GOOD TIMES... Summer (Part 70a)

That next weekend was (and in my mind, still is) a blur. Rex had scheduled the second work session at the sailing club. We had more people but less commitment. Most of them were celebrating Memorial Day by opening their Summer homes so only stopped by for a couple of hours. Because the weather had stayed cool and windy and Saturday was cloudy, most of the ladies (including Elle) opted not to come. Only Rex and I were there for the whole day and by the time we left it was after 4pm. Elle had made me promise to go to my parents house and to search for my old tennis racket. Having just come from the sailing club, with a lot of talk about the upcoming racing season, I spent some time looking over my sailboat while rummaging through the garage. Seeing the boat reminded me that I really needed a new set of sails. Another thing to add to my “wish list“. I spent an hour going through boxes trying to find the racket. Giving up I stopped to say ”hello” to my mother. When I told her what I was looking for she smiled, got up, went into the hall closet and, voila, there was the racket in her hand.

When I got to the trailer Elle was pleased to see me with racket in hand but I could tell she wasn’t all that happy with me. Jim had stopped by a short time before I arrived to see if I was ready to go to the stock car races. Traditionally, the track opened the weekend before Memorial Day but it had been rained out and postponed to this week. As Elle mentioned it I remembered that in my semi drunken state at Mac’s party I had told Jim that I’d go with him. His cousin, the racecar driver, had a brand new car and was racing in the top division for the first time. I stood there, tired as could be with Elle sort of upset, trying to make a decision. Before I could there was a knock on the door and it was Andy. Jim and Andy worked in the same division for a local township and had become good friends and Jim had also convinced Andy to go as well. Hearing Andy trying to get me moving, Elle gave up and told me to just go. Truthfully, at that moment, I didn’t care.

It was cold and got colder as the night wore on. Jim had convinced us to go in the pits and be Jim’s “honorary pit crew”. That did give me a chance to look up some of the people I knew. There weren’t many and the new, more powerful cars, came from quite a distance away and their drivers and crew were strangers. I was watching one of the races from a pile of railroad ties and felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw my old classmate Cliffy. He’d joined the Navy after high school and was home on leave. He told me he was getting out in a few months and was going to go racing when he did. He wanted to know if I was still horse racing and when I told him that I wasn’t he was surprised. He was even more surprised to find out that I had two kids. It was good to see him and I made a mental note to follow up on his discharge.

Jim’s cousin had a successful debut in that he didn’t wreck the car and actually finished the race. There was a celebratory party after the races and it was after midnight by the time I got home. I didn’t expect to see a light on in the living room when I walked in and was shocked to see Elle asleep on the couch. She woke up immediately to tell me that my grandmother had taken a turn for the worse and that my parents were up at the hospital. I could hardly keep my eyes open by then but I sucked it up and headed there as well. It was around 1am or so when I showed up. The word was that she was stable and doing as well as could be expected. I hung around for a short time with a promise from my mother that she would keep me posted on her progress or lack thereof.

At around 8am there was a loud knock on the door. Elle was up and when she answered it was Lance. It turns out that, at Mac’s party, I had promised to help him with one of his new reclamation projects. After eating and getting the latest word on my grandmother I walked down the street to his trailer. I didn’t see his '49 Ford but saw this big old Cadillac. At first I thought it was a mistake because all the cars he’d bought and sold were either Fords or Chevys. I knocked on his door and he answered it while holding his son. He invited me in and as I stepped inside saw Judy disappear into the bathroom. I didn’t see much other than she was wearing just a T shirt. If only I’d been looking!

The story behind the car only added to Lance’s “legend”. He’d traded his '49 Ford for the Caddy and got the guy to give him $100. The guy was in the Air Force with Lance and had the car left to him by his grandfather. He really didn’t want it but to please his grandmother he took it. He told Lance that as a teenager riding around in this “monster” of a car he felt foolish. Lance told me he thought it would be a “fun” car to have and would certainly give he and Judy more room what with all the stuff they needed for the baby. I was smiling on the inside because he was so serious about why he wanted it. I wouldn't have been caught dead in that old "boat". The problem with the car was that it hadn’t been used regularly in many years and all the hoses and belts were dry rotted and needed to be changed as well as needing new tires and a tune up.

Lance had bought all the needed parts and we set about replacing the old ones. By late morning it was finally getting reasonably warm. Judy brought us something to drink and as I watched her walk back up the stairs I had a good VPL peek. She’d lost weight since having the baby but still had a way to go. In spite of that I enjoyed the view. We finished up in the early afternoon and when we did Lance went inside to get Judy. He wanted her to drive it once around the park to see how she liked it. Now Judy wasn’t all that short but in that car it seemed like the seat swallowed her up. As she finished her her once around and came down the street towards us I could see her looking through the enormous steering wheel. I remember trying not to laugh as she approached. In any case she wasn’t too thrilled with the car. As she tried to get out of the car I got another “treat” in the form of a DP (downpants). It was my “pay” for the day.

To be continued...