Rachel, and Our Car

If we were to be farmers, we needed a tractor. So, one day I went to Duchess and bought one. Everyone was excited when I came home with the brand-new tractor. Marvelle wrote about the tractor, I named Rachel:

OUR CAR

by Marvelle Hyde Noble

The first car I ever remember riding in was a Model A Ford. It was our family car. It was black as all Model As were. Because I was older, I always got to ride in the back. Dad and Mom and my little sister, Lester Ann, rode in the front. I remember riding in the back and jumping up and down on the back seat. To make sure I did not fall out one of the back doors while going down the road, Dad put hook and eye latches on the inside of the two back doors. The only way I could get out was to climb over onto the front seat and out one of the front doors.

There were no seat belts in those days, so Lester Ann, and I had the freedom to jump up and down as we drove along. Sometimes, if we jumped high enough, we could hit our heads on the car’s ceiling, and I often did. Dad always sang at the top of his lungs as we drove along, and we would sing along with him. “You are My Sunshine – My only Sunshine” or “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” were our favorites.

Mom claimed I talked all the time and although I know you find that hard to believe, I can remember Lester Ann stopping her jumping every so often, to turn and yell “Oh, lull up” at me as we drove along. She was just following Mom’s example, who could only stand my singing and talking for so long, then she would yell at me to “shut up” over the roar of the motor. In those days it was still OK to yell “shut up” at your kids. At any rate, when Lester Ann yelled “Lull Up” at me, we would all laugh and think she was so clever. I thought she was so cute. She was just learning to talk and who cared if the only words she could say were “Lull Up”. I was five and she was just over one year old.

We had been living in Raymond but then Dad decided we were going to leave the security of the job he had with Canadian Sugar Factories and move to Rosemary, Alberta where we could get to live on a farm he had leased. The farm had a house where we could live and I suppose I could elaborate on it, but suffice it to say, it was less than mother had expected. It was cold and drafty and seven miles from town. But off we all went – Dad, Mom, Lester Ann and me, to become farmers. One day, Dad came home with a new tractor. It was a beautiful red I.H.C Farmall tractor, brand new. 

We all gathered around to admire it. Dad had driven it home from nearby Duchess where he had bought it. It took a while for us to realize “our car” was gone! He had driven the tractor home and we soon realized he had traded the car in for that dumb tractor. That meant, for one whole summer, we did not go anywhere. Dad got groceries from town by riding the saddle horse, Old Bess, into Rosemary to get whatever Mom needed. As you can imagine, it was a long summer. Dad would often come home and tell us “our car” was still sitting on the car lot. No one had bought it yet. I can remember thinking how lonely the old car must feel, just sitting there by itself.

I cannot remember how long we were without a car, but I will always remember the day “our car” came home. Dad left early in the morning. We didn’t know where he had gone but sometime after lunch, we could hear the honking of a car horn coming up the driveway. It was coming from “Our Car”! Dad had gone into town and had bought our car back for a whole $50. 00. Our car was home again. We were a family again.

Nothing would do but we all go for a ride. So, into the car we all piled. Dad was singing at the top of his voice and I was in the back yelling as loud as I could. It felt good. In the video of my mind, I can still see Lester Ann standing on the front seat between Mom and Dad, jumping up and down and yelling at me in the back to “lull up”. I did not care. It was great. Our car was home, and we were having the time of our lives.

I can still picture Mom sitting in the front seat with her eyes shining. Probably from unshed tears because of the love she felt for her perfect little family. Well, I thought it was perfect and I felt the love my parents shared.

It had rained that day or the day before and the roads were muddy. Remember, there were no paved highways in those days and only gravel on the better roads. Most of the back country roads were dirt that became ice slick they were wet. As we topped a steep long hill, Dad stopped the car at the top to look down at the big pond of water that covered the road at the bottom. In the middle of the pond of water were two cars, already stuck. Oh well, we would probably have to go back the way we had come.’ 

But Dad had a different idea. “Don’t you dare, Clarence. Go back.” Mom said. “We’ll get stuck.”

“Don’t be silly, Floy. Model A’s don’t get stuck.” said Dad. “Hang on, kids.” 

And so ….. Dad backed up to get a good run at it. It was exciting but it was scary too. Two cars, much newer than ours had not made it. But of course, they did not have our Dad driving. The men were wading around in the water trying to decide what to do. In my usual style, I was screaming as loud as I could and of course, Lester Ann was jumping up and down. Mom just sat there holding on for dear life. Obviously, she was hoping Dad could get through or better yet, he was not serious about trying.

Ready. Set. Go! And go we did. We hit the water with a splash. Dad expertly steered around the stuck cars. The men were obviously ticked off, as it was apparent, we were not going to stop and they quickly ran for cover from the wall of water spraying out from both sides of our speeding car. Well. It seemed fast to me. We did not slow down, even a little, as we went by, but as we passed the other car, Dad leaned out the window and called, “Watch the Model As go by!”

It was great. Memories were made that day for two little girls and a young mother whose mundane life was made fun by a husband and father who loved “his girls” to pieces and showed not only them, but the whole world he could do anything.

And he proved to two little girls, if you thought you could do it, there was nothing you could not do. Times were tough. Money was scarce, but for a little while on that afternoon long ago, it did not matter.