Tommy - The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl? - Chapter 181

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Tommy
The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl?

A Novel By Teddie S.

Copyright © 2019 Teddie S.
All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 181


Back at it with a fresh insight.
It’s here. But, why is that also here?


I’d confessed to Amy that I was given peyote at the ceremony in the tipi. And, in her own way, she chastised me.

Dr. Joe and I were getting into the new research project for Los Alamos, and with the arrival of the technical information on the one integrated circuit, the work went into high gear. But, as I was working on the circuit diagram, something wasn’t making sense.

Amy and I had decided to get away for the weekend, and instead of going to the resort, we decided to head south to Las Cruces, home of the New Mexico State University. On the way down we made one side trip, we drove over to the Trinity Site which is the site of the infamous first atom bomb explosion.

In Las Cruces we didn’t do much, we did have a delicious dinner, and then some excellent star gazing. And, that included seeing a shooting star.

Sunday morning at about two-thirty I had an epiphany, I guess that’s what you’d call it, of what was bothering me about the research project. I woke Amy up when I shouted “damn” and she wasn’t happy about it.

After breakfast we had headed back to Albuquerque, but as we did on the way down we took a side trip. We went over to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico just so we could say we were there. After we were back on the road, we stopped at a rest area, and while we were there a guy walked off the walkway and got bit by a rattlesnake. Amy took charge, and we ended up going back to Truth or Consequences to take the guy to the hospital there. So, a three-hour trip turned out to be more than six hours.

To be completely honest, the weekend was a lot of driving for very little time doing things other than figuring out what may be wrong with the project. And, I guess helping the guy who was bitten by the rattlesnake was a good thing too.

When I talked to my parents on Sunday night, my dad told me that the ‘57 Chevy would be out here next Friday. Since Amy was working Noon till eight on Friday, Charlie, Jackie, and I were going to pick up the car, then pick up Amy at eight, and go to the drive-in for dinner.

Monday after my classes, I wandered over to Dr. Joe’s office, the light was on, but the door was locked. So, I used my key to let myself in. Dr. Joe looked up from whatever he was working on, and said, “So, how was your weekend, Kai.”

“Let’s get some lunch, and I’ll tell you all about it.”, I replied.

“Sounds good.”

I left my briefcase in the office, which we locked, and we went over to the faculty dining room. As we ate, I filled Dr. Joe in on what we did. When I finished Dr. Joe looked at me, and said, “Sounds kind of dull for you except for the guy getting bitten by the snake.”

“It kind of was. The Trinity Site was kind of interesting, but you couldn’t see much. The restaurant did have great food. But the best was Saturday night.”

“I don’t want to know what you and Amy did.”

I scowled at Dr. Joe, and said, “And, you never will.

“It was that I figured out what was bothering me about that circuit. But, now I’m not going to tell you that either. And, I’m also not going to give you a ride in the’57 Chevy when it gets here Friday.”

“What! You’re having the ‘57 shipped out here!?”

“Yep. It’ll be here on Friday afternoon.”

“Oh, come on, Kai. Just a ride around the block.”

“That wouldn’t be any fun. It has to be taken out on the open road.”

“So, will you.”

“You know, I will. Maybe even with the top down.”

“Is there any other way?”

“No.”

“So, what about the circuit?”, Dr. Joe finally asked.

“I was wondering if you’d heard me.”, I said.

“I did. It was priorities.”

“I see, the car is more important than the project is.”

“No. Not really. It’s just one is more exciting than the other. So, what’s with the circuit.”

“Two things. I figured out that one of the integrated circuits has been superseded, and the other one won’t work at all in that circuit. But, I think I know what we can replace it with. I’ll just need to do some digging in your library.”

“Dig away, my friend.”

After we were back in Dr. Joe’s office, I started digging through the binders that he has on integrated circuits. It didn’t take me long to find the one that was superseded. But, the replacement that I wanted for the other one was another story. It took me almost two hours, but I finally found it. I sat back in my chair and said, “Finally!”

“You found it?”, Dr. Joe said.

“Yes. You know one of these days there will be a computer with all this data in it, and you’ll be able to search it and quickly to get an answer.”

“You think?”

“I’d bet money on it.”

“No, bet. They are just doing so much with them that it’s hard to keep up with it.”

“That’s why I do a lot of reading. I’ll call Dr. Fontheim at Los Alamos, and see how they want to handle replacing the integrated circuits.”

