One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

End of section I: What have we learned?

The first 20 chapters have been completed, and we’ve covered 15 of the vehicles I’ve owned so far. When I started writing this book, I really never had any outline or idea of where it would lead or just how we would get there, but I think the more I’ve written the clearer everything looks to me.

So it seems I’ve decided to break the book up into sections, the first one having just been completed.  I think this is a logical place to end the first section with my life changing direction as Debbie and I split up and go our separate ways. I think this will lead to a better book in the end, rather than having a gazillion chapters with no sense of direction.

I also believe a bit of a pattern can be detected at this point and whether it’s clear or not to the reader is anybody’s guess, but I of course see it because it’s my life and I know just how I think and act in most any given situation. If it’s not clear now, I assure you it will be a some point in the near future.

As far as my vehicle choices go, I have always been able to see the potential in any purchase that I’ve made and whether it was my parents or Debbie, or any other person of concern, they never share that vision. I’m usually mocked for my choices and for the most part the people who don’t share my insight into these purchases have been right.

This is almost never because of it not being possible, but rather because I usually don’t have the resources to complete my vision for what a vehicle could be. I’m not sure if that makes me a dreamer, or just plain too lazy to get the job done, but it has been a recurring theme in my life for sure.

Vehicle #16

This is a great example of just what I’m talking about. I bought this car mainly just to prove Debbie wrong as it didn’t run at the time I bought it, but to me, it would have been such a great car if I could have only made it work. A 1962 Pontiac LeMans, with 4 cylinder, 4 barrel carb and 4 speed transaxle! The car pictured here is the wrong color but it should give you an idea of what the car looked like.

Although I got it to fire a few times, as usual, I didn’t have the proper resources to do what needed to be done, so this vehicle was one of my worst purchases. I believe Debbie could see that I was not going to change and would continue to do as I wanted whether she liked it or not, so this may have been part of her decision to pursue another man.

I am also a practicing procrastinator of the highest magnitude and much too proud of that fact as well. My mother is always quick to point out that I used to poop my pants as a child and I remember vividly the reason why. It was simply that I was having fun and didn’t want to stop for such an unpleasant task. I believe this may have been the start of my procrastination, you think?

So as we end the first section, perhaps we should look to the future and where I’m headed post Debbie. Will I be able to buy any vehicle I want without fear of judgement from others?  Stay tuned to find out, the answer may surprise you…

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

Chapter 20: The beginning of the end

Still not working, our time together was just too much, we were constantly in each other’s face.  This is not the natural order of things which normally occurs.  Someone should be out earning money to support the family and that person was me.

But as it often did, my laziness took over and I figured why work when I have plenty of food and a car to drive.  I primarily blame myself for our impending split.  I should have been a man and went out to provide for my family.  Debbie had also changed, she no longer had any respect for me.  Who could blame her,

Along about this time we became very good friends with one of the security guards who worked for Fay apartments, a black guy by the name of Steve Dicks.  Steve was okay, he seemed to have his life in order.  He drove a nice car, always seemed to have plenty of money and was a pretty good looking tall skinny dude.

Things were not getting any better with Debbie and I, she seemed more distant than ever and it was about this time that for some reason or another, I didn’t pay the rent and we were going to be evicted.

Another one of our friends was an older black gentleman who owned a bar down in town, I think the name of it was the twenty grand club or something like that.  In any case, Debbie asked him if he would loan us the money to pay the rent as I was unable to get it from my parents or anyone else.

He agreed, but wanted the Vista Cruiser as collateral on the loan.  We had no choice and so he took the car.  Once again without a vehicle I was forced to borrow one from Judy and Huey as they had 2 vehicles at the time.  A 1968 Ford LTD wagon, but at least we had wheels again.

Debbie became more distant than ever and she often took long walks around the apartment complex.  Being the stupid person I was, I didn’t realize she was secretly meeting with Steve and falling in love with him.  It took awhile to sink in, but it finally did so I confronted both of them.

