WILLIAM B. TAYLOR
Bloodlines: Brenda's Revenge
The following two excerpts are from Bloodlines: Brenda's Revenge
Some grudges outlive us all!
Brenda shuffled back to the small living room and picked up her purse which she kept beside her chair. She then disconnected the main oxygen hose from the large tank and the reconnected the hose to the portable tank on her scooter. Brenda pulled herself up and on to her scooter and headed out and into the hallway. She locked her apartment door and drove the little red scooter down the hallway to the elevator. Brenda pushed the elevator button several times in rapid succession. As Brenda sat waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive, she cursed her neighbors who were cooking their dinner. The hallway was filled with the smells of dinners being cooked and Brenda found the smells offensive.
“Why can’t they cook something that smells half-decent?” Brenda muttered as she began to cough.
When the elevator doors opened, Brenda honked the scooter’s horn and rushed forward, causing two teenaged girls that were standing inside to quickly jump to either side of the tiny elevator.
“Out of my way girls!” Brenda barked as she zoomed inside.
The two young girls both gave Brenda a nasty look, but Brenda paid them no attention; she had no time for welfare teens that she felt were beneath her. Brenda wildly swung her scooter around, so she could face the door, causing the two girls to press themselves tightly against the walls to avoid being hit.
It took only two minutes for the elevator to descend from the 5th floor down to the main lobby of the building. As the doors opened, Brenda pressed hard on her scooter’s accelerator and the little red device zoomed out of the elevator. Brenda’s inconsiderate actions forced two people that had been waiting by the elevator door to quickly jump out of the way to avoid being run over.
“You should be more careful with that thing!” An older man shouted to Brenda as she zoomed past, barely missing him.
“Don’t block the doors when people are getting off!” Brenda snapped back at the man.
Brenda traveled across the dingy apartment lobby at full speed, trying to get through the entry doors before they closed. A woman who had just entered the building quickly stepped aside as Brenda came toward her at full speed. Brenda’s scooter banged the door on the right as she just managed to pass through before they closed.
“Ha!” Brenda exclaimed, a nasty grin on her face as she zoomed through the doors.
Outside it was already twilight, the late autumn sun setting early in the northern hemisphere. Brenda gunned her scooter and the little red machine quickly reached its maximum speed of 8 mph. Brenda shot down the walkway and on to the sidewalk, the left rear tire giving a slight squeal as she turned. Brenda wanted to get to the store and back before she missed her self-imposed dinnertime deadline.
Brenda zoomed along on her little scooter, making several unsuspecting pedestrians move quickly out of her way as she honked her horn again and again. Some of the pedestrians looked at Brenda with disgust while others were simply amused at the crazy senior zooming along the sidewalk.
The pharmacy where Brenda intended to purchase her eggs was located across the street, which was a busy, 4 lane road that was still emptying of the late rush hour commuter traffic. Brenda waited impatiently for the ‘walk’ signal to indicate that she could cross the road. As soon as the little white light showing a person walking came up, Brenda gunned the scooter, cutting off a late-turning car.
“I have the right of way!” Brenda yelled as the motorist came to a sudden stop.
For good measure, Brenda held up the middle finger on her left hand, leaving the motorist stunned as he watched her zoom through the intersection. She had reached full speed by the time she was three quarters of the way across the road, and did not slow down as she reached the sidewalk on the opposite side. From there she quickly entered the plaza parking lot and steered her scooter in the direction of the pharmacy.
Brenda maneuvered her scooter through the shopping plaza’s parking lot, not bothering to wait for cars to stop before crossing their paths.
“I have the right of way!” Brenda declared, giving her scooter’s horn several honks as she went, ignoring the surprised and annoyed motorists.
Brenda arrived at the pharmacy entrance and was forced to slow the scooter to a crawl as she waited for the automatic doors to open. As soon as the doors opened, Brenda gave the scooter more power and quickly entered the store. Brenda didn’t slow down much when she was inside the store, the scooters tires squealing in protest as she sharply turned down the aisle that contained the dairy products.
Brenda stopped at the refrigerated section that contained the eggs she so desperately needed. She opened the refrigerator door, reached into the display and began to check the cartons. Once she found a half-carton that suited her needs, Brenda put the carton in the basket on her scooter and headed towards the cashier.