I called Los Alamos and spoke with Dr. Fontheim. He was surprised that his people had made the error. I explained that the one integrated circuit that was superseded was a very recent upgrade. And, with the other integrated circuit that two numbers were transposed in the IC’s number. Dr. Fontheim said that he would expedite the replacements being sent to us, and it would probably be by courier. He thanked me for finding the problem.

When I hung up, I told Dr. Joe about my conversation with Dr. Fontheim. Then I said, “I think that I’m going to call it a day. I’ll get started on a circuit drawing tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me. See you tomorrow, Kai.”

As I stood, picked up my briefcase and purse, I said, “Say hi to Mary for me. Hágoónee', Dr. Joe.”

I walked to the apartment, and something smelled good. Amy was cooking. And, I said, “I’m home, and it sure smells good in here. Whatcha makin?”

“Oh. Nothing much.”, Amy replied. “I just thought that you might like frybread tacos for dinner.”

“Might like? No. I’d love frybread tacos. Can I help?”

“Of course.”

Dinner was great.

On Tuesday afternoon, I got started on the circuit drawing. And, about two in the afternoon, the phone in Dr. Joe’s office rang. Dr. Joe answered it with a, “Hello. This is Dr. Oshie.” …. “Oh. Hi, Sara.” … “A delivery that needs to be signed for. I’ll be right down. Bye.” As Dr. Oshie hung up the phone, he stood, and said, “Kai, I think our replacement integrated circuits are here. I’ll run down and sign for it, and be right back.”

“Okay.”, I said.

Dr. Oshie was back in about ten minutes with a package. As he set it down in front of me, he said, “Here you go Dr. Kai.”

“Dr. Joe. I’m not a doctor.”

“You might as well be.”

I picked up the package, opened it, and removed the two integrated circuits that were in it. I looked at them, and said, “Yes, these are the ones that I hold Dr. Fontheim to send. Would you put them in the file cabinet. We won’t need them for a little while.”

I spent another hour or two working on the diagram, then I called it a day. And, headed to the apartment.

There isn’t much to tell about the next few days other than I taught my classes, attended my grad level classes, and worked on the project. By Thursday afternoon, I had a reasonably functional circuit diagram done. And I felt happy about what I was seeing. Dr. Joe had gone over it and approved of what I’d done. Finding those two integrated circuits that had been given to us by mistake made all the difference. So, I figured that I’d start on a breadboard of the circuit on Monday.

Friday, I did teach my classes, but I was full of nervous energy. The ‘57 Chevy should be here this afternoon. So right after I taught my second class, I headed to the apartment. Dr. Joe knew that I wouldn’t be into work on the circuit and why. I was at the apartment at a little after eleven, and Amy was already in her nurses uniform. I still think she’s cute when she has her nurse's uniform on. Well, in all honesty, I think that she is really cute all the time.

When I walked her to the hospital, I carried her change of clothes for her, and she carried a small bag. I went with her to the nurse's locker room, and we hung her things up in her locker. As I was leaving to head back to the apartment, Amy said, “Kai, don’t forget to pick me up at eight.”

“That’s something that I’lll never forget to do.”, I replied.

She smiled at me.

I walked back to the apartment and tried to find something to keep me occupied. I went to take the guns out of the safe to clean them, and when I opened the door of the safe, it hit me. We’d forgotten to retrieve the silver from the safety deposit box. Well, at least it’s safe there. I got the pistols out of the safe and sat at the table to clean them. One o’clock came and went, and no phone call. I went down the basement and got the rifles, brought them upstairs, sat at the table again, and cleaned them. Just before two Charlie and Jackie came over. I got us something to drink, and we sat and talked. Two o’clock came and went, and no phone call.

At two forty-five the phone rang. I must have jumped five feet. I answered the phone and said, “Hello.” … “Yes, this is Kai Nez.” … “Yes, Mr. Rankin, I’m expecting a car.” … “Yes, I know where that is.” … “It’ll take us less than fifteen minutes to get there.” … “See you, then.”

As I hung up the phone, I looked at Charlie and Jackie and said, “Let’s go.”

“Kai, you seem a little excited.”, Jackie said.

“You could say that.”

The three of us got in the car and headed to where the truck driver had told me to meet him. It took us less than ten minutes to get there. We saw a tractor with an enclosed trailer, in a big empty parking lot. On the side of the enclosed trailer, it said, “J&J Car Haulers.

I pulled up next to him, and we got out of the car. And, a man climbed down out of the truck cab and said, “Miss Nez?”

