The Heavy Chevy part 1

Scooter and I sat on the couch nibbling at the sugar cookies as Mrs. Baker sat sipping tea while admiring the shrine to her son, purveyor of Ricky Baker’s Auto Action.

“Ricky sold a car to Tip O’Neil yesterday boys. Imagine, my little Ricky selling a car to the Speaker of the House himself,” said Mrs. Baker.

Scooter and I rolled our eyes. The likelihood of Mr. O’Neil visiting Youngstown let alone buying a car from Ricky Baker was infinitesimally small.

“Last week Senator Kennedy bought a car. He must’ve recommended Ricky to Mr. O’Neil. The King of Service, that’s my Ricky, that’s why they like him.”

Ricky Baker sold my father a maroon 1964 Chevy Impala otherwise known in my family as ‘The Heavy Chevy.” The old car, a 1959 AMC Ambassador Super station wagon had wheezed it’s last gasping breath while driving up the Market Street bridge one day, completely blocking two lanes of traffic as my father attempted to wrangle the beast to the side of the road.
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“It’s a beautiful car, Lucius,” said Ricky Baker to my father. “Best on the lot and I’ll make ya a great deal since your Mom’s neighbor. Deal of a lifetime, Lucius. Don’t pass it up.”

“It’s a nice looking car Lucius,” said my mother Elizabeth.

My father rubbed his face in contemplation.

“Nine-hundred dollars is a lot of money Ricky.”

“All right, I’ll tell ya what… You’re like family so I’ll give ya the family discount. I’ll knock that price down just for you, eight fifty, that’s as low as I can go.”

“Make it eight and a quarter you got yourself a deal.”

Ricky scratched some numbers on a notepad and acted like he was doing some serious calculating.

“You drive a hard bargain, Lucius. It’s a deal.”

With that, Ricky and my father shook hands and went into Ricky’s office to finalize the paperwork.

“Let’s have some ice cream kids,” said my mother. Ricky Baker’s Auto Action was right next door to Handel’s Ice Cream, Youngstown’s finest ice creamery.