Chapter 14

Saturday, July 24, 1976

I woke up in my new bed and new room. I had a great night’s sleep. I went into the bathroom to shower. I completed my morning ablutions quickly, knowing that RJ would need to use the bathroom as well.

I dressed in comfortable clothes. I went down to the kitchen and ate breakfast. It had a bowl of cold cereal and a slice of toast. I ate it over the sink, I rinsed the bowl when I had finished and placed it in the sink.

I decided to miss my exercise routine. I took my bike and rode around the neighborhood. I grew up in this neighborhood, but that was many years ago from my perspective. So, I rode the easiest route to the school. It would be about 20 minutes one way. But then I remembered I could not use the same path without opening myself up to the danger of the assassin, Ghost. I needed other ways to travel to and from school. I found a couple of different routes. The time it took me to get to and from school by the longest path was 32 minutes at a leisurely pace.

I got back to the house. There was a phone company van parked in front of the house. I hoped it was here to install the telephone. When we ordered service, I’d told the Jameses to go ahead and arrange express or weekend delivery. It cost more, but it was worth it to have phone service right away. We were lucky in that the electric, water, and gas were all able to be scheduled before we moved in. It didn’t take long, and the phones were installed. I had them put one in the kitchen, the living room, and the Master bedroom. And a second line into my bedroom and the garage. As soon as the phone company van left, I tried out my phone by calling Eve.

She was surprised to hear I had my own phone line. I told her it would make things easier for me in the long run. I asked if we were still on for tonight, and if so, I would meet her at the mall. I mentioned we would have to make it earlier as I needed to be back by 10:00 pm, which I had agreed to as a curfew. I thought maybe we’d eat about 6:00 pm and then see the movie and perhaps an ice cream by 9:00 pm, which would leave me plenty of time to be back before curfew. I figured the girls would be dropped off and picked up by one of the moms. But it would leave them enough time to be safe from a curfew violation of their own. She thought that would be okay. I gave her my number and told her that if there were any changes to please call before 5:00 pm.

I came downstairs, and I caught Mr. James moving some boxes. I offered to help. We took boxes down to the basement, and some were transferred to the garage. It was while we were in the garage that a thought occurred to me. I asked him if we were doing anything besides church tomorrow. He told me he didn’t have plans. I then asked if he could take me to Sears to buy a weightlifting set, so I could start getting ready for football. He replied we could do that today. I told him about the date, and he looked at me kind of funny but smiled. “I would imagine that would be quite a feat. I think you’ll find you may have bitten off more than you can chew, young man. I’m not sure it’s a smart move to be dating four girls at once, especially if they all know about it. It could be the death of you,” he added, laughing.

“Yes, but what a way to go,” I said with a smile.

He determined that most of the box moving was busy work given my Mrs. J to keep us guys busy and that a lot of it could be done tomorrow after church. Since I was slated to be a starter on the Varsity football team, a weight bench and set of weights was a logical purchase. We went to an athletics supply company that he knew about that sold a more professional setup, and they would do an in-home installation to ensure a proper fit. It took us about an hour to drive there and look at the setup, talk to one of the salesmen, and get a delivery time set for Monday afternoon. With that done, I asked if we could stop by a used car lot. I went intending just to look, but then I saw a 1956 Ford T-Bird.

It was in surprisingly good shape and had less than 50,000 miles on the clock. It was cherry red, which was Fiesta red, according to the factory color guide. It had the White leather interior, and both the soft top and hardtop. The hardtop had the optional opera windows, it had the 312 CI V8 with the optional three-speed plus overdrive manual transmission. I was in love. I needed this car.

Finally, the lot manager walked over and started to talk. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to him at first, but I heard $5,500, which was at the higher end of the spectrum. I knew that this car would be able to be sold for close to $40,000 in excellent condition, and as high as $80,000 in mint, fully restored health. But I also knew it was the perfect guy car.

It was as powerful as the corvette of the same era, and it was a lot of fun to drive. Plus, I thought it poetic justice that I might be able to have my dream car now, in high school. I just didn’t want to be killed in one like last time.

I asked Mr. James to let me take a test drive. He looked at me like I was crazy. I told him that my dad had taught me how to drive before he died, which was true. He complained of the cost and the fact it was a sports car. I told him I think someone is jealous. Then we both laughed. The salesman got the keys and handed them to Mr. James. He got into the driver’s seat, and I reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat. After about 10 minutes, we switched places. Then he told me if I grind the gears or smoked the tires, the test drive would be over, and we would just go home. I readily agreed and switched places. I eased off the clutch and started to drive. I was amazed by how it felt to be behind the wheel again. I missed driving. It must have been because it was my dream car, but everything felt right with the world. The little car did well. I didn’t try to see how fast it would go. I knew in its original state, the top speed was listed at 100 MPH, but it got up to speed quickly without shakes, rattles, or rolls. The brakes were adequate for the age of the car.

Overall, I was impressed, but not $5,500 impressed. We switched places, and Mr. James drove us back to the lot. We got back, and I took control of the negotiations. I offered $3,800, which was the original sales price when the vehicle was new. He countered with $5,000. I told him I would be paying cash I was not going to pay a penny over $4,000. If he wanted a sale today, he’d better start dealing, or I’d leave. Things got serious after a little more back and forth, and when he heard cash. We struck a deal at $4,200, higher than I wanted but lower than he wanted, so we both won. The paperwork was completed, and the check handed over, and I had a car. I drove it to the house and put it in my garage spot. It would stay there until I got my driver’s license, hopefully, next week.

I showered and changed for my date with the girls and left the house on my bike. I was wearing a pair of dress slacks and a button-up short sleeve shirt. I was taking a leisurely pace not to sweat. I made it to the mall and the bike racks. I locked my bike and went to the food court to wait for the girls.

They arrived together, amid squeals that echoed through the food court. They were all dressed in either skirts or dresses and looked like they just stepped out of the beauty salon. They might have for all I know. I’m glad for a young heart. I don’t think my 60-year-old heart could have taken it. I stood and walked over to the girls, greeting each of them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and thanked them for coming. I gave each of them a compliment on what they were wearing and the way she looked. We got differing looks from shoppers in the mall, from smiles and nods or leers from some guys, even a few looks of disdain from some women. I didn’t care. This was going to be a fun night.