Was
life better during “The Golden Era?” Was it better to be a Teen during
the 1950’s, 1980’s or today? Who knows, but V.Bee shares with us a
story about her mother when she herself was a teen and fuels the debate
that maybe things were better and easier back then…
"BORROWING THE CAR.... 1930's STYLE"
A slice of Life by V. Bee
October 26th, 2005
My mother was born in 1921, which meant she was a teenager in the mid
1930's. The world was a very different place when my mother was young.
Phonographs had just been invented, jazz was the craze dance of the
time. There were no gangs, no drugs, no pre-marital sex - so,
what on earth did kids do back then to get into trouble? Let me
tell you a little story...
Lawrence Leo Wagner, my grandfather and mom’s dad, had a prize possession, which was a new (to him),
Model T Ford motor car manufactured in the early 1920's (i.e., possibly
1920, 1921, 1922). Grandfather worked for U. S. Steel. In those days,
working in a steel mill made a comfortable living, albeit it was a
dangerous job (it cost him the sight in one eye). Possessing a
“horseless carriage,” in those days, was an indication that the owner’s
family was doing well financially.
Some mischief which gets teenagers get into trouble, no matter how
different the era in time, never changes. One of those things is the
teenager’s persistent desire to drive the family car as soon as they
grow tall enough for their feet to reach the gas and brake pedals. The
Model T Ford was one of very first cars ever built. It had a crank
engine, which meant that you had to go outside the car, “crank” the
handle, step on the gas, and then start the car. It was a very
tumultuous operation, and the minute the engine would catch there would
be a large “pop” (which sounded more like an explosion), then the
engine would cough and sputter before the car would continue to noisily
run. The gear shift moaned and groaned from first, second to third
shifts, and jolted to a stop when the brake was applied.
No matter how much my mother and her sister Marjorie pleaded with him,
Lee (which is what grandfather was called) adamantly refused to let
them take the Ford out, or let one of them drive it when he was behind
the wheel. So.......my mother (age 13), her sister Marjorie (age
15), Marjorie’s girlfriend Mary (age 14) and mom’s girlfriend Rita (age
14) devised a plan to sneak the car out of the garage. Under the cover
of darkness, the four quietly snuck out of their houses and assembled
in the alley behind mom’s house. The four very quietly pushed opened
the garage door, physically muscled the Ford out into the alley and
then all the way down to the end of the block. With Marjorie (whose
feet were the only ones that could reach the pedals) behind the wheel,
my mother, Mary and Rita pushed the car around the completely around
the block’s corner, where all four were certain no one would hear them
crack the engine. The cranked the engine made is usually amount of
noise starting up; upon which, the four then jumped in the car and took
off for a pleasure ride. Imagine how ecstatic they all must have been,
convinced they had gotten away with something that was taboo.
They went joy riding for a couple of hours, until the car was running
of gas. They had not gone far from home; the eldest (Marjorie) wouldn’t
let them, she knew they had no money for gas. There was just enough gas
left in the tank to bring the car back to the end of the block where
they lived. My mother, Mary and Rita got out of the car and they
proceeded to roll the car back down the alley toward the garage. The
idea was to put the car back without being seen. But my mother,
Mary and Rita could not contain themselves. They were giggling up a
mile a minute. The only one that wasn’t giggling was Marjorie,
who sternly (and much too loudly) told other three of them to “BE QUIET
or “DAD WILL HEAR YOU!.” It was a lost cause.... they giggled all
the way down the alley to the garage door. They couldn’t help
themselves. The sense of victory was intoxicating. They’d been
successful! They’d taken the car out all by themselves! So
there!. They’d shown him! Yeah! They went for a ride! Hmf! (who was HE
to say they couldn’t drive!). Now, triumph was at hand; they had pushed
the proscribed all the way down the alley, all the way to the garage,
without being seen! Wow! They’d done it!
They got the car in front of the garage door, and then they quietly
opened the garage door. As Marjorie slowly lifted up the garage door,
the 6' 8' tall shadow of grandfather was revealed a bit at time as the
garage door was raised. I think you can envision the look on those four
teenage faces.... yep, pure terror. The giggling abruptly ceased.
Lee Wagner was standing in the garage, right where the car was supposed
to be parked, arms folded, with that stern look on his face that said
it all without Lee saying one word. According to my mother, when she
told this story, Lee Wagner never said anything to any of them. He
didn’t have to. His disgust with them, at that moment in time, didn’t
need words for any of the girls to understand just how much trouble
they were in,,,, all they had to do was read his facial
expression.
So much for the victory of the moment. That day, my mother learned -
well, in fact, I would think that all four of them learned - that
parents aren’t so easily fooled by their children’s shenanigans, no
matter what the year is.
For more articles by V. Bee, visti her archives...
Your thoughts? Drop us a line through our letters box.