She readily admitted it was true, but Steve denied it.  We tried marriage counseling, but that ended when Debbie refused to stop seeing Steve.  Several other things happened about this time and I knew it was time to move on.  Debbie had told me during one of our previous discussions that she wanted me to take the kids should anything happen.  I should have known something was up way back then, but as I already said, I was stupid..

I asked my sister if I could move in with them on a temporary basis and she and Huey agreed.  I was deeply hurt to think that Debbie had abandon me for another man, but as I said, it was mostly my fault for not being a man and providing properly for her and the kids.

At one point I had left the kids with Debbie’s mother and when I returned I found that Debbie had been there and took the kids.  Eileen had called the police, but as is often the case in this situation, the police took the mother’s side over the grandmother and let her take the children.

It was at that point that I decided to get serous about the divorce.  Up until that time I was using a free lawyer to handle the case as I thought Debbie would stick to what we agreed on.  I hired a prominent attorney and within no time at all I was back at the Fay apartments to get my kids.

I told Debbie as I drove off with them that it was for the best as her electric service was about to be shut off.  I had called the electric company and told them to remove the service from my name.  Yes, I could be vindictive as well.

I can only remember having further contact with Debbie on a couple of occasions, one time she tried to take the kids again, but I would not let her. She tried to spray me in the face with mace, but I refused to let go.  Debbie left and I believe that was the last time she tried to even see the children.

We finally got a place of our own not too long afterwards.  Join me next time for more adventures and another vehicle story.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

Chapter 19: Trouble in paradise

Things were progressing in our lives. Chris was walking and talking and Autumn liked to stand in her bed in the mornings.  A lot of times when one of us went to check on her, we would find her standing there naked, she had learned to remove her diaper and 9 times out of 10 she was playing with her poo!  Fun times.

We had made some friends here, George and Liz Semple lived across the street and also had small children. We had also gotten to know some others around us, mostly casual friends.  Things were far from perfect here, but we got along, for the most part.

Debbie was changing. Partly because she was starting to grow up, but partly because her doctor had put her on the pill after Autumn was born. He said it would not be good for her health to have another baby.  I guess I didn’t notice how much she had changed until it was too late.

For one thing, she had become a shoplifter. I didn’t really know it was going on at first, but when I found out I thought it was neat at first. She would steal something small and expensive from someplace like K-Mart and then return it for a refund to another K-Mart across town and say she lost the receipt. She also like to go to the little local grocery store near where we live and get stuff there as well.

As I said I thought it was neat at first, but then my conscience started to bother me. I knew it wasn’t right and so I confronted her about it. She had a good cry and said she would not do it anymore. Problem solved, or so I thought.

It was also around this time that problems at work led to me being transferred from the factory in Norwood down to Riverfront stadium. I was getting a bit tired of the whole security guard job and decided to seek employment elsewhere.  Jobs were easy to get during the early 70’s and it turned out I had a choice of 3 different job offers.

I went with the one offered by Cincinnati Milacron, a large machine tool maker in the city as I thought it offered the best chance for advancement and benefits. Turned out not to be true. They stuck me in the foundry where the iron castings were bigger than I was and instead of using a small hand held grinder you used a jack hammer and chisel to clean them!  I only lasted 3 days there.

But as I said, jobs were plentiful and I simply went back to my list of the 3 jobs I could have taken my choice of and accepted another one.  This was a small firm on Spring Grove avenue which made lift trucks.  These were the small hand trucks used for lifting pallets.

I didn’t care a lot for my first job there, but in no time at all the cut-off saw operator quit and I found myself learning a new trade. I actually enjoyed this job quite a bit, it involved cutting various pieces of metal to lengths specified in a bill of materials which came along for each new lift truck built.

I got along with everyone pretty well and even my supervisor was okay.  But I found myself in need of a cash advance, which he provided and then I paid him back, but he said I didn’t so out the door I went, pounding the pavement once again.  At least I was able to secure unemployment benefits so it was time for a break in my working career.

At first this seemed like a perfect situation, get to spend some quality time at home with my lady and kids, but for anyone who has ever had to do it, I’m sure they will tell you that you are better off working.  Much better off.  When you spend a lot of time with your wife like that, you tend to get on each other’s nerves a lot.

