19 Dec Where Did it Start
For me, it all started when I was 4 years old. That’s when I got an inkling that I might have a “car problem” later in life. Yup, there I am, 4 years old at 88 Sunshine Drive in Marlborough, MA going all 4 year old.
My grandfather had a 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood, black of course, with the blue interior. That may sound like a terrible combination but back then, it was perfect! It was so cool because it had the ignition on the dashboard, not on the column…whoa! The coolest thing was after started, my grandfather would take the key out of the ignition and it kept running – it was like a magic trick to a kid. The dash was massive and it felt like you were as safe as if you were in a tank. Well, that’s because you were; the car was 20 plus feet long so it felt like you had city walls all around you.
The coolest thing was after started, my grandfather would take the key out of the ignition and it kept running – it was like a magic trick to a kid.
This car drove like you were on a cloud, which was really cool but now that I am older and drove one, I totally understand the feeling of being on a cloud in a straight line – it was amazing. However, that same cloud was not so amazing when you had to actually turn! In the specs, when it gets to HANDLING, all that is listed are the tires. That, right there, will tell you all you need to know about cornering. But, you don’t have a 1967 Fleetwood for the cornering. You have it for that pillow top feel, you have it for the impression it made as you drove down the street. Not only did the suspension feel like a cloud, the interior seats were like mattresses; a big pillow top mattress. I remember on a trip to Florida, waking up at the George Washington Bridge and realizing there were three people sleeping across the back seat, comfortably! This car made an impact wherever it went.
As I do, my grandfather also had the penchant for not keeping cars very long – he wasn’t as bad as I have turned out to be – but I come by it naturally. In fact, that Cadillac was the only car I remembered him owning up until that point and I was not ready for it to be sold. At one point, he had even promised me that I would get that car. I didn’t really know what that meant but I knew it meant it was mine!
So, the day comes when he decided to sell the car. After all, he probably didn’t even remember telling me that I could have the car. And to be fair, I might have even made that up, I really don’t remember. Besides, even if he had remembered, it was 13 years before I could even drive anyway.
At one point, he had even promised me that I would get that car. I didn’t really know what that meant but I knew it meant it was mine!
I remember vividly the man who came to get the car, it was 1974-ish, and he had longer hair, jeans on, a wool type jacket. Oh, he was younger, too. He was no more than early 20’s – certainly not the type of person who deserves MY 1967 Fleetwood! So, I did what I thought was best. I used all my maturity of 4 years and…
I started crying and screaming and then hid behind the couch! Damn right, I am going to show him that he can’t sell MY car. I sat behind that couch crying for the entire time the guy was there to pick up the car. Then, after he had left, I showed everyone and I stayed behind that brightly, flowered couch for what felt like a day but was probably 10 minutes or so. I was going to prove my point. I was going to show I meant business. I’m surprised I survived that experience 😊 Not a highlight of behavior! It’s funny, I grew up in an Italian household with the AC always on and the windows never open. If you know Italian families, you know that everyone goes to the grandparents house and we had HUGE Sunday dinners, but there were always people there. But, every one of them smoked. So? Well, I grew up in a 1200 sq ft house with the windows closed and 20 people smoking cigarettes. The surprise is not that the cigarette smoke didn’t kill me but that my behavior that night didn’t 😊
It took me a long time to get to the point that I could afford anything near what my grandfather had in that car, but it didn’t stop me from loving every one of my cars, well except for two, that I absolutely hated…
What’s your list?
