Learning to Drive

You know Jay tried to teach me, but I have little patience and he was so nervous
that I would wreck HIS CAR, that things did not go well. My Dad wasn't into that
kind of thing, so I was 21 before I finally found someone who would take the time
to teach me.
Introducing Homer Williams. He was the Accountant that the school hired to
oversee the Accounting Office at Huntington Park High School. I took Accounting
as one of my classes. We struck up a friendship as well as a working relation-
ship during the years I was finishing my education. I was elected Commissioner
of Finance in my Junior Year so spent even more time in the office as I was
responsible for arranging all the finances for the activities at the school. I made
the arrangements for the tickets to be printed in the print shop, and getting them
sold. I took care of the box office at all the school football games. Well it was
a lot of work, Homer helped with the deposits, etc. as everything had to go through
him.
We kept in touch following my graduation, and when Jay and I got married we use
to go out to Homer and Louise Williams home on week-ends and the kids would
play and we would visit. Homer never had much of a place, but we were always
welcome, and enjoyed the time we spent with the family.
When I wanted to learn to drive, Homer was working for Challenge Dairy selling to
Schools, etc. Of course the quantity was pretty big, but they had good ice cream
and Mom and Dad had a large upright freezer, so we bought ice cream from him.
He was concerned that I didn't know how to drive because we lived way out in
the "boon docks" as they said in those days - we were in Norwalk, CA. He had
customers out in that area so would come by and pick Paul and I up and I would
drive as Homer would instruct me to where he had to go. Now you have to be
informed back in those days they didn't have car seats like we have today. It
was just a seat with hooks that fit over the seat. No straps, nothing. If the seat
went, so went the kid. Kinda of scarey when you think about it today. Who
knew?
Homer took a big chance letting me drive in the Company Car, but he trusted me
and I was most careful not to do anything that would cause trouble. The lessons
were regular, and it was no time until I could qualify to take the test and get a
drivers licence. Once I got my licence, Jay found another worker who lived a few
blocks from us and they traded off driving so their wives could have the car for
a couple weeks a month to do their shopping, etc. In fact the week we were
carless was when the wives would share their car so there was very little time
we couldn't get to the store, or Doctor. It really helped.
The car we had was the one Jay bought after he came back from the War. It was
a 1941 Chev two door sedan. Black. It had a stick shift, which no one sees these
days. I had to learn to drive both a stick on the floor and one on the steering
wheel. Back then we used a clutch to shift the gears with, so it took both hand
and foot co-ordination. Today with automatics, it isn't all that hard to drive. No
clutch no shifting. Took me awhile to drive an automatic. I didn't want to get
lazy in case a stick shift was all that was available in an emergency. Progress
and times have changed a lot of things.
I told Jay I wouldn't get a licence until I knew how to change a tire. He taught
me how to do that, and I can remember coming out of the Maywood, CA Post
Office and finding a tire had gone flat. I proceeded to jack the car up, take the
tire off and replace it with the spare - oh, and in those days they were regular
size tires, not the whimps cars have today. I was just across the street from
a gas station, and one of the guys came over and asked me if I would'nt like
him to help? I told him I was capable of doing it. He missed a sale on that one
but I knew if I was out in the country and had a flat, I would have to do it myself,
so why not get the experience while I had the chance. I sure got dirty, but I
changed the tire, and was on my way.
I am greatful today we have "roadside service" so a "cellphone" call and you are
on your way again safely. I would hate to have to ask someone to help today.
I bet I could still change a tire if I had to.
Written this 4th day of February 2009