A NEW YEAR... new beginnings? (Part 103e)

Heading home I could clearly see that the further West I went the less snow I saw. I was really looking forward to getting home and having a real meal. As I drove through the downtown area I noticed that the driveway to my grandfather’s house was still unplowed and the walkways to the doors still needed to be shoveled. Wally, the handyman that worked for my grandfather, usually had it under control but the snow was untouched. It was the same at home. Elle was not one to do manual labor and the shoveling was awaiting me as I drove up. It was the last thing I wanted to tackle. I hadn’t noticed that my back was bothering me until I sat down for the trip home.

The kids were waiting for me to get home to build a big snowman for them. It appeared that there was about 8 to 10 inches on the ground and with the sun it had started to melt. I begged off telling them that I really needed to eat. While waiting for my lunch I called my grandfather to find out why there hadn’t been any shoveling or plowing at his place. He sounded a bit discouraged when He said that Wally had hurt himself during the storm and the plow guy broke something. He didn’t ask or even hint for me to come over and do it but, while eating lunch, I felt guilty and told Elle that, after clearing a our path, I was going over there.

It was a sloping driveway from the street all the way back to the carriage house. I got the idea to take the (older) kids over along with their sleigh to let then have some fun while I cleared the snow from the pathways. They really liked that idea so before long I was off to shovel some more. I dug out the driveway down as far as the path to the back porch. I left enough snow for them to be able slide without me having to push them and it seemed like they enjoyed it. I wasn’t keeping track of the time but It took well over and hour. I wanted to take the kids inside to see my grandfather as he only got to see them on rare occasions. As I brushed the snow off them I noticed that the seat of Jean’s snow pants were wet and asked what had happened. She turned away which gave me the answer. It wasn’t the first time that she’d let playing overrule her need for a bathroom break. I debated with myself as to weather I should take her inside but, before I could decide, the new lady who was staying at the house opened the door and ushered us in. I forewarned her about Jean’s problem and asked that she make sure that Jean didn’t sit down.

After saying ”hello“ to my grandfather the lady herded the kids into the kitchen for warm cocoa. My grandfather said exactly what I expected and that I shouldn’t have done the shoveling... but thanked me profusely. He also reached for his wallet and when I saw that I told him, emphatically, that I wasn’t going to take any money. We went back and forth for a minute or two until I told him I was leaving. He backed off but told me to pull up a chair.

You would have to ”know“ my grandfather to understand my next statement One of his endearing qualities was that he made certain motions with his hands that were almost as good as spoken words. As I pulled a chair up he had his hands in his lap with the tips of each touching. That was a sign that he was really serious about something and it was best not to speak until had gave you approval to do so. He wanted to know what I was doing about getting the station wagon fixed. When I told him I hadn’t made up my mind he frowned. At this point he was leaning so far forward that I was concerned that he would pitch himself forward onto me and I knew I was in for a lecture at this point. It started with a rehash of his disappointment about my having sold the car he’d given me. Then, he lectured me on how important it was for my family to have a vehicle that was reliable. Then came the bombshell...

Still leaning so far forward that I could smell the peppermint candy he was eating, he told me to go out and get a new Chevrolet station wagon. I swear I almost choked. I knew that I still had somewhere around $500 from selling the sailboat but that was it. He went on to say that he would co-sign a loan for me. I was speechless. I didn’t know how to react. The offer was certainly unexpected. When I didn’t say anything he told me that he’d already spoken to one of the sales people at the dealership and I was to stop there on the way home on Monday. As it slowly sank in I made some mealy mouthed efforts to thank him. When he pushed back into a less ”threatening“ body position I took a deep breath and got up. As appreciative as I really was I just didn’t know how to express it. It really was awkward.

I collected my daughters and thanked the lady for ”entertaining“ them. I went out the kitchen door so I wouldn’t have to face my grandfather again. I needed time to get my mind around the offer. With the exception of a small loan from my grandfather to buy our sofa bed I hadn’t borrowed any money at all. I didn’t know how much a wagon would cost nor did I have any idea what payments would be. On top of everything else that had happened the past two days this was almost too much. The one good thing was that it certainly got my mind off Stasia.

I couldn’t wait to tell Elle of my grandfather’s offer but when we arrived she chose to make a fuss over Jeans wet pants. I knew it was useless to try and override her. In fact, it made me mad. Knowing I still had to get my arms around how I was going to be able to make payments I decided to start by doing some income projections. As I worked on it I realized that I hadn’t given any value for the station wagon, damaged as it was. Knowing that Eddie (from the service station) was all knowing about Chevy’s I gave him a call. I was lucky in that he’d just arrived home. I asked what he thought it might be worth. He told me that the intake manifold and carbureator on the wagon was ”special“ and was in high demand but couldn’t give me a value for the vehicle. Pushed, he said it might bring around $400. I thanked him and went back to my projections.

To be continued...