”
“They say whatever the person building the spreadsheet teaches them to say.”
The woman became quiet.
The single father continued:
“Last year they moved sensor sourcing to another supplier.”
“Cheaper.”
“Failure rate tripled.”
“We warned them.”
“Nothing.”
“Warranty claims went up.”
“Then warranty cost got charged to Riverside.”
“Now Riverside is ‘unprofitable.’”
The woman stared.
“How do you know warranty costs were assigned there?”
“I fix the line.”
“I see what comes back.”
“Returns have trace codes.”
“You remember codes?”
He smiled.
“Machines are easier than people.”
She looked toward him.
“And the new owner?”
“What about them?”
“What do workers think?”
He laughed again.
“That depends whether you want words safe for children.”
She almost smiled.
“Try.”
“Rich.”
“Detached.”
“Probably never set foot in the plant.”
Her eyebrows rose.
He continued.
“Some executive woman inherited controlling shares after her mother died.”
“Board says she wants to consolidate.”
“She’s supposed to be some kind of genius.”
“Workers think she’s a genius?”
“No.”
“That’s what business magazines say.”
“What do workers say?”
He thought.