Thursday, July 15, 2010

Value?


“Reckon it will stop, Boy”? With a grin, The Daddy parked the 1949 Cheverolet pickup in front of the Hale Motor Company. Only one wheel had any brakes left on it.

Earlier in the day, the blue ‘59 Apache pickup had been sitting in front of the show room. He had never bought a new pickup and this one was not new either, but as close as he would ever come to buying one. He was not impressed by things. The young boy, at this moment, was. He knew the magnitude of the event. It was more a symbol of hard work and loyalty than prestige. Something that did not come easy. Either one of them. The Daddy with pride took the keys without fanfare. The young boy of twelve would eventually take his driving test in that pick up.

Going down the interstate using his watch and mile markers , the young boy, now a daddy, kept a 60 mile per hour pace on the way to their new home in another state. Seven years later the return routine. The Daddy did grin when the blue truck returned to its home state.

“Well, I will give you five hundred dollars under what you are asking.”
“Man, I am sorry you ruint your whole day by driving down here, but I will pull it out in front of the house and make a flower bed out of it before I will do that.” The older “young” boy turned to walk away. .
“No, no, your son in law told my you “lible” just walk off and leave me standing here. It’s a deal,, your deal. How will I get it on my trailer? I will come back Wednesday to get it” .
“Put a battery on it. Crake the sum’bitch up and drive it up on the trailer”. The older “young” boy grinned and then he did turn and walk away. “Only reason you’re getting it, ‘cause I know you will treat it right. Maybe you will get another 40 years out of it.”

9 comments:

  1. You know I can't help commenting on this:
    You touched on some pivotal elements—the relationship between father & son, and their shared values. You concisely symbolize how life becomes very complicated, with these statements “…their new home in another state. Seven years later the return routine. The Daddy did grin when the blue truck returned to its home state.”

    There is also a clear indication that the grown-up “young boy” has retained those values and is a ‘man’ to be reckoned with. I love this: “Man, I am sorry you ruint your whole day by driving down here, but I will pull it out in front of the house and make a flower bed out of it before I will do that.” The older “young” boy turned to walk away.” That is soooo Glenn :) It really is a very touching snippet of a generation and the ‘things’ that symbolize what we hold dear. But you already know that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a sweet story! My husband inherited his granddad's old truck (don't know the date, but very very old!), and he hoped to fix it up one day. That day never seemed to come, so he passed it on to a cousin, who eventually gave it to his dad (the granddad's son), who DID fix it up, so it kind of went full circle! There's just something about these old trucks, isn't there? Very nostalgic, very evocative.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good storytelling. Loving the reminder that people at home in their own skin value function over style.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The value is in the sentiment...the memories that truck holds. I cried when I left my first car...even though it had holes in the floorboards so big you could see the ground...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now, that's value!

    I ask this question of myself a lot, Glenn, how is it that I get value, what do I see it in, how do I receive it? Going to a family get-together in just a bit. Planning on asking the younger ones just that. Curious about their answers.

    Value - it comes in many different forms. I'm liking this one. And I laugh at how stubborn you are, the older younger one, right? You, all walkin' away...

    xo
    erin

    ReplyDelete
  6. Value has so many layers if you're willing to really think about an item, a relationship, a place.

    You know how much I love visiting this place dedicated to great American storytelling. It's so comfortable here. That's what you want your readers to feel. You do it every time, Glenn.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Glen, you are a winner of a "non-contest" over at Middle Passages. Come on over and claim your prize. Liza

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dang it, Glenn, I shoulda never sold my Dodge pick-up. I loved that truck! Black Beauty! But I let several men... er... people... convince me that I didn't need 4WD at the time. When I moved to the mountain, I had to have it, so I bought a Tacoma. Guess who got the Dodge? A young man just starting college. He loved it. Let's hope it lives on!

    ReplyDelete
  9. When I visit here I am coming home....or at least the home I always wanted. You don't explain, you tell it...and we immediately understand. It is a privilege to be here.

    ReplyDelete