Brenda found it necessary to honk twice at two elderly ladies who were blocking the aisle as she headed toward the cashier. The two elderly women gave Brenda a look of disgust, but their attempts to shame Brenda were lost on her.
“Is that all for today?” the cashier asked as Brenda placed the eggs on the counter.
“Do you see anything else?” Brenda asked sarcastically.
The cashier ignored Brenda; she had become accustomed to the occasional rude customer.
“$2.95 please.” The cashier said, holding her hand out for Brenda to pay her.
“That’s an outrageous price for a half-dozen eggs!” Brenda complained as she handed the cashier $3.00.
The cashier handed Brenda a nickel and thanked her for her business. Brenda put the nickel in her purse, not bothering to reply to the cashier.
The whole trip inside the pharmacy to get her eggs had only taken a few minutes, but it was now almost fully dark outside, and the street lights and parking lot lights had come on. Brenda didn’t bother to turn on the lights on her scooter as she left the store and started through the parking lot toward the street.
As Brenda approached the intersection, the small red colored ‘don’t walk’ sign started to flash, and the countdown timer had started. Brenda didn’t want to wait so she entered the intersection and gunned the scooter once more. Brenda reached the center of the roadway and saw that the countdown timer had 5 seconds left.
Brenda gave her scooter full power as she crossed the remaining lanes of traffic, reaching the opposite sidewalk just as the on-coming traffic started through the intersection.
“Ha!” Brenda exclaimed, proud of herself for avoiding a 2-minute wait on the other side of the road.
Brenda drove back towards her apartment building, arriving just before 6:00. If she hurried, she could still have her omelet before her self-imposed cut-off time of 6:10. Brenda entered the building and moved her scooter past several tenants waiting for the elevator.
“Handicapped person here…move!” Brenda barked as she forced herself past the others waiting at the elevator doors.
Brenda ignored the disgusted looks of the other tenants as she sat waiting for the elevator to arrive. A few moments later Brenda heard the tell-tale ‘ding’ announcing the arrival of the elevator. Brenda waited impatiently for the elevator doors to open, and when they finally did, she was surprised to see no one come out and she quickly rushed in, making it almost impossible for the other tenants to get inside easily. She spun her scooter around to face the door and waited for the other tenants to get in.
“Fifth floor.” Brenda instructed, looking at a woman standing by the floor buttons.
The lady pressed the number 5 and Brenda waited impatiently as the elevator started to rise. Brenda couldn’t believe her good luck when she saw that floor #5 would be the first stop.
When the doors opened on the 5th floor, Brenda quickly exited the elevator and shot down the hall toward her apartment. As she drove her scooter down the hall, she could smell the odor of her neighbor’s cooking. Brenda held her breath and moved the scooter down the hall as quickly as she could.
******
Alex walked over to where Maybelline sat under the soft glow of the garage lights. Even though he had owned the car for years, she still took his breath away every time he saw her. Even parked next to Maggie’s new Wraith, Maybelline still looked impressive. Alex could feel the smile form on his face as he approached his old friend.
Alex opened the heavy door of the Cadillac and sat down behind the wheel.
“I’ve missed you Maybelline.” Alex said lovingly as he stroked the steering wheel. “I want you to know you will soon have another car to keep you company in here; a little Italian sports car. But don’t worry, you’ll always be my #1 girl! I’ll take you out for a drive as soon as Maggie and I get back.”
Alex thought nothing of talking to his car – he had done it since the day he had found her when he was only 15. Alex had done yard work for Mrs. Cooper, an elderly neighbor who lived down the street from his family. Mrs. Cooper was a very nice woman and she and Alex had formed a good friendship over the years he had helped her. One day, when he was 17, Mrs. Cooper told Alex she had something to show him and took him out to the ancient wooden windowless garage which she always kept locked.
“You must never tell any of your friends what I am about to show you.” Mrs. Cooper warned Alex as her thin fingers unlatched the last of the 3 locks on the garage door. “I don’t want any busy-bodies pestering me.”
Mrs. Cooper slowly opened the one door of the garage. Alex peered inside but could not see anything clearly in the darkness.