Sometime in between I was home sick and the car needed the oil changed badly. Debbie said she could do it if I told her what to do. She followed my instructions and once the job was done I told her to start the car to make sure the oil pressure builds back up.  She did, but it didn’t.  A rod was knocking.  Great, things were just getting better for us all the time.

The car payment soon fell behind (who wants to pay for a car that doesn’t run), and the bank came and got it. Now we were completely without a mode of transport.  At times like these in a person’s life, you really have to stop and reflect on what is happening.  Here I was, jobless, we had started getting food stamps so at least we had food.  No way to go and get it and friends quickly grew tired of running us from place to place, a new vehicle had to be acquired.

Vehicle #15

I forget where I even bought this at, but I remember the car very well. A 1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon, beige in color. This actually served our little growing family very well while we had it.  At least we once again had wheels, hard to live without them in the times we live in.

Debbie and I had good times and bad times, but as I said, I knew she was changing, but I had no idea of what was about to happen. Join me next time for all the sorted details.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

Chapter 18: A nice place to visit

Determined to make a new start, our new apartment was going to be it. We worked hard cleaning the place as spotless as it could be. We even took up all of the old wax buildup off the tile floors and put a fresh coat down. Debbie even planted flowers next to the door out back, things were looking up.

We had bought new furniture at our last apartment so that was all still nice as well, but looking back I don’t know how we ever decided on such crappy looking stuff, green and white fuzzy material. But as I said, we were young and it looked good to us at the time.

The townhouse styled apartment was nice, with the kitchen and living room downstairs and the 2 bedrooms and bath upstairs.  Debbie was learning a little bit more on how to cook, she really wasn’t all that bad, I guess it just wasn’t like mom’s cooking.

I would drive to work across town each day and come home to a clean apartment and fresh cooked meal, life was getting better.  We used the tax refund to pay dad back so I had my ’63 Chevy with the transmission fixed, which left the Buick at home for Debbie. We really could have been the perfect little family if things had turned out differently, but they didn’t.

Even though living costs were much lower back then and our rent was dirt cheap, maintaining and insuring two cars was expensive. We decided to sell the Chevy and just make do with one vehicle. I think I only got a couple hundred for it, the rear quarter had never been fixed, but it was one less vehicle to pay for upkeep, so it helped.

Debbie was getting more and more frustrated now at home every day. The neighbor kids kept destroying her flowers and so the apartment began to look more like a disaster zone each night when I came home.  A lot of times she wouldn’t even bother to cook, expecting me to do it, of course that didn’t sit very well with me.

Partly in an effort to help out and partly because she was having a nervous breakdown, my mother decided they should buy me a motorcycle to ride back and forth to work, which would leave the car home for Debbie and she wouldn’t be stuck there every day.

Vehicle # 14

It wasn’t a big motorcycle, just a little Harley Davidson Sprint 90, but it fit our needs perfectly. The little 2 stroke was easy on gas and not very fast, but it got me back and forth to Norwood each day, except when it was raining.  For a short time, things were looking up again.

Of course that didn’t last too long. Even though I locked the bike up each night, in no time at all it was gone. As I said, we didn’t live in the best neighborhood and being naive about such things, we just didn’t think someone would actually steal it.  Lessons are hard learned sometimes.

Join me next time when the story continues.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

Chapter 17: Fun while it lasted

As I mentioned last time, we had gotten behind with the rent due to my quitting a perfectly good job to work at a car wash, but I never really talked about our life at this place too much. To be honest, I didn’t really know how much detail I wanted to go into, but I guess at least some mention of what went on there is in order.

I never was all that much of a drinker, but every now and then a friend would stop by and want to go out for a drink. Sometimes this included Debbie, but this one time in particular it didn’t. I don’t really remember why, but it might of been because the friend this time was Tom, who still didn’t have a steady girlfriend and was always on the prowl for one.

