Pa’s favorite truck
This is such a cool story to me, as it almost seems like a dream.
Let’s start with the people. Pa’s name is Alvin M. A god fearing man, a beloved husband. He’s the kind of man that’s a dying breed these days, if ya know what I mean.
Pa’s life wasn’t easy by no means. He grew up poor. He appreciated the little things the most, like a good sharp saw and a Chevrolet truck.
This is where I get close. When I was born, I grew up on the mountains. Which was a long ways away from Pa. When I would go to Pa’s for the summer I’d stay for weeks. I spent so much time with Pa every day. We would fish and talk. Mammaw would cook up our fish and make some of the best hush puppies I’ve ever ate. I knew she made them with all the love she could give.
As I grew older I didn’t spend as much time down there like before. Most visits were the holidays. Pa’s health started declining.
I never could of spent enough time with Pa to satisfy the feeling. There’s not much to say other than I was a teenage boy who had a license and a truck. Still wish I would have spent more time talking and listening to his wisdom, as I needed all of it.
I joined the Marine Corps in 2009. I promise this isn’t about me, just explaining how this come about. Like I said, it’s still like a dream to me. So, I joined the Marines, left home and I’m doing work ups before my deployment. My phone rings and it’s my grandmother Elaine telling me about Pa, and that’s he’s not doing good. Aunt Denise is working on the logistics of getting me home to see him. I get approval from the Red Cross and my unit. Thank goodness for them. I owe them a lot! Anyways, I’m in Los Angeles about to eat dinner and find out Pa has passed. I didn’t make it in time. I wear that so heavy it hurts. I get back to GA and make it to the funeral. Honestly I felt empty.
So now this is another piece to the puzzle, before Pa passed he sold his 1976 Chevrolet Cheyenne to Ivan. He is Pa’s grandson. Ivan purchased it for $1. It was Ivan’s first vehicle. How cool is that. That story itself is rare these days.
10 months ago as I’m writing this, Sarah and I had our 1st born child, Levi. We recently visited Jeff (Pa’s son) where the truck was. We wanted to take some pictures with Levi and Pa’s truck. I hadn’t been in that truck since I was at least 12-14 years old. It had been awhile. I loved the feeling of being in something that was once his. The smell, the sound, the feeling. All of it. I had to take it all in and process it. I felt close again.
To be honest, I never thought of trying to buy it from Ivan as I respected the fact it was his. So I left it at that.
Our family goes back to Jeff’s, and Ivan and his wife Jetta is there also. We were sitting out on the porch talking when a deal was being worked up right before my eyes. Before I can comprehend what is going on, I shake on being the new owner of Pa’s truck.
It was a moment that I’ll never forget. I never thought I’d come home and see that truck sitting in the driveway, or driving it through town on a cool fall day. I never thought I’d get to wash it or change the oil.
Every time I’m around that truck, I feel Pa putting his hand on my shoulder.
So far, I’ve washed and waxed the outside. The seat is being redone as I’m typing this. Carpet is taken out to address some floor rust. Talked to a friend today that knows a guy that can fix that. Hope to get some oil leaks fixed soon and redo the exhaust as it’s falling apart.
Today 9/26/2021 I changed the oil and oil filter with some fresh oil and filter. Added power steering fluid as it was low. Also added transmission fluid.
