...
.
Good-Something;
It is near to 3 in the morning, but since I haven't slept a wink, it can't be morning...
Oka said she would love to know the story of the car. So here goes.
One of my old AMC Hornets. (I had 4; just couldn't get enough).
This one in particular; I swear it was either possessed, or built on a Monday. Though I never knew which. When I bought it, it was about 5 years old. And it ran real good for the 1st year and a half.
Since I had never had a problem with an AMC, (and because I could fix darn near anything on them), when it began to not start I erroneously thought that between myself and Dad we would figure it out.
Not starting however, turned out to be a bigger problem than the 2 of us put together. After a time, we had just about rebuilt the darn thing!
It would never not start when I was away from home. Only in the parking lot.
And it didn't matter if it was cool or warm, or 10 degrees below zero, or 90 degrees above.
When it didn't want to go, it simply would not start.
Every now and then, jamming the "prndl" up then back into a park position would do the trick. (This one was an automatic, and with that, supposedly a step up for me).
Yeah right.
We never did figure it out either. It took me a while to get the money for a different car at that point too; and with 3 little kids, it was tough to walk to the stores.
Does "difficult but not impossible" ring any bells?
And so we did. And we would take the city bus if need be.
I couldn't just call my parents either- Retired or not, they still only had one car. And if that car had left at 4 AM to go to Kewaunee to fish, then it was hopeless to even want to go anywhere that day. 3/4's of the time Dad was gone fishing, catching up on all those years he was tied to home milking cows.
One afternoon, I had a dentist appointment for all the girls, and Dr. Staehly's office was clear on the other side of town.
Dad was off fishing, and everyone I knew (with a running vehicle) was working that day. I had to cancel that appointment- A huge time slot for any dentist...
Mad as I was, I went out there a bit later in the afternoon.
I turned the key. It fired right up.
Not needing to go anywhere else until later, I shut it off.
That night was CCD for the kids- We were running late, and so I would take them.
Long story short, Miss Helen from streetside in the lower courtyard ended up bringing them. When I called her again to pick them up, it came as no surprise to her that my car wouldn't start then either.
It must have come as no surprise to our managers, who had seen me get out of the car, kick it twice, hard, swear, and then throw myself on it, beating it with my arms and legs. I heard the laughter all the way from Russ and Shirleys kitchen!
She'd come to the door after I had gotten that out of my system, and had tears in her eyes from laughing so darn hard.
I laughed too then, but that was the last straw-
The one day too many that it wouldn't start...
I thought of too many of my morning coffees, ruined, as I would look out and across the courtyard...
My eyes would settle on that massive piece of crap car in the parking lot.
(Helluva way to start my days).
In between husbands, I had been dating a very nice man who offered to tow it out here with his pickup. (Legal or not, it was the only way to get that damned car out of my sight).
After trying for a few days, on and off again, and finding it wouldn't turn over, I finally called my friend. I tried starting it twice before we chained it up behind his truck.
As we pulled in the yard here, I dared to turn the ignition one more time.
The damn thing started! (Too little, too late).
No car had ever made me so mad before then. (Or since for that matter).
We unchained it- still running, and I backed it in next to the old corn crib.
I shut it off.
That is exactly where it stayed.
I told Pa I was done messing with it, and not to even bother.
In those days, Dads friend was co~owner of S & L Implement, and they also sold new and used cars.
Dad called Harry Slezewski-
Would he be able to find me a car?
Yes!!! He even had one on the lot!
My friend Beth was then VP of the old bank in Suamico. Would she be able to write something up?
Yes! I took out a loan the very next day.
That was in May of that year-
Every time I came out to visit, that silly car was just sitting behind the corn crib; its front end just peeking out of the uncut lawns.
To this day, I swear it was evil.
The mechanic that lived inside of me would ensure that I would walk out there and look at it. And think.
(I think that damn car possibly leered right back at me too).
...And lead us not into temptation...
At one point I had the 12 gauge shotgun real handy.
And the 'think' went off in my head like a giant light bulb.
Smiling, I found that I just couldn't help myself.
As I went out the door, Mom wanted to know what I was doing, (as she was already reaching for her little Kodak disc camera).
I remember saying that I was going to shoot the damned thing.
I also remember hearing her holler after me, "WHAT THING?"
...But deliver us from evil...
Taking a deep breath, aiming, and telling Mom she would only get one shot of me with her camera, I pulled that gun tight to my shoulder...
Not too many things have felt so good as when my index finger twitched and that gun discharged...
I never looked at it after that.
Nor did I ever feel that evil coming from it again.
.
.
.
Photo dated June, 1984
..
.
So there ya have it!
A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
Love to all
XOXO
Me