“Yes.”, I replied. “I’m Kai Nez.”

“I have a delivery for you.”

“I know.”

“Those are cherry cars.”

I said, “thanks.” But, I thought, ‘Did he say cars?’

“Let’s start the paperwork, and then we’ll get them unloaded. Can I see some identification.”

I took my driver’s license and university ID out of my purse and handed them to him. Then he said, “These look good. I won’t have you sign that you’ve received them until you have a chance to look them over.”

“Okay.”, I said. But, I was thinking, ‘Why does he keep saying, 'them'?’

He walked to the back of the trailer, and pulled out a couple of long ramps, and attached them to the back of the enclosed trailer. Then he opened the back doors of the trailer, and I saw the back end of my ‘57 Chevy. He climbed up into the trailer and got into the car. I heard the engine start. I love the sound of that engine. We watched as he slowly and carefully backed the car down the ramp and drove it over to a place where I could look it over. As he got out of the car, he said, “Give it a good going over while I get the other one out. And, be sure to put the top up to make sure that it’s okay.”

‘Other one?’, I thought. ‘What the heck is he talking about?’

Charlie looked at the ‘57 Chevy, and said, “Kai, what you’ve told me about this car doesn’t do it justice. It’s just drop dead cool.”

“Thanks, Charlie.”, I replied. “I just love this thing.”

I started looking over the ‘57, and then I heard another car engine start. I looked over at the truck, and I saw a familiar back end of a car slowly come out of the trailer. And, I said, “Oh my God!”

Charlie had been looking over the ‘57 with me, he looked at me and said, “What’s wrong, Kai?”

I pointed to the back of the trailer and said, “That.”

Charlie looked and said, “Is … Is that a Corvette?”

I didn’t answer him but just stared in shock as the Vet was backed out of the trailer.

“Kai.”, Charlie said again. “What’s wrong?”

“Why is it here?”

“Whose is it?”

“It’s my dad’s ‘53 Corvette Roadster.”

“Did you know that it was coming?”

“No way.”

“That car is so cool.”

“Yeah. But, what the hell is it doing here.”

The truck driver parked the familiar white with red interior Corvette next to the ‘57 Chevy, got out, walked over to me, and said, “I need you to look over the Corvette too. Take your time, and do it right.”

“I … I … I didn’t know that the Vet was being shipped.”, I said.

“Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Your dad said to give you this.”, the truck driver said as he handed me an envelope.

I took the envelope, ripped it open, and read the letter that was in it. It said:

Surprise honey.

As you know by now I also shipped the Corvette to you. Like we've talked about, you’re mother and I are looking at selling the house, and I want the Corvette to be safe. And I couldn’t think of a safer place than with you. Besides, since we don’t have a new place yet, we don’t know if there will be room for it or not, since we bought your mom a new car.

I’ve also talked to your Uncle Paul. He is expecting you to bring the Corvette to the resort. He has a place to store it at the house. Then when you buy a house and if you have room, you can move it there. And, depending on what your mother and I find, I may have it shipped back here.

I’ve also added you as a driver to the Corvette’s insurance.

Also, notice the enclosed title for the ‘57. We thought it would be better if it had Kai Nez on it. So, we had the owner’s name changed. It should make it easier for you to transfer the title to New Mexico. Don’t ask.

See you in a couple of months.

Love,

Mom and Dad

I looked at the car title that was also in the envelope, and the name on it was now Kai Nez.

“Just wait until I get my hands on him.”, I said.

“Weren’t expecting it, Miss Nez?”, the truck driver asked.

“No, I wasn’t. Now, I have to figure out how to get three cars back to the apartment.”

I looked at Jackie and asked, “Jackie, do you have a drivers license?”

“Yes.”, Jackie replied.

“Charlie.”, I asked. “Can you drive stick?”

“Sure.”, Charlie replied.

“Okay. Jackie, would you drive the ‘67 back to the apartment?”

“Sure.”, Jackie replied.

“And, Charlie, you can drive the ‘57, and I’ll take the Vet.”

“Ah! Kai, I wanted to drive the Vet.”

“Charlie.”, I said. “I’ve never driven the Vet. My dad wouldn’t let me.”

“Miss Nez.”, the truck driver said. “I’ll be happy to drive the Corvette to where you live if you’re uncomfortable with it.”

“Thanks. I should be fine. I just want to get the feel of it before I get it on the street”

“Okay, Miss Nez.”

“Thanks. Give me ten or fifteen minutes to go over them. Then I’ll take the Vet for a drive around that parking lot.”

