gold eagle painted on the hood.
“It’s a piece of junk, hon,” Leah responded.
“Dad, we only have a year before I’m 16 to fix it up. It looks like we need like ten years! And,” Grace’s voice rose. “It’s brown. No one has a brown car! Everyone else at school is getting something from like this century, like a Beetle or a BMW or heaven forbid a Toyota! And they aren’t brown!”
Ian was ready for the criticism. He explained that the Jeep would serve several purposes besides being Grace’s ride. “It can be our first bug our vehicle and it would still work incase of an electromagnetic pulse.”
“Why does everything have to be about prepping for something that’s never going to happen?” Grace asked in disgust, and turned to go inside.
Leah watched her husband work to unhook the vehicle and pick a few pieces of pine straw out of from under the windshield wipers. She could see that he was taking this one personally.
“Once you two start working on it she will own it,” Leah said, picking a few leaves from the front bumper. “She will grow to love this car and the time that she spent with you to make it hers.”
Ian looked up at her, smiled and nodded that she was right. “I know. I know. I just wonder sometimes when I see that kind of reaction if we’re a little crazy with all of this stuff?”
Leah moved to stand beside her husband. “You mean with the prepping?”
“Yeah. It’s not what other parents do, Leah. Other parents don’t train their daughter on how to field strip an AR-15 or how to find drinkable water when the taps don’t work. We’re freaks, Leah.”
Leah put her hand on his shoulder and then climbed into the passenger seat of the Jeep. “Does this thing drive?”
Ian smiled at his wife. “Yeah, why?”
“I want a ride,” she said coyly.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Where ever you want to take me,” she said, knowing that this was the actual pickup line he had used on her twenty years earlier.
Ian jumped into the driver seat and stuck the key into the ignition. “Are you sure you want to go there?”
“Where else would I want to go?” she asked, while putting one leg up on the dash.
Ian started the Jeep and it roared to life. He looked at his wife and she smiled at him. He reached to put the transmission in reverse and caught the vision of his daughter walking back out of the garage. Before she could walk up to the driver side, Leah put a gentle hand on Ian’s as it rest on the knob of the manual transmission. He knew that meant to hold tight.
“It sounds pretty good,” Grace said, referring to the sound of the engine. She leaned through the window and looked at the interior for the first time. “Can we at least add a decent radio and some speakers?” she asked. “And, oh, lose the eagle?”
Both Ian and Leah exploded with laughter.
“Of course, Sweetie. This is our project, but it will be your car,” Ian said while containing his smile.
“Good, then hop in the back Dad, I want to drive,” she said, opening the door.
< >
That happened just over two years ago. She loved the year that she and her dad had worked on the Jeep. He taught her about most of the moving parts and how to take care of the 4x4 herself. She ended up falling in love with the vehicle, and eagerly worked with her father to make it her own.
After stripping the eagle off of the hood, they repainted the Jeep a rich metallic copper color, blacked out the wheels and added oversized tires. It looked sharp in a retro cool kind of way, and was the envy of most of the boys at her school.
Who needs a BMW? Or, school anymore for that matter? Grace thought to herself.
Once they had pulled out of Anna’s driveway, Grace reached under the dash to flip a number of switches. Each switch killed a series of lights on the car; brake lights, interior lights, back up lights and dash lights. They were driving in the dark,
“It’s a piece of junk, hon,” Leah responded.
“Dad, we only have a year before I’m 16 to fix it up. It looks like we need like ten years! And,” Grace’s voice rose. “It’s brown. No one has a brown car! Everyone else at school is getting something from like this century, like a Beetle or a BMW or heaven forbid a Toyota! And they aren’t brown!”
Ian was ready for the criticism. He explained that the Jeep would serve several purposes besides being Grace’s ride. “It can be our first bug our vehicle and it would still work incase of an electromagnetic pulse.”
“Why does everything have to be about prepping for something that’s never going to happen?” Grace asked in disgust, and turned to go inside.
Leah watched her husband work to unhook the vehicle and pick a few pieces of pine straw out of from under the windshield wipers. She could see that he was taking this one personally.
“Once you two start working on it she will own it,” Leah said, picking a few leaves from the front bumper. “She will grow to love this car and the time that she spent with you to make it hers.”
Ian looked up at her, smiled and nodded that she was right. “I know. I know. I just wonder sometimes when I see that kind of reaction if we’re a little crazy with all of this stuff?”
Leah moved to stand beside her husband. “You mean with the prepping?”
“Yeah. It’s not what other parents do, Leah. Other parents don’t train their daughter on how to field strip an AR-15 or how to find drinkable water when the taps don’t work. We’re freaks, Leah.”
Leah put her hand on his shoulder and then climbed into the passenger seat of the Jeep. “Does this thing drive?”
Ian smiled at his wife. “Yeah, why?”
“I want a ride,” she said coyly.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Where ever you want to take me,” she said, knowing that this was the actual pickup line he had used on her twenty years earlier.
Ian jumped into the driver seat and stuck the key into the ignition. “Are you sure you want to go there?”
“Where else would I want to go?” she asked, while putting one leg up on the dash.
Ian started the Jeep and it roared to life. He looked at his wife and she smiled at him. He reached to put the transmission in reverse and caught the vision of his daughter walking back out of the garage. Before she could walk up to the driver side, Leah put a gentle hand on Ian’s as it rest on the knob of the manual transmission. He knew that meant to hold tight.
“It sounds pretty good,” Grace said, referring to the sound of the engine. She leaned through the window and looked at the interior for the first time. “Can we at least add a decent radio and some speakers?” she asked. “And, oh, lose the eagle?”
Both Ian and Leah exploded with laughter.
“Of course, Sweetie. This is our project, but it will be your car,” Ian said while containing his smile.
“Good, then hop in the back Dad, I want to drive,” she said, opening the door.
< >
That happened just over two years ago. She loved the year that she and her dad had worked on the Jeep. He taught her about most of the moving parts and how to take care of the 4x4 herself. She ended up falling in love with the vehicle, and eagerly worked with her father to make it her own.
After stripping the eagle off of the hood, they repainted the Jeep a rich metallic copper color, blacked out the wheels and added oversized tires. It looked sharp in a retro cool kind of way, and was the envy of most of the boys at her school.
Who needs a BMW? Or, school anymore for that matter? Grace thought to herself.
Once they had pulled out of Anna’s driveway, Grace reached under the dash to flip a number of switches. Each switch killed a series of lights on the car; brake lights, interior lights, back up lights and dash lights. They were driving in the dark,
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