We just stopped at a local bar on our way to the apartment just for a minute. I guess either Debbie had followed us or just happened by and saw the car there. Whatever the reason, she poked her head inside and saw we were in there and that was all it took for the fight to be on.

We went back to the apartment and she was fit to be tied, screaming and yelling obscenities about me being out drinking with Tom. All of this dumbfounded me as I only had 1 beer and was just standing there at the bar talking to Tom. Oh wait, he might of been talking to a girl, I don’t really remember all of the details.

In any case, our argument went back and forth as usual and finally I had enough and said I was leaving. She said I wasn’t and tried to get my keys. That never went well for her and in no time I was sitting behind the wheel of the Buick. She had followed me out and so I locked the doors and started the car.

I guess I didn’t realize just how serious she was about me not leaving so she jumped up on the hood of the car and was screaming at me through the windshield. Being the hard headed person I am, I simply put the car in gear and took off.

So here we go, down the street, with me swerving and stopping, trying to throw her off the hood, and her hanging on the windshield wipers for dear life. I didn’t go too far before I realized I could just stop the car and walk away, which I did. Locked the door and left her on the hood with the car in the middle of the street.

In no time at all she gave up her position and started walking back to the apartment, crying all the way. As soon as she was far enough away I got back into the car and went on my way.  Just one of the many little argument/fights we would have over the next year.

I also remember one other time while we lived here we had a good one, the result of which was that I turned over each piece of furniture in the living room, just for spite. It just so happened when she returned from wherever she had been, she brought her mother back with her.  More fun times…

Not all of the things which happened during this time were bad, on January 5, 1974, Debbie gave me one of the most precious gifts ever, a daughter. I remember seeing her for the first time, with her head full of hair, so different than when Chris came out completely bald.

I wanted her name to be as beautiful as she was, something which was different and special. Although I hadn’t heard the name used as such so much, I always liked the time of the year in the fall when the leaves were so beautiful and the weather is perfect, Autumn Renee Burton.  Just had the perfect ring to it.

I guess at this point, there was just too much going on to remember all of the details, but it seems like we may have moved in with my sister for a short time before we found a new place, but I can’t remember for certain. What I do know is we needed a new place which was both affordable and a bit larger than the last place.

Although the place we found was not ideal, it met our requirements and so we moved once again.  This time to upper Fairmount and the Fay apartments. These rent subsidized townhouse apartments fit our financial and size needs perfectly. Of course the people who live in places like these don’t always make the best neighbors, but we were young and naive, so we figured we could make friends with anyone.

To be continued…

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

 

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

Chapter 16: The Beautiful Buick

In the fall of 1972, things were going okay for the Burton’s, but not perfect by a long shot.  The ’63 LeSabre had been repaired and was running again, but it didn’t match the look I wanted for my new family.

I can’t remember all of the details, but it was about this time our relationship with the landlord deteriorated to the point where we needed to find another place to live as well.  We set out to look for another apartment and quickly found a suitable place in a brand-new building on Groesbeck road in College Hill.

We happened to visit the place on a day when the landlord was there inspecting work which had been done and so we got a tour of the apartment and quickly struck a deal to move in as soon as the building was ready for occupancy.  Naturally we needed new transportation to match our new digs so we headed to Reading road for a look see.

Vehicle #13

We went to the same lot where we had found the ’63 LeSabre and this time the man had a beautiful green 1965 Electra 225 sitting there.  Of course this car was not something we could really afford, but the man said the magic word, finance, and we were soon tooling around in our new ride.

Things once again seemed to be on-track and we were happy.  The new place was nice, we had met a few of our neighbors and life was good.  Having taken a slight break late in the pregnancy until shortly after the birth, our sex life was once again in full swing and happy go lucky as always.

Of course money always seems to be a problem for young couples and our situation was no different.  I had been making enough money for us to be well off, but then things occur which changes the picture in a hurry.  Several factors led up to these changes, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

One of the things was at work, as I mentioned previously, my brother-in-law Huey also worked at the same place and in fact we worked pretty much side by side.  But a funny thing was happening, Huey always seemed to make more money than I did.  So I confronted him about it and discovered the reason, Huey was cheating!