“No, rush. Take your time.”

Both Charlie and I went over the two cars carefully. We checked the exteriors, the convertible tops, the interiors, fluids, and tires, and neither of us could find anything wrong. So, I signed the delivery slips, and the truck driver handed me the keys to both cars.

I walked over to the Vet, opened the door, sat in the driver's seat, and closed the door. I had been in this seat many times before, but not with the keys in my hands. I looked over the dashboard, and got the feel of the pedals.

I started the car, and this car just purred. It’s powered by a 235 cu inch inline 6 and has a 2-speed automatic transmission.

I put the car in drive and drove it around the parking lot a little, stopping and starting a few times.

I drove over to where everyone was standing, turned off the car, and got out. The truck driver said, “No problems, Miss Nez?”

“No problems.”, I said. “It felt strange sitting so low.”

I was also a little nervous as I handed Jackie the keys to the ‘67 and the keys to the ‘57 to Charlie. And, I said, “I guess we’ll park the Vet in our garage, the ‘57 in your garage, and the ‘67 outside our garage.”

I thanked the truck driver for delivering the two cars in good shape. And. yes, I tipped him. And then the three of us headed for the apartments. I was leading our little parade. When we got to the apartments, I opened the garage door and backed the Vet in, Jackie pulled the ‘67 Chevy into our the driveway. And, Charlie pulled the ‘57 Chevy into their driveway. When we got back after dinner and possibly a drive, we’d pull it into their garage.

When Charlie walked over to our garage, he said, “That ‘57 has got some power.”

“It does.”, I said. “It’s got a 283-cubic-inch fuel-injected V8 engine that develops 270 horsepower.”

“It felt like it.”

Both Charlie and Jackie handed me the car keys.

On the drive back to the apartment, my mind had been working, and I said, “Let’s keep the Corvette a secret from Amy until we get back from dinner. She’ll wonder why the ‘67 Chevy is parked outside.”

“Kai.”, Jackie said. “You can be so bad. But I’ll go along with you.”

“It’ll be fun to see her reaction.”, Charlie said.

We still had a few of hours before we picked up Amy, so Charlie and Jackie went and did some things, and so did I. The first thing I did was call my mom and dad to tell them that the cars had arrived safely. My mother was the only one home, so we talked. And, I told her that it was a shock when I saw dad’s Corvette come off the truck. Then we talked about them selling the house, and I understood that the house was really too big for the two of them. And, mom promised me that they’d always have room for us when we visited.

Then I took a nap. But, I set the alarm clock just encase I did fall asleep, and I did. At a little before seven o’clock, the alarm clock went off and woke me up.

I walked next door, and Charlie and Jackie joined me at the ‘57 Chevy. We were all wearing coats, and Jackie had on a knit hat. The first thing we did was put the top down. Actually, it wasn’t that cold, it had made it to the mid-sixties today, which was nice for the eighth of March, and it was still above sixty at almost eight o’clock. But, the Sun had set.

Then Charlie and Jackie climbed into the backseat, and we drove over to the hospital. Of course, the hospital is on the campus, so there were students out and about, and the car got a good looking at.

We parked in an area of the Emergency Room’s parking lot that didn’t have many cars in it. And, as I got out of the car, I said, “I’ll be right back.”

I walked into the ER waiting room just as Amy was walking out of the ER. And we walked together to the car. I saw Amy smile when she saw the ‘57 Chevy. She walked over to it and said, “It’s so good to see this car again.”

I said, “Thanks. What about us?”

“Hi, Charlie and Jackie. It’s good to see you guys too. But it’s good to see an old friend too. Was there any problem picking up the car?”

“No, it got here about three.”

“No scratches or anything?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“I’m glad.”

“So, get in, and we’ll get some dinner.”

“Let me put my things in the trunk first.”

We walked to the back of the car, I opened the trunk for her, she carefully placed her uniform and bag in the trunk, I closed the trunk, Amy and I got into the car, and we headed to the drive-in.

Being a Friday night, also known as date night, the drive-in was busy. As we’ve seen before, there were cars cruising slowly around and around the building where the food was prepared. So, we joined them. Needless to say, the car drew some attention from the high school crowd who made up most of tonight's diners.

We finally found a parking spot and backed in. One of the carhops ran out to us, and we ordered. As we waited for our food, we talked, and Amy asked Charlie and Jackie, “Well, what do you two think of this toy?”

“It’s really cool.”, Charlie said. “It’s one of the coolest cars that I’ve ever been in.”

