Chapter 21

My day hadn’t been perfect. I proved once again that sand traps were invented by the devil. They added seven strokes to my score. I knew what I would be practicing with Mr. Collins on Sunday. We finished the match and were on our way home by three o’clock arriving at the country club to drop off our equipment by four.

I was able to check with the reservation desk about dinner for two at six o’clock next Friday. This was the time Janet suggested. There wasn’t any problem. The lady there told me that it was a good thing I was doing it now because there were always a lot of requests for seating homecoming weekend.

I asked Coach if I could be dropped off by the bus at the cab company downtown, as I had to arrange a ride for next Fridays, homecoming.

He said, “Run in and take care of business, we will wait five minutes for you.”

Coach was smiling on the way home. We had actually won all of our individual matches to clean Urbana’s clock. This had not happened since 1949.

We stopped at the taxi company, and I explained that I needed several rides for homecoming. Pick me up, and then my date at her home. Then go to the country club. Pick us up at the country club take us to her house, wait while we changed then take us to the game. Pick us up after the game and go to her house to change and to the youth center for the dance. Then pick us up and take her home, lastly drop me off at my house!

The dispatcher John Sullivan said, “That makes me tired just hearing about it. I have a suggestion. All of that riding around will come to about twenty-five dollars. Why not rent a car and driver for the evening for forty dollars including tip? That way the car will always be ready and waiting for you.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Even better we have just purchased a new vehicle. It is called a stretch limousine or limo for short. You will be our first customer to ride in it. It will hold three couples.”

About that time the bus driver started honking his horn, so I went out and waved them on. I wanted to see this new car before I put my money down. It was shiny black, it gleamed, it had chrome everywhere and it was big. What was not to like. It was a Cadillac Coupe De Ville that had been modified or stretched out.”

Mr. Sullivan told me they had it a week and were anxious to get it out on the street in front of people. The homecoming was perfect. It might even become a tradition of kids taking limos to big events. I asked him why they had bought it.

He looked around and told me, “I don’t think we bought it, I think the boss won it in a card game from some big wig in Columbus.”

I agreed to take the car and driver for the evening and paid twenty dollars upfront, the rest would be due when they picked me up the night of the dance. I had another brainstorm. Since I just rented this, could you guys give me a free ride home now?

The redheaded Mr. Sullivan laughed and told me his shift was ending, wait five minutes while he wrote me a receipt, and turned things over to the night dispatcher, and he would give me a lift.

Getting home I intended to take a brief nap before dinner, but there was mail. The Conair Company had sent me a catalog. I immediately looked up industrial dryers. They had one very similar to the one I had seen at a gold mine out in California.

It was eleven dollars which I thought was really expensive but if it worked in drying my hair it would be worth it. I didn’t want to “Catch my death!”

They had an order form in the back. Nonbusiness payment could be by check or money order. I didn’t have a checking account and didn’t know what a money order was. I asked Dad, he explained about money orders. I could get a money order from our bank.

Mum was the guardian of the family checkbook, and I didn’t want to have to explain spending eleven dollars on a device to dry my hair. Mum was tight with a dollar and I didn’t think this would pass her need test. So I would have to go to the bank on Monday after school.

It had been quite a day. It was neat telling my parents about the golf match stroke by stroke, at least until Denny and Eddie started squabbling at the table. Dad made a light swat towards Denny when he wouldn’t shut up. Denny overreacted, jerked away, and managed to chip his tooth on the edge of the table. Mum got mad at Dad.

My parents were a contrast when they each got angry, fair-haired dad got very red in the face. Mum had jet black hair and is pale. When she gets really mad she gets paler, to the point, you could think vampire. I retreated to my room even skipping the rice pudding Mum had made for dessert.