This is part 3, if you haven’t yet be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of this epic tale.
In September, I got a job in South Deerfield doing data entry for the “famous” candle company. An easy, laid back position with the bonus of coming home smelling like candles! I wasn’t even in a building that made candles, the only candles I saw were in the mock stores used to create the plan-o-grams and I reeked!
One day, either at work or along the way home, I touched something. I have no idea what I touched but I have very sensitive skin. I don’t know if I had a reaction to a candle that I touched, mold, or a plant but I touched something that causes my hands to erupt in small blisters that were extremely itchy!!
I called out of work the next day. My hands had gotten worse over the night and I kept waking up, catching myself itching thus breaking the blisters. After I called out I drove over to the emergency room. I had to go there because I didn’t have heath insurance. Matter-of-factly, they gave me a prescription for prednisone and a slip for my work.
Even with the doctor’s note and my hands as evidence, the client didn’t seem to understand the necessity of my calling out. They must have thought the white gloves I wore during the recover were a fashion statement. The assignment was scheduled to end in a couple of weeks and 9 out of the 10 business days that remained I heard at least one comment on my gloves.
During this time, my Toronado was still illegal. I tried to keep to my plan of only driving back and forth to work. I made sure to set the cruse to the speed limit and not bring any undue attention to the car. I even took the weapons from the trunk. If I needed to get someplace I’d tag along with either Lee (something it was him and his girlfriend) or his cousin Jesse. Because of Jesse’s schedule, he couldn’t come along on many trips, so Lee and I mostly had the adventures.
Right off the bat, let me say that Lee was a great driver! I’d give him a hard time sometimes because not only was he the safest driver I knew, he was also the most reckless. Each thing he did with the car I thought was cool, I equally thought was terrifying.
Once, on our way to the Ingelside Mall, we stopped in Greenfield to take out some cash and fuel up. Lee had a white, 2-door Buick Skyhawk. It had a peppy 4-cylinder engine he knew how to get full power out of.
With the tank topped off, Lee went inside to pay. He came running out of the station, jumped on the hood, ran across and hopped down. The car was paid for and he wasn’t bothering anyone it was innocent and playful. As he was showing off, a car drove by and yelled something scolding at him. “Grow up”, “Get a life”, or maybe even “You asshole.” All seem like something that could have been said. At this point only Lee and the old man (yes, old man but I’ll get to that in a minute) know for sure.
The next thing I or his girlfriend - who is sitting in the back - knew, we’re in a high-speed chase! It was like the movies! No, it was like frogger! He was weaving and dodging through the cars like that damned frog attempting to cross the road and the river while avoid cars and logs. It was a little scary at first as I didn’t quiet understand why we were chasing the car but as he drove he explained it to me and I was pumped, it soon was very exciting! No one is going to yell shit at us and get away with it! Booya!
Car after car was passed or cut off, there were no accidents - so fear not! With Lee’s adept driving skill, he caught up with the offending car that’d stopped at an optometrist's office next to a pizza/sub place. He whipped the car around and blocked a side road.
“Take care of my car if this goes bad!” He tossed his hat on the seat, ran out and over to the other car. As he was heading over there, his girlfriend and I had our own situation. One of the car’s he’d cut off pulled in behind us and the driver got out of the car.
The woman came over to the open driver’s side door. “What the hell is wrong with you?” the woman demanded of us. Lee’s girlfriend and I looked at each other.
I shrugged. “Lots of stuff, lady.” I wish it had been zingier! Like – Oh, your face! Yeah, that would have been a sweet line!
“I have my son in the car with me! You could have killed us! Someone call the police!”
“Look, lady. See where I’m sitting! You’re squawking to the wrong guy!” Is what I should have said, instead I nodded my head and said “Uh-huh.”
While the woman was boring us, I missed the exchanged between Lee and the passenger of the car. No fisticuffs, only words were exchanged. All that for nothing! Lee walked away from the car laughing. He walked past the woman who attempted to block his way.
“Get the hell out of my way!” He got past her and sat in the drivers seat. With both hands she held on the partially rolled down window to try and prevent him from closing the door. “Bitch, you better not break my glass!”
“I have my kid in that car! You could have killed us!”
“Let go of my car before I run you down!” He pushed the door into her and pulled back, she couldn’t hold on. Lee floored it, chirping the tires and we made our get away. To get the final word, the lady yelled, “I’m calling the police!” Someone should have told her to have a nice day, now that would have been great.
We made it to the mall and did some shopping. Lee bought a new car stereo and some 6x9s. I forget what, if anything, I happened to buy. The incident wasn’t thought of or mentioned again until we got back to the apartment.
“Well, I guess I should call the cops and see if that fat-ass reported me.”
I was shocked and impressed. He could do the crime and willing to do the time! What a guy! “You serious?” I had to ask, no way was he really serious.
He was already dialing. “Hi, this is Lee (so & so). I was just wondering, are you looking for me?” Those were really his word – you looking for me?
“Should we be, sir?” I was listening over his shoulder.
“I’m just wondering if any complaints were called in against me or anything like that. I had some car trouble earlier today – my plate number is (blah blah).”
“Well, I don’t see anything but if you’d like to come down to the station we could talk more about it.”
“Heh. No thanks, that’s all right. Thanks for checking.” He hung up. That blow hard didn’t call the police after all. I believe we then partook in the pizza eating and watching of the home video.
There were other, smaller incidents and more reckless driving, but we were never caught and we never got into any accidents. Luck of the dice, I suppose.
My Toronado was in rough shape and it was getting rougher. I had no power steering. I didn’t know that the power steering line ran along the passenger’s side of the undercarriage, I guess to allow for cooling – I’m not a mechanic I just own the wrenches. I didn’t know but I really wish I had. I also didn’t know that one of the mounts was broken and the line was hanging off the car. Again, something I really wish I had known.
While on a dirt road driving to my mother’s, the line got caught on something and it jerked the car off the road. A branch went into the passenger side window, breaking it into thousands of pieces. The line was snapped and fluid was leaking on the ground.
Luck, though, finally smiled on me. One day driving home, I spotted a Toronado on the side of the road for sale. The cardboard sign said $100. The interior was ripped to hell and gutted. The motor was picked apart and stripped. The windows, on the other hand were in good shape.
I knocked on the door of the house. The guy came out and knocked my socks off. He said if I could get a tow truck there today I could have it. FREE! SCORE! I had a tow truck there in 15 minutes. I had them drop off the parts Toronado in the lot behind the diner. After paying a $50 tow bill, I was still ahead.
The data entry assignment ended in late October. Rent was coming due. A tuna sandwich and two meals of white rice a day, almost every day isn’t that great - believe it! Where would I find my next job, was a free parts car too good to be true and when would the boys in blue pay us another visit ? And is there possibly love in the air for our hero? This and more in the next installment!
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