“I’ve missed it. We used it, except for the winter time, through our college time.”

“You drove this to campus!?”

“Oh no.”, Amy said. “We had a beater for going to school. We used this for other things.”

Just then, we heard someone say, “I should have known it was you, a Chevy with Ohio plates.”

I turned and looked, and it was our favorite carhop with our food. As I rolled up my window a little bit so that he could hook the tray on it, I said, “Hi. How are you.”

“Great. And, busy. Where did you get this sweet ride? And what year is it?”

“This is mine. I just got it from back home. And, it’s a ’57.”

“It’s strange to see a girl with a car like this.”

“I’m one of those girls that loves cars. I bought this one during my senior year in high school. It’s never seen snow.”

“Really cool! What’s under the hood?”

“A 283 fuel-injected V8, that develops 270 horsepower. And, a 4-speed manual transmission.”

“I’d sure love to get a ride in it.”

I just smiled.

“Gotta run.”, our friendly carhop said as he ran off.

“See you later.”, I yelled after him.

“Later.”, he yelled over his shoulder.

As I started handing out the food from the tray, Amy turned to Charlie and Jackie, and said, “He’s Kai’s boyfriend.”

I stopped handing out the food and said, “No, he’s not!”

“But, Kai.”, Jackie said. “He’s cute.”

“Now, don’t you start.”

The three of them laughed. Then I said, “No more food for you three.”

“Come on, Kai.”, Charlie said. “I’m starving.”

I did finish passing out the food. And we enjoyed sitting there, eating our food. And, yes, we all had ginger ale milkshakes, except for Jackie who went for a strawberry milkshake. I also needed to reset the radio stations on the car radio, so I found the university’s radio station and set a button for it. I’ll do the rest later. We also had fun commenting about the looks that we, or really the car, was getting.

After we finished eating, I turned on the headlights, and one of the carhops, not our friendly one, ran up, and asked, “All done?”

“Yep.”, I said.

“Was everything okay?”

“As always, yes.”

I paid and tipped him. And, before we left the drive-in, we cruised around the parking lot a couple more times.

Then we headed for Interstate 40 and went west. I wanted to run the car a little. It was a little chilly with the top down, but I didn’t hear any complaints. Of course, at better than 70 miles per hours with the top down, you couldn’t hear much.

We only went a couple of exits before we exited the Interstate and got back on headed east. As we were on the entrance ramp, I did, as they say, put the pedal to the metal, and we flew onto the Interstate. I didn’t punch it, I’ve never done that to this car and I never will. Then I slowed down to the speed limit.

I heard Charlie ask, “What did you have it up to?”

“Ninety. Plus or minus a little.”, I replied.

“I’ll bet it was plus.”

When we were back in Albuquerque, I got off the Interstate and headed for the apartment.

As we pulled up to the apartment, Amy asked, “Why is the ‘67 Chevy in the driveway? Is the garage door broken?”

“I’ll show you in a minute, let’s put this in Charlie and Jackie’s garage first.”

I pulled into their driveway, got out of the car, and opened the garage door. Then, I pulled the ‘57 Chevy into the garage, and everyone got out. I opened the trunk and retrieved Amy’s things, then we walked out of the garage door. I pulled the garage door down, locked it, and Charlie handed me the spare key to the door.

We then walked over to our garage, I took the remote control out of my pocket, and pressed the button. And, watched Amy as the garage door went up and she saw the Corvette. Her eyes got big, and her mouth opened. Then she looked at me, and asked, “What … What is that doing here?”

“Dad shipped it out here as a surprise.”

“A surprise! That is one heck of a surprise!”

“I know, you should have been with us when the guy backed it out of the trailer, and I recognized it. I’ll let you read dad’s letter when we’re inside. But, Uncle Paul has a place to keep this. So, we’ll be taking it to the resort soon.

“And, you know, I’m going to have to take these two to the dealer and have them set up for the higher altitude out here.”

“Did you talk to dad?”, Amy asked.

“No, but I talked to mom.”, I replied. “And they’re talking about selling the house and moving into something smaller, and dad wanting to have the Corvette someplace safe.”

“Selling the house!?”

“Yeah. It’s too big for just the two of them.”

“I guess it is. And, dad’s trusting the Corvette to you?”

“That what they said. And, then when they come out here, he can drive it.”

“Yeah. I guess he could. I just wish he’d warned us.”

“That would have been a good thing.”

