Goddam car! I kicked the bumper, managing a shot of pain in my toe.
I was barely 18, had had my driver's license just 5 days. I had used all of my tiny savings to pay for the 1950 Chevy business coupe. I wanted that car, it sat out there on the corner for weeks. I stopped by and looked at it every day, pretty light green, the tires seemed in good shape. It even got shinier every time I rode my bike over to look at it.
The old man sitting on the porch would just grin at me and throw me the keys, I touched the start button and the big inline six banger fired right up, settling down to a throaty throb.
It had two neat looking pipes coming out the back where someone had changed the exhaust system, and a special aluminum manifold with a bigger carb than stock sitting there.
Just a touch of the throttle and the engine would almost lay over on it's side.
I WANTED that car!
The price tag was high for the year and model, and $50 more than I had in the world. The old man wouldn't budge on the price, either. I know because I tried every day.
My job at Sam's Chevron paid 75 cents an hour, it was going to take me awhile. I was completely terrified that someone else would buy it before I could come up with the money.
I rode my bike the 20 miles every day to work, every day I rode the 20 miles back. Each way I stopped to look.
Then one morning the old man got up and came over to me.
"Got a job, son?"
"Yes, I work at Sam's over at the coast."
"Think I could trust you to make payments?"
"YES! I could pay $10 each week."
"OK, the car is yours but I keep the title until you pay it off?"
It was mine! No more riding my bike to work, I could take my girl friend Jill out instead of just sit on her porch with her folks looking out the window every 5 seconds. I had fantasies of touching her bare breasts, up until now all I had done was kiss her some and stroke the side of her bra through her blouse, she always let me do that.
I was in heaven the first day I drove my car to work. Sam saw me pull in, he just grinned. He came over and listened to the engine, looked it over.
"Got a little noise in there, what is that?"
That was when I noticed the deep knock, my mind flashed back to winding it out in each gear to as fast as it would go. I listened, it wasn't real loud but it was a new noise.
That worried me.
The next day the engine stopped as I reached the top of the first hill heading to work. There was smoke coming out, I tried and tried the start button but it just clicked. I let it roll back off the road, locked the doors and started to walk to work.
I was going to be late, I knew.
I heard a car coming, stuck out my thumb but it sailed on by. The 2nd car went by, slowed and stopped.
Great, a ride!
"Hop in the back." I looked at the driver, she was about 25 or so. There was another woman sitting in the front seat, and another in the back. They looked like college girls.
I hopped in, the woman in the back moved some bags to the floorboards to make room.