This Weeks Very Short Story: Chapter 23

In 1972 my choice was to get a car and go to Wayne State University or go Michigan State University, no car. The car I wanted was a small Toyota. A girl in my high school class got one. I don’t know where she went to college. So there we were; my mother and I going to look at a Toyota just outside of Detroit in 1972. 

I did not get that Toyota in 1972. It wasn’t until 1981 when I finished all my schooling and we were living in California. I finally got my Toyota, a 1981 Toyota Tercel, 5 speed, rack and pinion steering. It was great for driving over Laurel Canyon daily to work. 

A few years after I got my Toyota Tercel, I went back to the same dealer and wanted to get a Toyota Cressida, the top of their line. They sort of laughed me off the lot, not wanting to deal with me. I then went to Nissan and bought their top of the line, a Maxima. I have owned 3 Nissan’s, still have one. Automotive salesmen take note. 

It wasn’t until 2015, that I even looked at a Toyota product. FINALLY after 35 years, I bought one. No disrespect this time. 

Not to say that we did not have much when we were growing up but sometimes the large box that a washing machine or refrigerator came in was as much fun to play with as getting a present. 

When I was 13, I got my first radio that had AM and FM. I even think it had shortwave, though I don’t think that I listened to it. Having FM eventually opened up a new world to me, album oriented rock and alternative rock radio. Stations like WABX, CJOM out of Canada and WRIF baby. Many a night would I fall asleep listening to what we now refer as classic rock. 

Sometime during high school, I went to a bingo to raise money for the Jewish War Veterans group that my parents belonged to. This was a time when it was illegal to hold a bingo, but they let charitable group do this. Well that night, they had a fill the whole card bingo and win a stereo… complete with AM/FM, turntable, speakers. Well, I won it. I left right after winning. That night I couldn’t sleep, kept getting up to look at the stereo unit to see if it was real.