It’s strange when you find out things about someone close to you and sometimes funny how you choose to deal with it.  Being a basically honest person I could not do what he was doing, so this continued to weigh on my mind and add to my problems.

Of course Debbie did not help, we had been married now for close to a year and things hadn’t changed much with her.  Although our love life was pretty good, the constant bickering over how well she kept house was very annoying and this also contributed to my problems.

The pressure of these things along with bills and the other normal problems for young couples was too much and my solution was not ideal either, but it was my only way out, or so I thought.  I quit my job.  Yeah, I know, DUMB!

It took a few weeks, but I did find another job, working at a car wash in College Hill.  So I went from bringing home $300-$400 a week to making a dollar and a half an hour, plus tips.  Let’s all say it again, DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!!!

In a way though it was kind of nice, Debbie would push the baby up in the stroller to the car wash to visit and we would have lunch together if the tips were good enough that day.  Things were better at home, at least for awhile, but then the bills, rent, and other monetary problems got too much and so I needed to find a better job.

One of our friends had mentioned working as a security guard and said the starting pay was 2 bucks an hour, so I went to apply for a position there.  In no time at all I found myself working for Wackenhut security at the Allis-Chalmers plant in Norwood.  Things got a little better.

Debbie also decided to be more helpful and applied for a secretary position at the Western-Southern Life Insurance office in Seven Hills.  To my amazement, she got the job and things were great until she went for the physical.  Oops!  Debbie was pregnant again.  There went that job.

Okay, not the end of the world, we were doing okay until we got so far behind on the rent that we were served with an eviction notice.  Time for another move, but that will have to wait for yet another chapter…

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 15: The birth of my son)

I was working the 2nd shift at Reliable, along with my brother-in-law Huey.  Debbie had no real problems with the pregnancy and even though I knew my first child could be born at any time (she was due), I never really expected it to happen while I was at work.

For those who don’t know, foundry work is very dirty.  Besides all of the foul odors and toxic fumes, there is black sand everywhere from the molds.  Add in some serious heat and the sweat which results from that, and you have a vivid picture of what kind of condition I was in.

But babies know of no such things and will come when they damn well please.  Such was the case on October 6, 1972, when I got the call that Debbie was headed to the hospital.  I told Huey what was going on and explained to my foreman as well.  In no time at all I was headed to Good Sam in Cincinnati to be there for the birth.

I can’t remember if Huey came then or later, but I know Judy was already there when I got there.  I believe she may have been the one to take Debbie, but it’s been too many years and I just don’t remember.  I remember being very uncomfortable in the pristine clean hospital being as dirty as I was, but there was no time to get cleaned up before going.

I was not a novice at waiting for the birth of a child, having been there for the births of my nieces long before it was my turn to play the role of the expectant father.  I don’t believe fathers were allowed in the delivery room at this time, and I don’t know that I would have went even if I could have.  I waited in the heirport along with other soon to be dads.

I don’t have a memory for details such as the exact time of birth, but it was that evening and I do remember my sister kissing my new son on his bloody forehead before he had been cleaned up when they brought him out to show us.  I didn’t want to get too close, who knows what kind of germs I had on me from work.

I do remember beaming with pride at this time, to think I had a part in creating this person, perfect in every detail and screaming his head off if I remember correctly.  The birth of your child is an awesome event, one with no equal that I can think of.  Not to mention an awesome responsibility as well.  That will surely bring you down to earth in a  hurry!

As every expectant couple does, we had discussed possible names, both boy and girl, but I don’t think we had totally decided on one just yet.  I had wanted to use part of my dad’s name so I chose his middle name, Powers, but we needed something which went with that for his first name.  Although I never really cared for the name Christopher, I did like Christian a lot.  And so it was to be, Christian Powers Burton.

People can tell you, you can read books about it, but nothing really prepares you for raising children.  Especially the babies, the things they do can be funny, unexpected, loved, hated and bewildering all at the same time!  But you don’t really have much of a choice, you can’t send them back, no matter how hard you try, You are stuck with them now so might as well make the best of it.

