Dad taught me to drive stick on the T-Bird which is still among the most stressful events of my life. But in his wisdom, Dad prepared me to be able to handle any stick. With the new engine, the clutch was entirely different and I immediately stalled out. Dad gave a slight frown... the exact same frown he gave when he initially schooled me in manual driving and I emotionally flew back to a 15 year old me. Eventually (and thankfully much faster than the first time around) I got the hang of it and we enjoyed a leisurely drive.
As we headed home, it occurred to me that the T-Bird and my dad have something in common. They both were a little broken down albeit still running and they've both had some upgrades that will significantly improve their lives. As I gripped the familiar steering wheel I realized the car was my Dad- writ large. That I was able to experience this- driving (and yes, stalling out) on the car he loves so much brought tears to my eyes.
I had to stop by Dane's Dairy. The guy who took my order admired the car and I quickly told him about learning to drive as a teenager. He smiled at me, "Did you stall out?" I laughed and told him about how I did and it had a new engine so here I am, decades later and I'm still stalling out with my dad to witness it all. He handed out a large chocolate malt and told me he upgraded the size since we had the nicest car he'd seen all day. Just as he said that, a new Corvette pulled around and Dad and I just smiled at each other. No matter how flashy they make the new cars, nothing compares to a classic.
It was perfect. Just perfect! Someday when my dad eventually does go the way of the earth, I will remember that day when I got to have a drive in the old car with my old man.
