5/19/2014

Name is Changed to Protect the Guilty

When I was in High School, I could look out the window and see the Ford Dealership right across the road.   I will say they were the Runner Motor Company but that is just a made up name.  There was a son in that family that went to school with us.  I use the term US because there were over a thousand students and unless you knew someone pretty well, chances are you wouldn't have many classes with them.  The son of that Ford Dealership owner's name was Kris.   I think he had the distinction of being one of the few guys that was held up in the locker room after gym class.   I didn't hear how much money was stolen or if the perps were caught.   There were about 400 students in our class and Kris and I weren't the best of friends.

Do you remember what happened in 1964?  Yes dear one's the Ford Motor Company changed the name and the body style of the Falcon (a crappy car in my opinion) and out popped the Mustang.  Only a few guys were lucky enough to have one that first year.  Kris had a great convertible and he was a hit with the girls.  I will have to give it to him that he was probably not that bad looking and a hot car didn't hurt. 

Needless to say, Kris and I were not in the same Social Circles and I had to work to afford my 55 Chevy and a girl friend at the same time.   I worked out at Rock Road and  Kellogg there in Wichita.  The station was a main building with a circular building in the middle of the gas pumps. It kept me hopping to man the drive there and I worked darn near a 40 hour week.  Needless to say, my grades in school weren't stellar and I was in need of a nap - a lot. 

Rock Road and Kellogg was the major intersection on the east side of town and you could go east to Augusta  on a great road and south to McConnell AFB on a two lane road.  We were the last place before the Turnpike entrance and we got a lot of traffic as people would stop and fill up.  I always checked the oil and looked the fan belts over.  I made a lot of extra money selling fan belts and wiper blades. 

Did I mention that the road going east was a great road and many of my friends would bring their cars out there and hit it hard going East?  One night Kris stopped in driving a 427 Cobra and he was in a panic.  He had driven the Cobra as fast as it would go and the speedometer was twisted off at the maximum speed of 160.  He didn't know how he was going to explain it to his dad.  I reached in and tapped the dash right over the needle.  The speed dropped down about 20 MPH and I hit it again.  Another 20 MPH fell off.  When I continued to tap it and it got to 60 MPH, he said quit!   Dad will believe that. 

After High School, I did not hear what happened to Kris.  I'm sure that he went off to some college with a new Mustang and did well.  Those of us that did not go and do well in College would up in Drafted and in the Army if we were lucky.  When I was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for Officer Candidate School, many of the guys went down to Burk Burnett, Texas and bought a new car.  I had to keep the 61 Volvo Dad and I bought but I loved that car.  Drove it many miles and while it wasn't a new Mustang or a Cobra, it got me to where I needed to go. 

After all, who needs a chick magnet and anything more than basic Transportation. Well....

MUD

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