The "SHO"

“A Little Thick”
It was an SHO, or a Ford Taurus with an eight cylinder to be exact. His first mistake was leaving the keys in the door, and second that I had been allowed to watch James Bond drive as I re-winded the chase scenes over and over. It was a bright fall day with that breeze that cuts to the bones. The white paint on the house was cracked and chipping. All I knew was that when the big wheel is turned the tires squeal, and the buttons on the floor are used to make more noise and avoid crashing. As I turned the key the beast like engine growled to life. I would soon experience the Super High Output Ford promised from this rare American brute. I pushed the button on the floor and it started to make noise.
So you have my Father: a hard working forty something with a decent amount of debt on our failing 1860’s farmhouse and a love of living in the moment. Me on the other hand, I loved playing with legos, taking my trucks apart, smashing them, trying to put them back together, and then smashing them again. Car rides were always fun even though we had to travel often. We would fly down the highway (I learned from the best) at eighty-five playing oldies music with the volume turned all the way up. Volume sensitive speed of course, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I wanted to be just like my Dad so me driving wouldn’t bother him I reasoned. “Always be careful around cars” my dad had told me “They kill more people because of bad decisions than most other things”. Certainly a good point, good to listen as a kid. Did I mention my skull is as thick as the armor on an M1 Abrams tank? Something about powerful machines changes the way a kid thinks, so I made sure to be careful
When I pressed on the button it roared, but just shook and didn’t move. I pushed harder deciding this might solve the problem; by now the car’s rumble was absolutely screaming through out four acres of property, and im sure more than one lackadaisical teenager was coming to see where that glorious sound was coming from. I looked up into my father’s room and I saw him shoot through the ceiling “UH-OH”. I stopped, turned the big car off, left the keys where I had found them and ran to the place I had always found security: my tree house. He tore through the front door and automatically knew where I was hiding. He found me huddling in a little ball and said “Next time, ill show you how to put it in gear.” Calm, collected, the last thing I expected after beating on the family car. I peeped out from behind my arm-shield and said “I’m sorry” my Dad replied “Lets go for a drive”.