GTO

           Old man Greeley stood on the porch of his country home gazing out over the vast wheat covered expanse; green fields against blue skies reminded him of how lucky he was to be here, now, at this very moment. He placed the opening of the longneck bottle in his hand to his dry mouth; the cold end felt good against his chapped lips. He guzzled the iced brew until his throat burned, and then drew in one more ample amount in his mouth; the sweet hoppy and bitter malt flavors mixing over his tongue. Glancing to his right he saw that the barn door was open and a big naked patch of floor where his car use to sit.

            “Carrie …” he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Carrie Ann Louise” each word said like they were a curse upon someone’s head. He jumped off the porch and headed towards the barn as fast as his fifty year old legs could carry him. Just as he reached the open door he heard a rumble from around the back of the house, the distinct successive firing of a perfectly tuned three-eighty-nine. The sound grew louder and with it a deep throbbing sensation grew within him as the air began to vibrate; its very molecular structure being excited by the timed blasts of eight cylinders firing in perfect synchronization. He spun around to see a cloud of dust billow from behind the porch.

            He clenched his teeth in anger, promising himself swift retribution upon the head of the person responsible for moving his baby from her place of honor. He threw the bottle of beer down upon the ground, the force leaving a dent in the dirt, the bottle spinning in place; its liquid contents filled the indentation as it dribbled out. Before he could take a step forward, his baby came around the corner, barely missing the huge oak tree that had shaded the house since the day it was built. Greeley winced as he witnessed the near disaster; a look of anxiety replaced the anger that had engraved itself upon his face when he discovered the theft.

           He watched as the Candy-Apple-Green chariot fished tailed slightly then raced towards the spot he was standing; his determination to halt this affront to his metal alter made him stand his ground, there was now force on the planet that was going to make him move. This was his baby, his prize, his reward for years of determined existence; he wasn't going to let some heretic defile her. The roar of the engine grew increasingly intense and he felt as if his eardrums were going to explode from it, except at the same time the melodic thrumming seemed to encase him; it perfectly pitched resonance making the muscles of his aging frame relax. He loved this sensation, it was the same feeling he got when he would cruise the long highways that encompassed his farm.

           He awoke from an almost euphoric stupor to see the magnificent beast slide sideways to a stop; the passenger door right at his fingertips. He coughed a little from the dust as it blew past him then looked up to see the beaming face of his daughter joyfully staring at him. It took every ounce of love and control to keep him from leaping over the door and pouncing upon her for such an outrage. Carrie saw the look on his face and her smile faded slightly.

           “Don’t you remember what day it is?” she said gleefully.

           His mind raced for a moment, trying to fill in the gap where the answer should have been, “Christ, what day is this?” the answer eluded him then just as he was about to speak up, Carrie finished it for him.

            “Remember our bet? Remember how you said that you would bet your eighteenth birthday present against my college fund if I got straight A’s? Well here it is, Mr. Jenkins dropped it in the mailbox this morning. ”, waving a report card in front of his face.

             The anger left his mind, his shoulders slumped forward, he leaned against the car door for support as the picture of that moment in his life that he thought would never come enveloped his mind. He had made that bet, but only because he never thought she would do it. He made the bet four years earlier when she had brought her last report card from junior high home; three D’s and three C’s, barely passing. He mentally slugged himself then looked up towards his baby girl almost ready to plead his case; until he saw the look in her eyes. He remembered that look, it was the same look he had when his father drove up in the car; brand new off the showroom floor. A gift, a reward for graduating at the top of his class of 1965 and a going away present since he had enlisted in the Army. He cherished that thought, since it was at that moment that he and his father had truly came to terms and he realized that the stiff old man really had a heart and was immensely proud of his son.

            “You’re right baby, you are absolutely, positively correct,” a smile crossing over his face, you earned it fair and square. But you could have at least let me tune it up before you took her out.”

            “Already did it, did it when you were in fields.” she said with pride, “I pulled it out while you were showering. Couldn't you hear it?”

            He remembered the sound from earlier and nodded his head, “You did a great job baby. Now let’s go in and have some lunch.” He waved her toward the house.

            “Lunch is on me, grandma sent me some birthday money, get in.” as she dropped back into the driver seat, “Come on pop, times a wasting.”

            As much as he wanted to protest he had to come to terms that his baby was all grown up, she proved her worth, she beat him at his game; now he had to let her have her just rewards. He leapt over the door and dropped in the passenger seat, it seemed alien to him as he realized he had never sat in that spot before. He slid his hand into his back pocket and drew out an envelope and handed it towards his driver.

            “Here is your birthday card, I got it last week while we were in town, there’s a little something inside for you.”

            Carrie tore open the envelope to find the pink slip for the car with a hundred dollar bill stapled to it, his signature and information already filled in. She looked at him puzzled, “When did you do this? I just found out today about my grades.”

            He smiled confidently and reached up to comb the blonde strands from her face, “Have you ever known me not to be prepared for the inevitable? I filled that out a week ago. Now let’s go get some food.”

              Carrie buckled up and looked over to her father as if to indicate he should do the same. He smiled, pulled the belt across his lap. “Punch it baby” he blurted, as he planted his feet firmly on floorboard and grabbed the hand rest above the glove compartment; fully prepared for what was to come. Carrie turned the knob on the radio and the 60’s tune blared from the eight speakers that surrounded them. She pulled the gearshift into first, dropped the clutch and pressed the gas pedal towards the floor. A rooster tail of dirt flew back from the rear wheels as the car pushed out towards the black tar driveway that led to the main road.

           He grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and placed them over his eyes as Carrie pulled hers down from the pocket of the sun visor. She tossed her hair back and placed hers on her face and started laughing as a new song came over the radio. Greeley smiled as he heard Ronnie and the Daytonas sing the praises of his baby’s new baby.