“Just wait until Dr. Joe hears about this. And, I think that Dean Rutherford is also a car nut.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. When we were coming back from that last meeting at Los Alamos, we stopped for lunch. The Dean asked me about staying out here, and I told them that we were thinking about buying a house. Then I brought up bringing the ‘57 Chevy out here, and the Dean was more interested in the car then me staying or the house.”

“Boys and their toys.”

We said goodnight to Charlie and Jackie and after making sure everything was locked up, we went into our apartment. I handed Amy the letter from my dad, she read it. Then she said, “I think we need to get the Corvette up to your uncle as soon as we can.”

“Maybe next weekend.”, I said.

“What’s wrong with this weekend?”

“Oh. Nothing.”

“Then why not tomorrow?”

“Remember, I was never allowed to drive it. So, I thought I just might drive it a little.”

“Kai, if something happened to that car, your father would never forgive you. And, you’d never forgive yourself.”

“As usual, you’re right.

“Let’s have Dr. Joe and Mary over for dinner so that he can at least see it.”

“Tomorrow night?”, Amy asked.

“Sure. Then we can take the Vet to the resort on Sunday.”, I said.

“An up and back run?”

“Yeah. And it might be a way for you, Charlie, and Jackie to get a ride in the Vet.”

“How so?”

“Well, we’re going to need to take two cars.”

“True.”

“And, if Charlie and Jackie go along we can break the trip into thirds and the three of you can take turns riding with me in the Vet.”

“That may work if Charlie and Jackie can go.”

Saturday morning, I took a chance and called the local Chevy dealership to see if they were open and if the service department was open. And, the answer to both questions was, yes until Noon. So, I asked if the service department had time to set up a car for a change in altitude. And, since it only takes a few minutes, they could.

So, I moved the ‘67 Chevy over to Charlie and Jackie’s driveway, then Amy and I got into the Vet. Something new for Amy. I started the car, and pulled it out of the garage.

As we drove to the dealership, we attracted attention, and I even noticed an Albuquerque police car following us. I pulled up to the entrance to the service department, and beeped the horn, the police car pulled up behind us, and both policemen got out of their cruiser as Amy and I got out of the Vet. I said, “Good morning, officers. Is there a problem?”

“Oh. No, problem Miss.”, one of the officers said. “We just had to get a closer look at this car. Neither of us have seen one before. It’s a Corvette, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”, I said. “It’s a ‘53 Corvette Roadster.”

“She’s a beauty.”

“Thanks.”

“Could we see under the hood?”

As I opened the hood, I smiled and said, “Be my guest.”

The two police officers looked into the engine compartment. Then one of them asked, “Any idea what the top speed is?”

“My dad says that it’s somewhere around one-hundred miles per hour.”, I replied.

And, it wasn’t long until several people from the dealership had joined us. One of the salesmen said, “I have only seen one other 1953 Corvette, and that was when they first came out. This one is gorgeous.

“You do know that they only made three-hundred of them in ‘53 don’t you?”

“Yes, I think the serial number on this one ends in 297.”

“Is something wrong with it?”

“Oh no, nothings wrong. We just need to get it set up for the difference in altitude between here and Ohio.”

“I can take care of that.”, a man in coveralls said.

I looked at him, and it was the guy that I’d talked to when I’d had the ‘67 Chevy setup for out here. Then the man said, “Didn’t I do this on another Chevy for you a while back?”

“Yes, on our ‘67 Bel Air. And, I’ll be bringing my ‘57 Bel Air in soon for the same treatment.”

“You have a ‘57 Bel Air too!?”

“Yes, I bought it my senior year of high school, it’s never seen snow, and I want to keep it. We had it shipped out, and my dad sent the Vet along. The ‘57 is a twin of the one you have, or had, in the show room.”

“It’s still there.”, the man said. “It just goes to car shows. So, you’re ‘57 is souped up too?”

“No, it’s stock.”, I replied.

“Good. Keep it that way.”

“I plan to.”

“And, if I remember right you know more about cars than most guys do. This Vet isn’t yours too?”

“No, it’s my dad’s. He wanted it out here so that he’d have it to drive when he and mom are out here.”

“Okay, it’s a ‘53. They only had one engine that year a 235 cubic inch straight six if I remember correctly.”

“You do.”

“Okay. Pull it inside, and it should only take me fifteen minutes.”

I closed the hood and drove it into the service area. Of course, every mechanic that was working came over to look at it. The man from outside walked over, and said, “Have a seat in the waiting room, and I’ll have her done in fifteen minutes. Does it need an oil change?”

