Pretend You Enjoy It

On my wedding day, Aunt Clara gave me one piece of advice. She said, "Alice, this is the secret to a long and happy marriage. Pretend you enjoy it!" I ask her what she meant, but she only smiled. So for the past fifteen years, I've pretended to enjoy everyone of Clay's hobbies. It's getting harder and harder to pretend, especially since January 1st when he ask me to join him in his newest hobby.

I'm not mechanically inclined, I don't know the difference between a ratchet or a torque wrench. If I have a flat tire, I call AAA because I don't know how to use a jack of any type. In fact, I only recently found out there is more then one type of jack. Last Sunday, Clay introduced me to an axle and a fender jack. He now has both because his new hobby requires that he have all the proper tools and that he buys them brand new. Oh well, I don't mind the expense as much as setting in the garage listening to him explain in excruciating detail everything he needs to do to rebuild an engine.

In fact, last Sunday, I almost told him where he could put the torque wrench he ask me to hand him. Fortunately, I remembered Aunt Clara's advice and enthusiastically handed him the wrong wrench. He was sweet about it, then he explained, in minute detail, the difference between a torque wrench and a ratchet wrench. I never want to see another damn wrench again. Unfortunately, my marriage depends on me enjoying Clay's hobbies.

I'd still like to know what got him interested in auto restoration. I know it was one of two things, either watching Counting Cars on the History channel or my father leaving Clay Great Uncle Harry's dilapidated Model T. I don't know why Dad didn't get rid of that car when Uncle Harry left it to him, it would've made my life so much less boring. Maybe, I should contact Count's Kustoms in Las Vegas and have the car shipped there, so that Danny Koker's crew could restore it. I suspect that would be much better for my marriage then pretending to enjoy restoring old cars. I would much rather be in the kitchen cooking a gourmet meal then in the garage rebuilding an engine or recovering worn leather seats.