Wednesday's Words on a Friday
On Wednesdays, Delores,
from Under The Porch Light, has a meme which she calls
“Words for Wednesday”.
She puts up a selection
of six words which we then use in a short story, or a poem.
I’m hopeless at poetry
so I always do a story.
It’s a fun challenge…why
not join in?
This week's words are:
1. enveloped
2. shady
3. classic
4. speedo
5. infraction
6. cargo
we also have a rhyming selection, which I've chosen not to use this time:
1. bitter tears
2. engineers
3. brigadiers
4. ancient seers
5. mountaineers
6. racketeers
Here is my story:
Wreaths of cigar smoke enveloped Dermott's head as he sat in his car, parked under the shady elm. He ran his hands lovingly over Sweet Caroline's polished rosewood steering wheel. He'd be sorry to see her go, this old classic.
He glanced at the speedo, its large round dial like a big friendly face, the odometer showing the many, many miles the car had travelled in her lifetime.
He placed his hand on the smooth leather of the bench seat, thinking of the precious cargo Sweet Caroline had carried all those years. Wives, children, grandchildren, everyone of them safely carried.
Sweet Caroline had first belonged to his Grandpa Mike, who had named her after his dearly loved wife. It was Mike who had taught Dermott how to properly care for this beauty. As a teen still in school, Dermott had run on the wild side, breaking rules, committing petty crimes, with his final infraction seeing him brought before the courts and being placed in the care of his Grandpa Mike.
Learning to care for the car, learning to drive her, completing a mechanics apprenticeship at the local garage, had seen Dermott go straight since then.
But now it was time for Sweet Caroline to move on.
Dermott was nearing 75 and his grandson, Patrick, was ready to take the keys. The youngest of ten grandchildren, mostly girls, Patrick had been the one to show an interest in Sweet Caroline when he was only four years old. He'd spent almost every day of the next twenty five years visiting Dermott, just to have time with her.
Dermott knew Sweet Caroline would be in good hands with Paddy and his wife, Rosie. And that young tearaway, Rory, only five years old, yet already in love with the big old car.
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Sweet Caroline is moving from loving hands to loving hands. An heirloom - and a tribute to Grandpa Mike.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; just like another car I knew once. A mint condition Ford Fairlane, owned by an 18 year old, he'd just been handed the keys by his dad, who had got them in turn from his own father. a beautiful machine.
ReplyDeleteDelores; based on a true one.
Lovely. For some of us, a vehicle really can become like a member of the family. Like our 1930 Model A.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
(Oh, and good use of "speedo." First thing I thought of when I saw that word was one of those horrid bathing suits for men.)
Susan; speedo brought similar thoughts to me, unfortunately of our Prime Minister (like your President)in his speedos splashed all over our newspapers last year. I had to take the story away from that.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the speedo had been around a few times and being an old car I'd hate to pay for the fuel these days. All that being said I think this is a wonderful story of a fantastic family. Dad did pass his little Fiat tourer on to his son but otherwise we just have cars to get around in so no heirlooms.
ReplyDelete