Driving

Sometimes it's hard to remember what it's like to wake up in the morning rested and painless. Old age does take its toll on the mind and body. I try really hard to remember being a kid. There was so much of life ahead and so much excitement nearly every day. I'm glad I didn't grow up in a world regulated by safety conscious zealots. Can you imagine riding down the street on a bike in 1959 with a foam helmet on your head? You would be laughed out of the county.

How about the times you got to "drive" the family car by sitting in your dad's lap and steering that big old hunk of metal down a two lane blacktop? The first time I actually drove the car was on a summer day when I was ten years old. I remember driving down Pine Street in the 1955 Pontiac Star Chief. I felt so grown up. I wanted to make sure all my friends saw me so I kept looking both ways for them as I slowly cruised down the street. That is probably the reason I ran over curbs on both sides of the street and failed to notice the stop sign that had been there forever. I didn't get to drive again until I was fourteen.

My love for the automobile grew steadily throughout the years. I wanted a car almost as much as I wanted a girlfriend. My dad was determined to deny me both. Some old boy I knew had been given a 1950 Cadillac fastback when we were in our early teens. I think his grandpa gave it to him knowing it was never going to run again. It sat in his driveway so long his mom told him it had to go. He offered it to me for $50. I was so excited I thought about nothing else. In my mind I restored that old car over and over again...a different color each time. The hurdle, aside from accumulating $50, was getting my dad to "okay" the purchase. I practiced my sales pitch over and over until I felt I had every argument covered. Finally, on a Sunday afternoon, right after lunch, I gathered up all my courage and asked. He was sitting in the living room reading the paper. I sat down on the couch and shook and sweat for a spell until the words finally came out, "Can I buy a car for $50?" I nearly fell over with his response. Instead of the expected "no way" he asked, "what kind of car" My spirits were soaring because of the dialogue. I told him it was a very nice 1950 Cadillac. He thought about it for a bit and finally said he didn't think it was a good idea. Then he added these magical words, "If you really want a car to mess around with let's find you an old Chevy to fix up". The mixture of disappointment and excitement made me dizzy. Sounded like I was getting a car!!

I think we did look at a Chevy or two but my early excitement soon turned to frustration as I figured out my dad was avoiding the headaches of an old car by "playing like" we were actually going to buy something for me to tinker with. That old Chevy never materialized.

Cindy and I went to Belton for a couple of weeks one summer after all this. Our aunt Dovie was in bad shape with cancer. Cindy went down to help her and I went down to have fun and overeat with my cousins, Jamie and Donnie. Our parents picked us up on a Sunday afternoon and we got back to our neighborhood late that evening. I clearly remember turning the corner to see a 1953 Studebaker Champion two door hardtop sitting in the driveway. All the excitement I've enjoyed my entire life is paled to what I felt that moment. If I could have jumped out of the Pontiac we were riding in I would have beat everyone to the house. We had a spare car!!! The best part of the whole situation was my dad bought it for Cindy and me "to learn to drive in". It was a three speed on the floor with a CLUTCH. There was no way Cindy would ever learn to drive that car! It was MINE!!

I got a key to the Studebaker on a key chain with my initials for my 16th birthday. Life had never been better. I still have that key and key chain. I wish I still had the car. It's in good hands though. My brother inherited it, fully restored, and it is stored in one of his garages. He drives it in parades occasionally. Hey, I wasn't slighted on inheritance day.....I got four cemetery plots!!!