“I checked the sticker when it got here yesterday, and it had just been done. So, I’d say, no.”

Half an hour later, we were pulling out of the dealership and headed back towards the apartment. Amy said, “You know, it’s so cool riding in this car.”

“I know.”, I replied. “Want to take a spin and stop and see if Dr. Joe and Mary are home?”

“Do you think we should?”

“Sure. It isn’t that far. Besides, dad put me on the insurance.”

We took the long way around to Dr. Joe’s house. As we pulled into the driveway, I beeped the horn. I saw someone look out the front window, shortly the front door opened, and Dr. Joe walked out. He stopped, stared, and shook his head. Amy and I got out, and I was grinning. He walked over and said, “Where in the hell did you get this?”

“It was a gift from the Great Spirit.”, I replied.

“Kai!”

“It’s my dad’s. He shipped it out here with my ‘57 Chevy.”

“What year is it?”

“A ‘53.”

“A first year Corvette!?”

“Yes. My dad fell in love with the Corvettes when they first came out and he just had to have one.”

Of course, the hood had to be opened, and Dr. Joe was full of questions. Amy had wandered to the house and was standing at the door with Mary. Dr. Joe then asked the $64,000 question, “Can I get a ride?”

I grinned, and said, “I figured that you’d want one. We’re taking it to the resort tomorrow for storage. And I figured that you’d like to see it.”

“Let’s go.”

“Do you know where Dean Rutherford lives.”

“Sure. Why?”

“I figure him for a car nut because of the way he reacted the other day when I said I was bringing the ‘57 Chevy out here. And, I figure that he might want to see the Vet before I take it to the resort.

“How far is it from here?”

“About a mile and a half.” Dr. Joe said. “But, let me call him to be sure he’s home.”

“Don’t tell him what we’re bringing.”

As he headed to the house, he said, “I won’t.”

He was back in less than five minutes, and as we got into the car, Dr. Joe said, “He’s home and expecting us.”

“What did you tell him?”, I asked.

“That you have the ‘57 Bel Air, and were taking me for a ride and thought that he’d like to see it.”

I grinned, as I started the car, we waved to Amy and Mary, and I backed out of the driveway. Dr. Joe gave me directions, and his mile and a half turned into more than five miles. We pulled into the Dean’s driveway, and he walked out the door and said, “That’s not a ‘57 Bel Air!”

Dr. Joe and I got out of the Vet, and I said, “It shrunk.”

“Miss Nez. This is a classic. Is it yours?”

“No, it’s my dad’s. He shipped it out here with my ‘57. And, I thought that you’d like to see it before I take it to the resort for storage.”

“I really appreciate this. I’ve only read about and seen pictures of this model of Corvette.”

And, again there were all the questions about the car. Then, I asked, “Would you like a ride?”

“I thought that you’d never ask. But, I’d really like to drive it.”

“If it were mine, I’d have no problem letting you drive it, Dean. But it’s not. So, hop in the passenger’s side, and I’ll drive you around the block.”

He looked at me in shock, and sid, “Just around the block?”

I grinned and said, “Just kidding.”

I took the Dean for a ride and left Dr. Joe standing in the driveway. We were gone for about fifteen minutes, and when we pulled back into the driveway, Dr. Joe was sitting on the front steps waiting for us.

As the Dean got out of the car, he said, “Miss Nez, thank you very much for allowing me to see this car. The guys at the car club won’t believe it.”

“Do you have a camera?”, I asked.

“Yes.”

“Get it, and we’ll take a couple pictures of you with the car and even sitting in the driver’s seat.”

After we finished with the pictures, the Dean asked, “What about the ‘57 Bel Air?”

“It’s in the garage at the apartment.”, I said. “And I promise that you’ll get to see it very soon.”

“Would you be willing to bring it to one of our car club meetings?”

“I don’t know why not.”

Needless to say, when Dr. Joe and I were back at his house, we were in trouble with Amy and Mary for being gone so long. So, Dr. Joe and I were put to work making lunch for the four of us.

When Amy and I were back at the apartment, I called my aunt and uncle and asked if we could bring dad’s Corvette up tomorrow. And it wasn’t a problem.

That evening we ate dinner with Charlie and Jackie as Nunzio's, then played cards until bedtime. And, Charlie and Jackie are going with us to the resort, so everyone would get a ride in the Vet on the way to the resort.

~o~O~o~

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Comments

The Vette!

