“There’s popcorn over there.” She pointed at a small popcorn machine near the pharmacy desk.
The familiar red, white, and blue Pepsi logo filled the dark room. Why had they repeatedly called it a Coke machine? There was a large sign on the door that said 'Vending". Why was the sign needed? The machine rejected the bill a few times. I stretched it taut between my hands while rubbing it against the edge of the machine. I had watched dad use the same technique. The machine finally accepted it after a few attempts. The cold Mountain Dew burned my throat. I quickly finished and bought another since they were only fifty cents. I grabbed some popcorn and settled into a seat near the front of the showroom.
I observed the lot and its heat, but dad was nowhere to be found. I slowly stood up and stepped closer to the window, my stomach dropped as my eyes frantically scanned everything.
“Its okay, your dad went for a ride with Larry. He told me to tell you to wait for him in here.” She gently touched my back while beaming the now familiar smile. I wondered if dad had actually told her that, or was it a standard thing said during test drives. Then again, there is the chance he had left, it's not like it had never happened. The incident at the bowling alley popped in my head, but I quickly pushed it away.
I looked to the left where our car was parked. The lime green Ford LTD stood out. Its driver side front fender was a different shade of green. Dad had replaced it after an accident – that was an exciting trip to the junk yard.
All of the old, wrecked cars lined up - you can either remove the part yourself or get them to do it - dad had done it himself since cheaper. I had kept track of the bolts and other small parts. The dark green finish on the new fender clashed with the rest of the car. We found some green spray paint at K-Mart, but it was nowhere near the original color of the car. Dad liked to call it his tank, I loved sitting in the front on that long bench seat as he drove.
I was startled when dad touched my shoulder. Old Spice enveloped me as he sampled my popcorn and took a long drink from my can. I never liked drinking after people. Mom forbid it, but dad said she didn’t need to know everything. I wiped the can with my sleeve when he was not looking.
“What do you think of that?” Dad motioned at the gray car in front of the building.
“Nice.” I didn’t know what to say.
"It's a Camaro. Remember the blue one I had?"
"The one with the rusted trunk lid?"
"That's right, it did have some damage on the trunk." He laughed like it was a joke.
"You always said you hated that car."
“Did I say that? Well, would you like to go home in that?” He smiled proudly while staring at the car.
“I thought you were just looking?” Everything had suddenly changed, I wanted to go home - call mom to pick me up.
“Well, I did look.” He smiled while staring at the women that had helped me.
“I thought you wanted something bigger? You had talked about a truck.” I searched for anything to support my case.
“Sir, the credit check went well. Follow me so we can review the paperwork.” Burt rudely interrupted us.
“Dad, don’t you.” I stopped as he turned and walked away.
I watched as Burt repeatedly visited the pharmacy desk. Other salesmen escorted people around the lot. I smiled as Burt and another man slowly circled the tank. The other man elbowed Burt and they shared a laughed. I wondered what was so funny.
“You ready to ride home in style?” Dad beamed while hovering over me.
“Sure.” I observed the now familiar car through the window. I hated myself for wanting to ride in it.
“C’mon, let’s go put our stuff in it.” Dad said.
“Okay.” I plodded behind him. I felt a sense of loss as we approached the tank. I wanted to ride in it one more time. I kept thinking of all of the places we had been in it.
I ignored Burt as we transferred things from the big trunk to its smaller counterpart. Fishing poles, tackle boxes, sleeping bags, tools, our tent, and much more rested on the hot pavement. It resembled a big puzzle as dad arranged the items.
“Well, the green monster is gone. Let’s hop in the gray ghost.” Dad announced.
I plopped into the passenger seat and slammed the door. I adjusted the side mirror, but dad made me move it so he could see. He slowly pulled from the curb as I spun around for a last glance at the tank.
“I bet you’re hot?”
“Yeah.” I smiled with a shrug as moisture covered my body.
He pushed a lever to the right and warm air exploded from the louvered vents.
“Well, that is odd.” Dad mumbled while pulling to the side of the road.
“Does it have a/c?” I mumbled to myself with immediate regret, but there was nothing on the controls that indicated air conditiioning.
“Well, I assumed it did.” He responded with a sheepish smile while playing with the levers on the dash.
My heart sank as I watched embarrassment and subsequent anger erupt in his eyes. I knew mom would laugh about it. So, I vowed she would not find out as we raced down the highway with our arms dangling from the windows.
I held my hand out the window and leaned forward to get air to my wet back as we we raced down the highway.
