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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Mom Said They Couldn't Take Him Back

VieYou got time for a quick story?

Ahem.

My last official purchase whilst still living at my parents’ house – and the mode by which I left it – was a 1968 Ford Falcon, an old car in great shape.

All it needed was speakers for its intriguing stereo system.

And when I refer to a stereo “system”, let us be clear that the “system” was a radio with a built-in cassette player.

I wasted no time in getting two used speakers at a garage sale.

For two dollars, you just knew they had to be good!

I ran the wires from the radio to the speakers in the back and fell asleep that night with dreams of how I would make this car really cool, maybe dropping the chassis, having my name etched into the glass on the driver’s side window, buying a metal clip with a big feather attached to it for a key chain and similar necessary and perfectly legal things.

When I awoke, however, and went out to drive my new car to my new job, I could not help but notice the number of things that had accumulated in my car overnight.

Sand. Lots of sand. A pair of swim fins. Several empty Budweiser beer cans. A man’s swim trunks. A woman’s bikini top but no bottom.

The mind. She boggles.

There was a note on the front seat from my brother. He is one year younger than I and has been the figurative elbow in my ribs since they brought him home from the hospital. Attached to the note was a single dollar bill.

“Hey, Squirrel. Nice car. Ha ha. Nice stereo. You should get another set of used, blown speakers and double your sound quality! Ha ha. Here’s a dollar for you. Buy yourself some gas. Ha ha ha. Your loving brother, Kevin.”

My brother.

He's a funny guy.

19 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
...but you love him, donchya? Just a weeeeee bit? At least at Christmas?

Well, at least you could trade the car later. Brothers are kind of a lifetime guarantee sort of deal.

Have a great weekend. YAM xx

jabblog said...

Just what you needed . . . ;-)

Sioux Roslawski said...

I had an old Falcon, a shift on the column car, if I remember correctly.

What a great brother!

Anonymous said...

He christened your car for you. yuck.

The Savage said...

I just wish I had a road legal vehicle that functioned... alas, I am car-less.........

Jackie said...

What a great story....sounds just like something a brother would do. Down here, we call him Bubba.

joeh said...

That is just wrong on so many levels!

jenny_o said...

That's the problem with garage sales AND brothers - there's no money-back guarantee.

Geo. said...

Squirrel-Pearl-Yes, this is the sort of rhyming brothers do.

Lorna said...

There is a part of me that envies you for this.

Cloudia said...

Oh brother! :-)


Aloha

Unknown said...

Don't you just love siblings?

chlost said...

You DID get back at him, didn't you?

sage said...

Siblings are wonderful! Great story.

Rose L said...

Brothers, aren't they fun. You can hardly live with them and you can't kill them. Well, you can but prison is no fun.

Elephant's Child said...

Oh yes. Brothers. Sigh. Love them and sometimes, just sometimes, don't even like them much less love them.

Connie said...

Brothers are funny creatures, that's for sure. Well, I know mine is anyway. :)

Douglas said...

He not only brought the car back but gave you a token amount for gas. That is two more things than my brother would have done. In fact, my brother still owes me $100 for the car I sold him before I went in the navy!

Anonymous said...

He sounds like a PEACH!