I remember deciding who got up with the baby was always so much fun.  I have to admit though, I usually won that argument, so I was lucky in that respect.  Changing  diapers was another fun chore, especially when more than liquid was involved.  But somehow we made it through the rough stages and finally got to a point where Chris would sleep through the night, most of the time.

Debbie had turned 18 in September, prior to the birth and I was 20.  We thought we were adults, but were still just children ourselves in so many ways.  Of course having children is one of the quickest ways to become an adult.  You learn pretty fast that it’s no longer about what you want, but what the baby needs instead.

Most of the time this is a positive experience, but of course if there were no problems life would be too easy!  No, there are things which happen that are beyond your control, usually nothing that could have been done about it, just shit happens!

To say our lives were any different than other young parents probably isn’t true.  I expect our experiences were pretty normal and much the same as all new parents go through.  We had good times, bad times and no time for ourselves.  Now everything was about what the baby needed and I think this plays a huge part in some couples marriage problems.

I’m not trying to sound selfish here, but it’s just that babies should be put off until such time as people are ready for them, if that time ever really exists.  Better planning could have saved more than a few marriages in my opinion.  But young people being inexperienced and thinking they know best is what leads to this problem in the first place, so no sense crying over spilt milk.

It’s back to the vehicles in the next chapter, With our new family we needed better transportation.  Something which would announce the arrival of the Burton family in style.  Join me next time for more of the story.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 14: Married life)

Things were good, I had a good job, a wife and a child on the way, what could possibly go wrong?  For awhile, nothing.  I was ready to settle into the good life, work each day, come home to a clean apartment and nice meal and spend some quality time with my pretty woman.  But as they say, life happens and there is not much you can do about it.

At first, Debbie was the model housewife, not the best cook, but she was new at it and I tried to be patent.  Of course I tended to overlook certain things as I had never been married before and didn’t know if things were as they should be or not.  I was happy for the most part, so if this is the case you can forgive a lot of faults, at least for awhile.

I guess if this had been our only problems we could have done a better job of dealing with them, but as couples often do, words turn into arguments and then into fights and before you know it you say things you regret.  You learn to deal with anger and forgive and forget, but the words you say can never really be taken back.  Each new argument is pretty much a recap of the last argument and so the story goes.

Then when you think you have it all worked out, something else happens and bam, you are right back into it.  We were dealing with a lot of new stuff, feelings we never knew about, hormones that I didn’t have a clue about, etc.  So when the Chevy got rear-ended while turning into a convenient store, we thought the whole world was out to get us!

Of course it wasn’t, and while it didn’t look as pretty, the car still drove fine and our troubles didn’t seem quite so bad after all.  That is until the Chevy started acting funny.  It didn’t happen all at once, but over time the car didn’t shift right and then sometimes it wouldn’t move at all.

The cost of a transmission was not out of reach, but then appears a way out which doesn’t require any hard labor.  Just what the doctor ordered.  I found another car which would get us by until such time as I could have the Chevy fixed.  While not the perfect solution, it would do for now.

Vehicle #11

My parents always had good luck with the vehicles they bought and most of them had been Buick’s, so I decided that was the way to proceed.  I was married now and about to have my own family, so it just seemed right to follow in their footsteps.  On a car lot, I believe on Reading road, I found an affordable Buick, a green and white 1963 LeSabre, 4 door.  While not the best looking car, the paint was faded and the interior was kind of ratty, it did run good and that seemed important at the time.

So we parked the Chevy and drove the Buick for awhile.  In the meantime, I looked for a transmission so the Chevy could be fixed.  Even with it’s dented rear quarter panel and broken taillight, it was still my favorite car.  Soon there appeared a solution, and nearby also!

Vehicle #12

I spotted it at a car lot just a few blocks from where we lived, a brown and white 1963 Chevy Impala SS.  Not much of a runner, the tired ol’ 283 V8 needed a ring job pretty bad, but it shifted just fine and that was what I was looking for.  The body on the old car wasn’t too bad, but all I was interested in was the transmission.  I bought the car and brought it to the apartment where it sat out back until I could find some time to switch the transmission.

