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I
remember my mother telling about her first car ride.
Her family were dirt poor. Father died leaving a wife
and seven children ranging from the oldest boy of
about 15 to the baby girl. This was 1914. They lived
on a farm near Myrtle, Missouri. Today that old place
would be about? two miles to town. Shucks it was two
miles then. Town never grew any. Maybe another dog or
two.
Seems like a family down the road a bit had a new car.
Mother told about riding to town it in. She said she
wondered if she would ever be able to have one of
these things in her life time. She was then just about
seven.
She grew up, and some how was living in Springfield. A
young lady of about 21. Her oldest brother Homer, put
her and a fellow together. The sparks flew or
something. They got hitched. He had a car. Well mother
learned how to wheel that thing. That was 1929. Back
in those days you had a car you could drive it. None
of this stuff to see if you knew how, tests you know.
So at last she had wheels.? ?
I
came along about fall of 1930. I remember as a brat
going places. You know little rides to town and about.
Mother was a wheel girl. She had a female grip on that
set of wheels.
Dads type of work called for a lot of moves from one
place to another. He did most of the driving on these
moves. Man thing I guess.?
In
those days, a family as a rule had? one car. That is
there would only be one car for the family of man,
wife, and the kids.? Dad went to work, mother drove
the car back? to the house, parked it.? She had a ways
of going if she wanted to.? She could go to the store,
or to the park, where ever.? She had wheels, she was
the wheel girl.
I
was about six, maybe? seven? I guess. We lived in
Wichita, Kansas She got her first driver license. Up
to that time didn't need one. You know she still had
that first one when she made the trip to heaven.
Wonder if St.Pete checked it when she came wheeling
past the gate.
We
also had a new member of the family. Little Mengtoy.
She was the first? of the Pekingeses, she liked to
ride along. Now she liked to lay in the back window of
that clunker. She would get on one side and look out
the side window. This was one of those old cars with
what was called a one seater. Front seats that is.
Well this day mother took the corner a bit fast. Poor
Mengtoy went out the window. She picked herself up,
walked to the corner, ? and set down.? A cop was
laughing his self silly. We stopped and I went and
picked her up. She didn't get as close to the window
after that with this wild? wheel girl? driving.
Mother and I would take off and go back to
Springfield,Missouri about ever summer. She was the
wheel girl. My job was watch the road signs. Dad had
the maps marked out. I learned to read signs and maps.
"Mother that was Podunk, next town is Nodunk. It is 25
miles." That would be her, Mengtoy and I.? Don't
remember what Mengtoy job was.
Mother got to travel about four, five states.
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Maybe into
Arkansas a bit.
Then about 1966, dad and mother took off for Detroit.
Of course she became wheel girl some of the time.
Coming home they took a side trip up north into a
couple states? on the way? home. Well old lead foot was
pounding it down the road. She went by a speed cop. He
at last ran her down. You know to this day I have no
idea how she didn't get a ticket. He asked her where
was she going? She said "Home." "OK" was all he said
other then, "slow it down a bit will you?" Dad told me
about it. She never said a word as I remember.
Well they got home. About a week or so mother and I
took off for Yellowstone. Dad told me, "if she drives
watch the speed, she don't." She must have learned
that thing has a meter in front that tell how fast she
is moving. She pushed the thing to what the signs said
real close I noticed.
The last of 1968 I got my hands on a left over 68
Buick Riviera. The 69s were out. Now that became her
car. I had my Jeep and a couple wreckers to run. That
Riv was hers. Dad had gone to heaven by then. It was
her and I. Well we took a couple long trips in that
buggy. She drove it some. One such trip was to
Washington D.C. She got to drive and see the sights.
She often talked about that trip. She got to take the
walk through the White House.
We
went to Mt.Vernon.? She got to see where her great,
great, grandfather set and talked with General George
Washington.? That would be Johan Philip Sonner.? One
who supplied money, and other things to the cause. He
and oldest son served also in the cause.
I
parted with that one and got a new one. It made some
trips. Then another one got parked in the drive. Still
the Riv is her car.
She got to go to places she only dreamed about as a
little girl. A dirt poor girl. Some one said to me
while back, "you spent a lot of money on going
places." I said, "that may well be. But you know
something? My mother enjoyed those trips. I am not
sorry for one minute. She was worth every dime." And
then the question. "You had a few Rivieras." I said
"yes, that was her car."..... She was worth it.?
Of
the four girls in her family, she was the only one
that could wheel a car. Dad always said, he was very
lucky.? He not only got the pretty of the bunch, but
she had smarts too. She never dreamed she would have a
car as a child of seven.? She not only had one, she
wheeled it to where ever? she wanted to go.
Yes I am proud to say that was my mother. The
Wheel Girl.
?© 2004 Bill Walker
wildbill6807 @ yahoo.com |
