Looking back on times past, one will usually recall an event that qualifies as a first time. Such was the time I bought my first car while living in our small town of Bellflower. I was either 14 or 15 years old, can’t remember, but not old enough to have a driver’s license. I was working at John Worsham’s Service Station and saving my money to eventually buy a car, for it was the 50’s and it was cool then to have a car with duel glass pack exhausts, fender skirts, lowered in the rear, dice on the rear view mirror and certainly a radio! Bob Oden had a for sale sign on a real beauty next door from the service station, it was a gray 1948 Ford two door sedan with a hooded split windshield, good tires, and a “Radio!” So I asked John Worsham the best way to buy the car, for it was my first time as a car buyer. He said to offer Bob less then what he was asking and go from there. So I walked over to the Oden’s house on the corner next to the tavern and asked how much Bob wanted for the car. Bob said $125.00 and asked me if I wanted to check it out. I am not sure today if Ann Combs went with us to look at the car or not, for I was in deep meditation on car buying and wanting to appear savvy. I sat behind the wheel while Bob gave me a rundown on the car and its particulars. Then Bob said take it for a spin and see if you like it, so we headed out of town on the gravel road out toward Ben Hudson’s place. At one point out of town Bob said “don’t you want to shift now Jim?” I replied, “oh yeah, how do you do that?” for I was still in first gear. Oh my, I was exposed…! Although I worked at the service station, at that time I never drove the cars we worked on. So Bob gave me driving lessons while I was checking out the car he was selling. Once back from the test drive I asked if he would take $100.00 for the car, Bob thought for a minute and then said he would split the difference with me…I asked “what does that mean?” At that point all my savvy was gone. So, we agreed on $112.50 for the sale. Jack Adam’s wife was a notary, so the sale was completed. My Mother said I could drive the car in our pasture, but not on the open road. My grandfather Alford Clark was mayor of Bellflower at that time and lived 3 blocks down from our home. He also said he better not catch me on the road driving the car. So I parked it across the street from the service station for a while until the excitement in town of my first car purchase calmed down. Harold Clark, Don Davis and I would take nighttime spins in it, which was cool, until I finally parked it at my house. Much later on I reminded Bob about the car purchase and I thanked him for the driving lesson, he laughed and said he enjoyed that day. Living during that time was so much different and simple compared to present day. There were no ordinances or town police, (well yes, there was an appointed sheriff who had a badge, but no pay) but…. there were elders, including the women that kept a keen eye on all the youngsters’ activities. Even though this story exposes my youthful inexperience, it does relate on how it was “back then.”
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 14:25:19 +0000
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