INEZ

INEZ

The year was 1970 and we had just moved into our first 'farm' house in Crabapple, GA. My husband was a fireman and our daughter, an only child, was in elementary school. He worked at the fire station for 24 hours at a time, every third day. I was at home alone all day and felt stranded, at times.

So I decided I wanted to drive and take him to work so I would have transportation to run errands, etc. But he said no, because I would never learn how to drive a stick shift which was what our new Ford was.

I walked down to our Landlady's home one hot summer day to help them pick okra and beans from their huge garden. These folks were rich; he imported Charlais cattle from France and Montreal; they owned a popular and successful bus line which traveled all over the USA.

Their maid was a sweet black lady who commuted to their farm from Atlanta. Since there were no busses to Crabapple, they had purchased a car for her use.

We all called this car "Inez" as that was the Maid's name. On this particular hot Southern day, I asked where their Maid was and was told that she had quit due to family illness. I asked about the car and it was then they asked me if I was interested in buying it.

I knew that my husband did not want me driving anything. He had jokingly told me that any extra money I saved from grocery shopping, fabric shops, etc., I could save for anything I wanted or needed. It was a big joke between us as he thought I didn't know how to stretch a penney but he had forgotton that I grew up poor.

I bought Inez that day with the money I had saved and Mr. Hughes, our Landlord, drove it to our double carport and parked it before giving me the key and a receipt. I was so proud!

I'll never forget the look on my husband's face when he arrived home from work the next morning. "Who's here?" he asked. I replied "No-one." "Well, who's car is that out there?" I answered "Mine." All he said was "Well, don't think I'm gonna teach you how to drive it."

So it was that my best girlfriend, a school teacher, taught me after school. And at the ripe old age of 24, I was tested and passed for a GA. driver's license.

Shortly after that, I went to Sears to pick up an order of fabric to make some clothes and heard of a part time sales position in their catalogue department. I soon had my first job but was home before the bus dropped our daughter off.

The Landlady dropped by one morning as I was hanging out clothes to say the 'farm' we rented had been sold and we had to move in 30 days. But she went on to tell me how she thought of me as her daughter and wanted us to look for a new house to buy; they would pay for it and we would all sit down to work out a payment plan.

So we found and purchased our first new house with a fireplace, a full basement, air conditioning, etc. And we never even had to make a down payment.

Inez lasted a long time; she was a red 1964 Ford Falcon with a choke; I loved her! I've owned a few nicer, newer cars since then but still think it was the cream of the crop. God bless you, Jake & Jane Hughes!