My second car

During 24 years after my first car at 16, I've had about total of 10 cars. Each one has a story. But for now, here's my story on the second car. (Please refer to my previous post on my first car).

In 1986, after my first car's demise, my uncle gave me a 1970 Ford Maverick. It was quite old but it had a new engine though. However, the muffler was broken so it was really loud whenever I turned on the ignition. The car was neon green, to my discernment.

I used to work at a Taco Bell, mostly working night shifts during the week and day shifts on weekends.

One month after I had just gotten the job, my parents announced they and my sister were going out of state to visit my uncle and his family for the weekend. At first, they were adamant that I join them but I insisted I did not want to jeopardize my job and was not merely interested in going anyway.

In spite of the fact that I was 19, they still were quite protective of me. They insisted that even though I could do whatever I wanted during daytime, I still would have to spend the night at their friend's house, which was about 10 minutes drive.

That weekend, my schedule temporarily changed to night shift. After my parents left, I stopped by their friend's house just to ensure they saw I was alright.

When they realized I would not arrive at their home till about 2 am, I was given a duplicate key so I would not have to wake them up. I merely nodded and smiled.

I absolutely had no intention of staying there overnight; I did not want to be "babied" anymore. I did not care of the consequences; I thought of a plan that could take care of it.

After cleaning up and closing Taco Bell, I proceeded to drive to my home and slept there overnight. The next morning, I got dressed and drove to the friend's house.

When they opened the door, they immediately asked if I was alright. They wondered why I never showed up and drove by Taco Bell around 3 am but it was dark. Also, they even stopped by my home but realized could not knock as I did not have any doorbell light then, nor a phone light either. (The relay system for deaf people in my state was not set up until in 1990).

I fibbed that when I got home from Taco Bell to pack up some clothes to take with me, my car would not start. I could not call so I had no choice but to sleep at home. The next morning, I decided to give it a try and the car just happened to start.

They said they almost called my parents but decided not to spoil their weekend. I quickly interjected I would explain to my parents myself. They merely nodded.

Whew, I thought I had everything in control.

Was I ever wrong.

On Sunday evening my parents came home with a surprise. My cousin decided to join them back to spend a week with me and my sister. (It was during summer time).

On Monday evening, I noticed my parents all dressed up. "Where are you going"? I asked, puzzled.

"To that friend's house for dinner. They wanted to talk to us."

I panicked. For two hours, I paced nervously, squirmed in my seat while watching TV, all in the while frequently glancing out the window for my parents' return.

When they finally walked in the door from the garage, I pretended to sit on the sofa calmly. I casually asked, "Hi..how was dinner?"

My father was in a sour mood. I did not dare approach him.

I decided to bid them good night and go straight to bed when my father interrupted me.

"Tomorrow morning, I would like you to get dressed and be ready by 9 AM, SHARP!"

"What for??", I asked, puzzled. He stated not to ask any questions.

Imaginations ran wild in my mind.

The next day, to my surprise, everyone was dressed as well to join me and my father.

After some 20 minutes drive, we stopped by someone's house that I did not recognize. Everyone got out except me. From the backseat, I watched my father talk to some man on the driveway.

I could not figure out what was going on and what my father was up to.

Looking around, he noticed I was still in the car. Annoyed, he motioned me to get out.

Nervously, I slowly approached him.

"Nita, what do you think of that car?", he pointed to a white car, a 1981 Chrysler.

I merely glanced and said it was fine. Puzzled, I asked what that was for.

My mother smiled and replied, "Surprise! Your father's buying you a car".