W
hen I was going to Central Elementary/Middle School in Bethany, we lived in a house on NW 36th between Ann Arbor and Meridian. I walked to school from our house to Ann Arbor, turning north to NW 39th to a crosswalk, crossing NW 39th to my school.
When we would travel from California to Oklahoma, I gained an appreciation for the automobile. I appreciated a clean, good looking, and stylish set of wheels. I would notice these vehicles from the back seat of our car. Often, we would have an Oldsmobile, Buick, or even a Cadillac. In the back floor boards, Mom would lay our suitcases down and place pillows on top of them, forming a bed for the three kids. We would sleep “hobo” style. We called it “hobo” though none of us actually knew how a hobo slept. Larry would lean against the door. I leaned on Larry. Brenda leaned on me. That’s “hobo” style.
I walked by a used car lot, that was at the corner of NW 39th and Ann Arbor, on my way home. One day, I stopped to look at the cars. They had two cars that I was interested in. On the front row, was a shining black 1963 Jaguar XKE coupe. It had bright red leather interiors and wire wheels. The markings on the windshield said they wanted $3,000.00. To a thirteen or fourteen year old boy, without a job or even an allowance, that was a lot of money. The other car was on the back row. It was a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria coupe. The windshield shoe polish stated $300.00 for this beauty. I walked back and forth between the two cars, trying to soak up every specialty of the vehicle. The inevitable car salesman came out and said, “Can I help you, Sonny?” I didn’t like being called “Sonny”, but I knew that he knew I could not have been a serious buyer. “I’m just trying to decide which one I want!” I said with a break in my voice. “Well, you can look, but don’t mess with them.” He turned and walked back into his office.
Well, I didn’t g
et either one of the cars. I’m sure there was probably another car that struck my fancy a week later. So I say, “If you are going to dream, dream big!”
