PARENTS,PART 2
My parents didn't have a lot of money,but I never wanted for anything.My mom's attitude was "if you've got power,heat and food in the pantry,what are you complaining about"?
This little gem has served me well over the years...believe me.
When I was in nursing school I had a hoopty '68 volkswagon beetle that personified death trap...one morning on the way to anatomy lab I got cut off just before my exit off the freeway.I did a quick swerve into the off ramp, a short steep one with a sharply angled embankment adjoining it (for those of you familiar with Austin,northbound 6-12th exit).The ramp was backed up to the feeder lane and I slammed on my brakes to hopefully not rear end the car at the end of the line. My right rear brake locked up,I jumped the curb and skidded about 40 feet out onto this steep embankment,stopping at an impossible angle.Had it not been a beetle (wide wheel base) I'm sure I would have rolled down the embankment onto the car first in line.
After about 5 minutes, I opened my door. 5 minutes later I grabbed my backpack and bailed out,fully expecting the car to free roll down the embankment killing people...it did not.
I walked to school shaking like Catherine Hepburn and I as soon as I got to the lounge I called.....my mom.
I related my brush with death,and after a couple of shots about why I bought that damn car in the first place (it was after all a GERMAN car)...she said she would talk to my dad and I should come by that evening.
When I got to my parents house (my house now,but that's another story) there was an unfamiliar van in the driveway parked in front of my dads subaru.
My mom talked about how it was important for me to have safe,reliable transportation and gave me the keys to dads subaru (I guess the japanese got a pass for WWII :) ).
The van was dads new car...they never said,but I'm sure this is how it went down:
mom: "Bobby...Rob was almost killed today in that demon-german death trap he drives".
dad: "Well,what should we do"? (mental image of van he's been eyeing)
mom: "Can we afford to help him out with a used car"?
dad: "Well,honey,there's this van.....".
And there you have it...family diplomacy in action.
Everybody wins.
My parents provided for me when I needed it most,and later in life I returned the favor.