THE FIRST CAR

My first car was much like this one, a 1947 Ford Deluxe two door, nicely customized, blue paint job, nice wheels.

Even though I had the money mom and dad had forbidden me to buy a car. I had to wait until the grades came up. I had to wait until I stopped getting into trouble at school.

Knowing that neither of those would happen until hell froze over (I spent more time out of school than I spent in school and fighting was something I loved doing albeit to the dismay of the high school vice principal), I decided to buy a car anyway.

I bought that car and kept it when it was not being driven at a gas station just down the hill from where we lived. No insurance. Didn't need any because, in my thinking, I wasn't going to get in any accidents.

Going against what dad and mom wanted was never any big deal to me. I did what I wanted when I wanted to do it. I was never one to live by any one's rules. It had to be my way, the highway or no way. Come to think about it, life as I know it today is still lived in much the same way.

The car sat at the gas station for about a month until dad approached me one Saturday morning.

Dad: You buy a car?

Me: What?

Dad: You heard me. Did you buy a car?

Me: What car?

Never one to cop to the truth a back and forth conversation pursued for about 10 minutes. It boiled down to not doing what dad said that I was not to do - not buy a car, and that driving a car without insurance, should there be an accident, might cause the family to lose everything. Since we didn't have anything to begin with I didn't think it was any big deal to risk losing what we didn't have to begin with. Dad always had a problem with my independent thinking.

I kept the car and began parking it in the driveway at home. Dad and mom put the Ford on their insurance policy. I paid my part of the premium. My grades remained in the toilet. Fighting and getting suspended from school continued to be a regular occurrence. Cutting school happened every day. But I had a car. I got my way (again). Done deal.

As a smalll boy, as a teenager, into my 20's and even 30's, I really was a shit. It's nice to have somewhat evolved since then. Life is much, much easier, especially for those who love or who work with old Bob.