Not too long after that, the Buick decided it was time to go on the fritz!  When it rains it pours.  Now I had 3 disabled cars out back and the apartment owner was getting  a bit upset with me.  I had to do something, so I called my father and asked if he could help.  He agreed to take the Chevy’s and have the transmission switched and I could have the car back when I paid him for it.

That was great, I solved the problem of too many disabled cars, but now I had to find a fix for the Buick.  To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember exactly what the problem was.  For some reason I can see the motor and transmission out of the Buick, but I don’t remember why it had to be done.  In any case, the result of this action was another vehicle.

But I’m getting ahead of the story again, we had better save that one for the next time.  Something was about to happen in my life which changed it forever.  One of the proudest moments in my life, the birth of my son.  Stay tuned for that story next time!

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 13: The wedding)

(Wow, just realized the irony of the number and subject matter of this chapter.  Who knew.)

As the state of Ohio requires those wishing to apply for a marriage license be at least 21 years of age, or have parental consent, we were facing a bit of a problem from the start.  My sister Judy had been down this road before and quickly suggested getting married in Newport, KY, where you only need to be 18.

No problem for me, as I was 20 already, but Debbie was only 17, so we needed a doctored birth certificate to make it appear that she was 18.  We made a copy of her actual birth certificate and then using white out we changed the date on the copy.  Once that was done we made another copy of the copy and used that.  It was very evident that the date had been changed and you aren’t really supposed to use a photo copy, but they accepted it and that was that.

Judy was instrumental in guiding us as neither one of us knew what had to be done as far as a blood test, etc.  But we managed to get everything we needed and so on Saturday, April 15th, (or the 22nd, I can never remember which one), in front of a JP in Newport, KY,  Debbie and I became man and wife.  A very happy occasion for me, at the time.

Judy and Huey were our witnesses, along with her 3 young girls, Becky, Rachel and Angie.  We didn’t tell anyone of our friends, but it so happened that my best friend in high school, Steve,  got married the same day to his high school sweetheart, Sandy, so we attended their reception.  After the party we went back to Judy and Huey’s place as they had recently acquired an actual house in the suburbs by this time.

I must of been pretty well out of it as I don’t remember my wedding night.  I believe we were both so tired that we just fell asleep and that was that.  I’m not really sure what Debbie had told her parents for the reason she would not be home, but our wedding night was spent at Judy and Huey’s and that was about all I remember.

I do remember one other thing, Tom had a big date that night and asked to borrow my Chevy as it was a much nicer car than the ’65 GTO he had recently acquired.  But the GTO had 3 deuces and a 4 speed, and so I was happy with the trade.

Sometime between getting the news that Debbie was pregnant and the time we got married, we managed to find a nice little apartment in Westwood at 3154 BrackenWoods Ln.  Don’t ask me how I remember the number, I just do.  We had not yet told her parents, so it would be some time before we could really live as husband and wife and that was hell.

We made the decision to tell her parents that we were married, but not that she was pregnant.  Her father had a heart condition and too big of a shock might not be good for him.  We figured we could break the having a baby part a little later on.  So we did, there was crying and a lot of questions as to why, but we managed to somewhat convince them that she was not pregnant.

It was decided that Debbie would still spend most of her time living at her parents house as she was still in school, but once she graduated we would be together at last and I was very much looking forward to being with her every night. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is nice, but just being married and sleeping with your wife every night has some attraction to it as well.

There was a bit of a controversy when the school discovered she was pregnant, they were not going to let her take part in the graduation ceremony.  I can’t remember what the outcome of that was, but Debbie was showing a bit by now, so the cat was pretty much out of the bag with her parents as well.  They accepted the fact and pretty much knew it all along.

As my son (Chris), was born October 6th, we figured he was conceived sometime in early January, and more than likely the blessed event took place in her bedroom at home.  So all you parents who think as long as the kids are home everything is hunky dory, just remember that kids will be kids.

