I wrote this for those of us that still have dreams to realize.
Ever since I retired, I've been driving cars for a local auto dealer. It doesn't pay much, but it gives me something to do and I work with a great bunch of people. I hadn't worked for a few days when the manager called me. He asked if I was interested in making some extra money and of course, I told him yes. He said that some good customers were looking for a driver for a few days, that they were really good people, and they paid well...in cash.
Always just a little bit short on cash, I got the phone number from him and called them. They were the Langleys, senior citizens who weren't rich, but they didn't have to worry about their future if you know what I mean. I called the number he gave me, and a woman answered. I told her who I was and why I was calling, and she said she was glad I called.
"My husband and I are going to California for the winter," she said. "He can't drive due to medication that he takes. I can drive, but not for long distances. Mr. Harkins says you drive like this all the time and he recommended you highly. We'll pay you, of course. Would you be interested? It would mean driving for about three days and flying back."
I thought about it for a few minutes and mentally reviewed my financial situation. "I don't mean to sound greedy or anything like that," I said, "but how much does the job pay?"
"Well, Mr. Harkins says he pays you nine dollars an hour. Now, we can't afford to pay you overtime or anything like that, but that would be about 960.00 for the three days plus the day you fly back. Of course, we would pay all expenses, and your return flight would be our responsibility so you wouldn't need any money for day to day. If you're interested, I'll start looking for a flight back and taking care of the other arrangements. Just jeans or shorts and a pullover is fine for the day but you'll want to take something to wear for dinner. Most of the hotels have pools so if that sort of thing interests you, you'll need a suit of some kind. What do you say? We'd like to leave in a couple of days so you can get back to work. Mr. Harkins said he'd like to have you back by Tuesday or Wednesday if we can work it out."
"How about this? How about I come over and meet you and you can meet me. Then we can be sure everything is understood by everyone. If we're both satisfied that it's going to work, I'll take the job."
"That's fine," she said, and invited me to dinner that night. I put the phone down and took a deep breath. I had to make this work. That was just too much money to refuse and driving is no big deal for me anyway. I don't drink or smoke so they wouldn't have that to worry about and I'm not tied down to any tight schedule or anything so why not. A grand for three days work and a flight home. Not bad.
I called Harkins and he told me that he'd just sold them a new town car so I'd have good wheels for the trip. When I asked if he was going to be in a tight spot if I took it, he said his son-inn-law, who used to work there, was going to be around for about a month so he agreed to work until I got back.
They lived in a lovely older home on about three acres of grass and trees. In this area, that meant money so I didn't have any concerns about non-payment either. She came to the door wearing a really expensive sweater that appeared to be cashmere or something like that, and a long, full skirt to go with it. She had nice blue eyes and brown hair that was graying some, but still dark in most places. Her smile was warm and welcoming and I just had the feeling this was going to work out well for everyone.
She took me in and introduced me to her husband, who was about six feet, dark brown hair and blue eyes. I kind of think he had been a rather husky man before he became ill because he just had the bearing of a bigger man. He smiled and we shook and his grip was still strong.
"I'm not an invalid or anything," he said, "but the medication that I'm on reduces my white count so the doctor won't let me drive. Once we get out there, I'm finding a new doc and we'll see what we can do."
"No problem, sir," I replied. We exchanged references, discussed my experience and background, and what they were expecting. I couldn't see a problem at all and neither could they. They liked my safety record and the fact that I seldom drive more than seven over the speed limit. They agreed that if I got tired while driving, we'd just take a break until I was rested again. I left there with a job and two hundred in advance. I took my wife out and had a great dinner.
Two days passed and we were on the road by eight in the morning. The car ran like a dream and the old man slept until about noon when he woke up for lunch. He was riding with me up front and she had the back seat all to herself. Well, her and the bags that she couldn't fit in the trunk. They'd shipped almost everything out ahead so there were no big suitcases but she had gifts for everyone and craft supplies enough to keep her busy.
We ate lunch, relaxed for a bit, and hit the road again. The old man stayed awake this time, and we had some good banter going. They liked to joke around and weren't afraid to laugh at their own mistakes or take shots at each other. By mid afternoon, we were like family. They were surprised to learn that I was married and that my wife had no problems being gone for so long. My kids were long since grown but they questioned me in great length about them.
Mrs. Langley kept picking on me, prying details of my sex life out of me, and joking about the fact that at the age of 67 I had a sex life at all. I assured her I was still swinging the bat but not for as many innings and my batting average was low.