"Misjudgment" by The Nut

The Pop Chronicles I”

Misjudgment
By
The Nut
November 8, 2006

I have to tell you about my Pop. You see, I never had a relationship with my Real Father – he was abusive to me. But then my Mother divorced and remarried, and I gained my Pop, who I dearly loved, may he rest in peace. He was always so good to me.

A funny story:

My Pop wanted to buy a car. He had a good job at The Tennessee Eastman as a welder, but was also a farmer. He walked into town one Saturday morning, seeking out a dealership. He had worked hard on the farm that morning, washed himself scrupulously in a washtub, as he always did. He was dressed in his white shirt and bibbed overalls, his “suit”. He walked the full 11 miles downtown from his home to the Ford dealership. He entered their lot, and salesmen came out to greet him. Pop stated “I want to buy a car”. They looked him over, in his white shirt and bibbed overalls, and compared his attire to their formal suits and ties. They immediately made a mental judgment that there was no way that this “country bumpkin” could afford to buy a car. They pretty much brushed him off, stating “I don’t think that we can help you.” Pop became infuriated. He had the money for a car, damn it, and he wanted one. So he thought to himself, “I’ll take my business elsewhere”.

So he walked to the Chevrolet dealership. They too looked him over head to toe, but made no judgment when he said that he wanted to buy a car. As a matter of fact, they asked “How can we help you? What are you looking for?”. He made his deal with them, and bought a car straight out, no loan. It was black. For some unknown reason, he always bought black cars, and from that day forward, always Chevrolets.

The reaction that he received at the Ford dealership still nagged at him, even though he had already bought a new car from the Chevrolet dealership. He decided that he couldn’t just let it go.

He drove his new Chevrolet to the Ford dealership lot. He couldn’t resist doing doughnuts in their parking lot to get their attention. The salesmen could hear the roar of a car engine and the crackling sound of gravel. They rushed out to see what was going on. They saw a wild man in a new ’48 Chevrolet Coup doing doughnuts in their parking lot. They stepped cautiously towards the spinning car. When they neared, the car stopped. Right away, they recognized the “country bumpkin” from before.

They looked in the window at him in disbelief. He beamed back at them. He stepped out of his new car and said, “You see, I told you that I was going to buy a car. You wouldn’t help me, so I found someone that would. I bought this car straight out, no loan. Aren’t you sorry now?” He even waved his pink slip under their noses, in a teasing fashion. Their jaws dropped in disbelief, and if they would admit it, even to themselves, regret. After he had made his point, he peeled out of the parking lot, slinging gravel behind him.

Pop enjoyed his drive home in his new Chevrolet.