Each week, I share something from my childhood with my grandsons.
Question: Describe the day you first learned how to drive a car.
Hmmm. Let me start with the day your great-granddaddy bought me a car. It was in the summer before I turned sixteen and I had no idea my parents were going to buy me a car. One evening, we piled into Daddy’s Dodge and drove to this house just off the Square in Marietta. Dad told me on the way over that we were probably going to buy me a car and I was excited, but also a little scared. It was such a big deal, driving a car. It meant freedom, but it also meant responsibility. I was becoming an adult and this was one of the first steps to accomplishing that.
When we pulled into the lady’s driveway, I caught a glimpse of the car and was so disappointed. It was a big black tank, a 1964 Comet with red leather material and white walls. I was certain I couldn’t show my face around school driving that thing. Why couldn’t I have a two-seater like Lisa (my cousin who’s a month older than me?) But believe it or not, it had been driven by a little old lady who kept it in perfect condition so Daddy bought it.
Driving the tank was difficult. Unlike cars today, it didn’t have power steering which meant you had to have muscles to make a turn. Parallel parking was impossible. It also didn’t come with heat or air conditioning, and the radio was shot. I kind of remember putting in a new radio because if I was going to drive that thing, I at least needed music.
I drove that tank until my senior year when I talked my parents into co-signing a load with me to get a Ford Pinto. The dealer gave me a great trade-in and $50 for the owner’s manual alone! My first car payment was $101 a month, and I kept that car for years!
