PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES!

Another story I remember vividly about the privilege of using the family car, was between 1941--1943. It is as follows.

We had an end of the year all High School Picnic about 10 miles away from our home. Dad allowed me to drive myself to it and permission to pick up my best friends. They lived about 7 miles away in another direction and then we drove to the picnic. In those days, it was the exception that girls in the family learned to drive. My friends were glad that I was able to drive and pick them up.

When we got to the park where the picnic was being held, there were large rocks along the park road, so people didn't park on the grass of the pretty park. I was slowly driving along and looking for a place to park that was legal, when all of a sudden some guys from the high school saw us coming and they quickly jumped on the fenders of the car. (In those days cars still had fenders) This obstructed my view and I couldn't see the large rocks. I hit one of the rocks and the guy that was on that side went up in the air and landed back down on the fender. Well, there was a nice dent on top of the fender. I felt that I couldn't go home with a dented car, because then I feared I would never be trusted with the car again.

So my girlfriends and I went to the Chevrolet Garage to see if they could fix the dent in the fender for fifty cents (all the money I had with me and no more at home). He smiled and said that he thought he could fix it. As I left the garage with my friends, I told him that if need be, he should paint it. I was asking a lot from the garage repairman, even in those days.

The end of the day, we walked to pick up the car and they did such a beautiful job, that you couldn't tell it had been dented. Perfect!! I had covered my tracks!! I tried to be responsible! No need to tell dad about what was "Perfect"!

The next day my Dad asked, "Did I have a good time at the All School Picnic?"

I said, "Yes we did".

Dad said, "I was over in that town yesterday myself".

I said, "You WERE!! Where did you park?" (Dad had a truck in those days, also, and knew he surely would have looked around to see if I was driving around with the family car).

Dad said, "In front of the Chevy Garage."

I said, "YOU DID? You didn't happen to see our car in the Garage did you?"

Dad asked, "Was I suppose to see the car in the Garage?"

Then I broke down and told him about what happened. He didn't scold me or blame me for anything, but calmly listened.

Later I thought about it and came to the conclusion that the man at the garage probably phoned my dad and told him he was instructed to fix a dent in the car and fifty cents was not going to cover the cost and what did he want done? Dad never told me this, but even then, 50 cents was pretty cheap for repairing a dent. Dad had an even disposition and knew how to handle his children. We would never try to disappoint our Dad so we tried very hard to be responsible with the trust that he doled out.

Wisdom for the day--Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admoniton of the Lord.