By now my parents pretty much knew that I was on my way out and didn’t make much of a fuss.  They had seen me leave before, so it was not such a big deal this time.  I had a good job and could afford to support a wife and child, so that was their main concern.

I got my wish soon after Debbie was out of school and we moved in together.  I was happy to go to work each day and come home to a hot meal and a pretty wife.  Things were good, for the most part, but we had our share of problems as newlyweds often do.  Join me next time for some tales about married life.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 12: The big breakup)

Debbie and I were in love, and in the winter of 1971, I asked her to marry me and she said yes.  We decided to go ring shopping at one of the larger department stores in the Tri-County shopping mall, Pogues I believe it was.  Debbie found a set she really liked and I put a down payment on it.

My plan was to give her the engagement ring for Christmas and we would announce it then.  I was happy with the choice she made as it was within my budget, so I paid the ring set off and gave it to her for Christmas.

Her parents seemed to be truly happy about the engagement, but mine were not so much.  Dad didn’t really say too much, but mom was not very supportive of my decision.  Of course being very close to 20 years old myself, naturally I thought I knew more than my parents, so I didn’t pay much attention to her.

Somehow being engaged made our sexual escapades seem more acceptable, at least to us.  We figured it was okay being as we were going to be man and wife soon anyway.  Although we hadn’t really set a date yet, we didn’t want to wait a long, long time.  Debbie was a senior now and would graduate in June, so we figured anytime after that would be fine.

I never was a very big fan of her new high school (NCH) and didn’t care a lot for her friends there as well.  One in particular I was not a fan of at all.  His name was Ted and he was the boyfriend of one of Debbie’s girl friends.  Nancy was her name I think, been a long time.

In any case, Ted seemed to be just a tad too friendly to Debbie and I told her I didn’t like it.  She blew it off as silly, and said he was actually afraid of me, but it bothered me a lot.  As things often do, the problem escalated as one thing led to another.  I found out that Debbie and Ted had been spending time alone together and that was all it took for me.

I believe all of this took place in late January or early February of 1972, and I asked Debbie for my ring back, which she gave me.  The engagement was off and while I was somewhat relieved in a way, I was also very sad at the same time. I loved Debbie a lot and to think she would cheat on me hit me pretty hard.

I tried my best to get over her and move on with my life, but I had been down this road before and found that the Debbie bug was hard to shake.  I hung out with my friends, even went out to some of the nightclubs to see if that would help. It didn’t, all I could think about was her and so I spent some serious alone time thinking about what to do.

It’s funny how when you get frustrated, guys tend to take their frustration out on their cars. I was no different, but I really felt bad when I did stupid things like that.  Even though the car had no feelings, I felt bad that I hurt it.  Of course a lot of times it came back to haunt you later when the damage you did is realized.  Luckily I didn’t go that far.

I spent about a month in shear hell wondering what she was doing, if she missed me, etc.  I was determined not to call her though as I had done that the last time.  This time it would be her that called if she truly wanted me back.  On this point I was adamant.  No one could sway me from my steadfast position on this.

Well, it would be a short story if that were the case, it turns out that a little feller named Chris would change all of that.  I don’t really remember how it happened, but I got wind that Debbie was pregnant.  I believe my sister Judy had heard about it, through channels, but I can’t be for certain.

When I heard this, all bets were off.  I called Debbie and asked her if it was true. After some crying and denying, she finally admitted she was in fact with child.  I told her that I missed her and was sorry for all the things I had said.  She said she was sorry also but that she didn’t want me to think she was trying to trap me.  She told me she would go it alone if I didn’t want to marry her now, but of course I told her she was nuts if she thought I didn’t want to be with her.

After the tearful phone conversation we made plans to see each other soon after and let me tell you, if you didn’t already know it, make up sex is truly a great thing!  And it’s even better when you know there is no chance the girl will get pregnant.  To  say the least, it was a joyous reunion and I wish it could have lasted forever.

But it didn’t and we now had to make plans for a sooner rather than later wedding.  Join me next time when the wedding takes place.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.