Fast Cars

Nelson was so kind and sharing, that I would be the first in line to shine his halo. But it is his unique, impish and competitive nature, that held me in awe of his childlike humanness.

After Nelson had played tag with a deer on Clopper Road one night and had lost, I asked him why he did not consider getting a new car. He had always been frugal in his personal expenditures since I had known him and was meeting all of his responsibilities, so why doesn't he just live a little? Who cares what the Jones' think. Gosh darn it, he was hanging onto that Cougar as if it were something. He mentioned that he did like Bill's polo green 'vette and wasn't going to change his idea of the ultimate car, but I told him anyways. I told him that vintage Corvettes, Jaguars, and fully decked out, custom, 4 - wheel - drive trucks were real men machines and that only old men with gold chains around their necks, women whose daddies bought one for them, and ghive, bee-bop, swinging single types owned new 'vettes. (OOoops, did I hear a whistle of competition blow in my ear when I said that?)

Yep, within days Nelson had listened to my suggestion about getting a new car and yep he had bought the polo green 'vette and yep he was going to change my opinion about the damn thing. Now, Nelson knew I would be offended if he offered the first ride to another friend, who also happened to be a young, pretty blonde. This was apparent, when he pulled up in front of me at a meeting and let Heidi out and then leaned over and smiled the words, "Care for a test run?" Of course I then got in and promptly started one of my rare silent treatments. He had one of those big Snidley Whiplash grins on his face. Now at first I read this grin as saying, "I am tickled that you are jealous, but you know a man's got to do what a man's got to do to show that he makes his own decisions, besides I bought it, right?" Later I figured out that this car brought out this Roger Ram Jet look on Nelson's face every time we rode in it. I also think he must have prayed a lot before he drove it... whew.

It was then off to the races. Nelson was out to prove the car's worth by showing me its special features, while driving out towards the country and his home.

"This is cool Christine - watch this!" He then proceeded to step more heavily on the accelerator, as we were traveling around tight curves. "Notice as the engine gets louder when I go faster, the volume of the stereo automatically steps up on its own!" he exclaimed with wonderment.

He had gotten my attention at this point, and as I was stamping on my invisible passenger brake, I had to yell over all this commotion, "Nelson could we please use the volume knob instead?!?!"

He assured me that the car was handling like smooth silk and not to worry. All I could see was blurred curve, driveway, blurred curve, driveway, one after another. I finally had to speak up again, swallowing my ego about being cool & loving a thrill.

"Please slow down Nelson! A car could back up out of one of these driveways. We would never see it in time and there would be shattered fiberglass all over the place!"

I will never forget his confident, assured, calm Daddy voice. With a very debonair look he said, "Christine, that is what airbags are for."

Today, I often wonder what Nelson would think about my new job and how he may have prepared me for it. I became a certified License Examiner for the State of Maryland.