Cars

I watched an old movie yesterday that was set in 1957 and they had my first car. Here it is, a 1949 Chevrolet that I inherited from my parents when I was 16. I drove it to Haltom High School and all over Ft. Worth for 3 years. The gas gage did not work. I could not tell you how many times I ran out of gas. I had a little notebook in the glove compartment where I was supposed to write down the mileage when I put gas in it (for 19 cents a gallon), but that didn't seem to help me much. One day, I was supposed to take my little sister to a play date and my mother ask me, "Do you have enough gas?" I allowed as how I did and she answered, "Well, don't call me if you run out." When I called her, I asked, "Mama, who do you want me to call?"This was the first car Basil and I bought after we got married. It was a beauty. It was the only car we ever bought "on credit". The payments were $49 a month. Our rent was $95. I made $400 a month.
This was one of the favorite cars I ever drove. The reason: With the motor in the back,it was easy to drive on the icy streets of downtown Ft. Worth on my way to the operating room at St. Joesph Hospital every morning or in the middle of the night when I was on call. The first time I drove those icy streets, in that camero, I was more convinced than any time in my life that I was about to die. I was pregnant with Jenny. The VW was an answer to a prayer I prayed that morning. "Lord, please let me live to see this baby and raise her.