My5InchFMHeels's picture

What a nice surprise. Glad they have a place to put the car to make sure it's safe.

I think that dad made sure

I think that dad made sure there was a safe place to keep it before he sent it out to Kai.

Wonderful Teddie,

I turned 20 in 1953 so you brought back some great memories for me ,the 'Vette was " the car " and about as available
as hen's teeth "Down Under" and any appearance of one always drew a crowd. Thank you so much.

You're welcome. There were

You're welcome. There were only 300 of the '53 Vettes made so they are as rare as Hen's teeth.

Back in the dark ages....

NoraAdrienne's picture

I had a boss who owned a Vet. It was a 60 something and he took me out in it one day when we had to pick up some parts for a job. Those seats were sooooo uncomfortable. LOL

That Corvette

Monique S's picture

shares my birth year!

mgb roadsters

The only classic I ever had was a 1961 MGB roadster in red with black leather and spoke wheels. I had lovely holidays in southern France with it, while I was in the music industry. It had both, a soft and a hard top. Being in Hamburg it saw quite a bit of snow and the exhaust rusted away every winter. :( The engine, though, was a lot smaller. 4 cylinder 1800 cc with two Weber twin carbs. Its top speed was just as good as the Porsche, 214km/h. I raced one down to Zürich from Hamburg once, when there were no speed limits on the Autobahn still.

Monique S

Nice '61 MGB roadster,

Nice '61 MGB roadster, Monique. I have a love affair with the '52 MGB roadster, British racing green of course. But, I've never owned one. :-(

My father had a 57 Bel Air coupe in the late 50's

It was loaded too. It was that popular blue color exterior, and I think the interior was blue also. It had a 283 4 barrel, power windows and seats too if I remember correctly. It had an automatic, and I have no idea what the rear end was or if they could be optioned with a locking diff. My dad bought it used and was kind of luke warm on getting it. I said, "but daadd it has power windows and seats." I thought that was the neatest thing ever. He said, "yea, more to break." We bought it and sure enough, on a sub zero morning one winter he went out to go to work and the driver's side window switch had malfunctioned, and the window had rolled itself down and wouldn't come up. He had to go to work (50 miles each way) for a few days like that until he could get it fixed. He never liked working on cars himself. I think he sold it not too long after.

Another story about that car was that after getting gas the mechanic checked the oil and under the hood as was common in those days. The mechanic told my father that someone had disconnected the secondarys on the 4 barrel carb and he could reconnect them for free and it would only take a few minutes. My dad said, "heck no." He was driving 100 miles per day and he didn't want the fuel economy to get worse. The young mechanic was kind of shocked because those configurations were comparatively rare and powerful for those times and he didn't understand why someone wouldn't want to get the most power out of them.

I on the other hand enjoyed cars, and used it to good advantage when I used to interview for engineering jobs. I would always try to figure out if the interviewer was an engineer, and if he (never had a female engineer interview me) was a car guy. If he was, we would almost always talk about our cars for about 1/2 the interview. Always got a job offer after that too.

A 283 fuel injected 4 speed 57 would have been incredibly rare. Combine that with the Corvette and with today's market what treasures they would be.

It will be fun to see what Kai and Joe are working on for the lab this time. Thanks for another great read.

Kai and Ajie would really

Kai and Ajie would really love to have AC especially now with the car in New Mexico.

A rare '57 Bel Air and even more rare '53 Vet, real treasures.

Man but I do...

love this story. Every new chapter rounds out the tale of Kai and everyone he knows and loves. Such a beautiful tale. No spies, well not many, no superheroes, just some very special native and other people. Thank you so much for such an on going and wonderful tale. ^_^ T.

I am a Proud mostly Native American woman. I am bi-polar. I am married, and mother to three boys. I hope we can be friends.

Thank you for the great

Thank you for the great comments, captwbstr.

Enjoy them while you can

Because we only own cars for a short while, In many ways they are worse than dogs as far as lifespan goes, There is always some idiot ready to take them out on the road.

But, Wendy, cars are meant to

But, Wendy, cars are meant to be driven. But, also well cared for.

Correct parts do help

Jamie Lee's picture

Getting the right parts would make a big difference with the circuit they're working on. Wonder what they're making this time?

That '57, in that condition, will be parked in a lot where no other cars are parked, to keep it from getting dinged. They need to be real careful showing it off or they could get some unwanted attention from car thieves.

That vet is something else, not quite the aesthetics of the later models, but still nice looking.

Others have feelings too.