Hitching a Ride with Daddy

Mama rarely missed a day of work when we were growing up.  But when she did it would throw off the whole day's routine for all of us.  Mama missing work meant that Daddy had to get us to school.   We usually had already  missed the school bus and Daddy would have to take us to town.

Daddy drove a baby blue 4x4 Toyota Luv pickup --- stick shift, mind you.  Cram three kids with books and lunch boxes and Daddy into that crackerjack box and you've go no room to even breathe.  Daddy smoked filterless Camel cigarettes.  Cold mornings were the worst of trips because he would barely crack the window when he would light up a tobacco stick. 

I would have to sit next to Daddy and contort my legs in such ways to avoid getting my knees bruised by the stick shift on the floor.  My head was usually under his arm pit which made it even harder to breathe in our cramped surrounding.  There was no chattering amongst us due to the father figure being grumpy because we missed the bus and he had to take us to school.  Talking didn't matter anyway because we were attempting to hold our breath when the cigarette smoke would drift our way.

Daddy also had a mustard-colored, short bed, single cab Chevy that had "glass packs" on it.  He loved to make an impression when he would shift gears after dropping us off in front of the school.  The school boys envied the truck and the school girls swooned over the "Crocodile Dundee" look-alike driving that Chevy truck.  Me, I was just plain embarrassed. 

And then there was the time we had the privilege of riding to town with Daddy in his loaded cedar truck.  There were holes in the floorboard and it was quite scary to be able to see the pavement through said holes while riding down the highway.  At least we had more room to get situated in the cab of the cedar truck. 

To this day, Daddy still smokes filterless Camel cigarettes and drives Toyota pickups.  None of his kids took up smoking but Marshall does drive a Toyota pickup.  And my daily routine is bumpy when Mama misses a day of work.  :)