“Open the other door please, Alex.” Mrs. Cooper instructed.
Alex opened the other door as Mrs. Cooper went inside the dusty old garage. When Alex finished opening the door, he walked back and saw that Mrs. Cooper had turned on a single low wattage overhead light. Inside the garage was a hulking giant of a car, covered in old blankets.
“This is my Cadillac.” Mrs. Cooper said proudly. “Help me remove these blankets so you can see her.”
Alex helped Mrs. Cooper carefully remove the old blankets, folding each one as they came off the car. After several minutes of work, Alex started to see the car that was carefully hidden beneath.
“Wow!” Alex exclaimed as he saw the front of the old Cadillac for the first time.
Alex stood back, his mouth opened in awe as he stared at the big, black Cadillac. Alex knew that the car was from the mid-1950’s, the large chrome bumper guards and single headlights indicating it was no newer than a 1956 model. The back of the Cadillac was still covered in blankets, but Alex could see it was a coupe, and from the gold colored script on the front fender, it was a Coupe deVille, one of the top of the line Cadillacs in 1956.
“She’s beautiful!” Alex said as he stood beside Mrs. Cooper and looked at the car.
“Thank you.” Mrs. Cooper answered politely, with just a hint of pride. “This is the only car I ever bought brand-new.”
Alex looked inside the car, being careful not to get his fingerprints on the glass. The inside of the car was just as nice as the outside, the seats perfectly preserved under clear plastic covers.
“I bought this car when I retired,” Mrs. Cooper said softly. “It was my gift to myself for all the years I spent as a teacher. I remember seeing her in the dealership window as I was driving home after my last day teaching. Come, sit inside and I will tell you the story.”
Mrs. Cooper pulled a small silver key out of her apron and unlocked the driver’s door. Alex held the door open for her as she sat inside behind the wheel. When Mrs. Cooper was safely seated inside, Alex carefully closed the door and rushed over to the passenger side. He saw Mrs. Cooper search for something on the driver’s side door and then saw the lock pop up. He quickly opened the door, sat inside and closed the car door carefully. The wonderful old-car smell filled Alex’s nostrils as he sat on the thick, plush seat.
“It was October 7th, 1955 – a Friday – the start of Thanksgiving weekend.” Mrs. Cooper said as she sat behind the Cadillac’s large steering wheel, her two frail hands on either side, “I was driving home in my old car, a 1949 Hudson Hornet which was a real rocket of a car! I saw the Cadillac while I was stopped at the traffic light directly in front of the car dealership.”
Alex listened intently as Mrs. Cooper took him back to a time 40 year earlier.
“I loved my old Hudson, and never thought I would get rid of it until I saw this beautiful black car sitting in the dealership window.” Mrs. Cooper continued, “The car spoke to me, Alex, and under the bright lights of the dealership, I saw something in this car that I had never seen before.”
Alex nodded his head in understanding. Alex had loved cars since he was a small boy, and he knew all the makes and models from most of the car manufacturers. He had driven his parents to distraction with all his ramblings about cars. Luckily though, both of his parents had shared his love of cars and had each several interesting cars over the years.
“I must have been daydreaming,” Mrs. Cooper said, “because the man behind me started honking his horn; the light had turned green and I was still sitting there, staring at this car!”
Mrs. Cooper smiled and laughed as she recalled the impatient motorist behind her on that night so many years before.
“I started to drive again, but I couldn’t get the site of this Cadillac out of my mind.” Mrs. Cooper explained. “I was almost home when I decided I had to turn around and go back to that car dealership and have a look at the car.”
Alex closed his eyes as Mrs. Cooper told the story. He could imagine what it was like walking into a car dealership in 1955, and seeing the brand-new 1956 models sitting in the showroom, the car’s paint and chrome gleaming like a clear night sky.
“Back in those days the salesmen at car dealers didn’t pay much attention to a woman looking at a car on her own.” Mrs. Cooper said, “They figured a woman would need a man to tell her what she wanted to buy! When I walked over to the Cadillac, I could see two of the salesmen in the dealership give me a funny look, wondering what I was doing.”
Alex laughed a little at the thought of someone thinking Mrs. Cooper was a helpless little lady. He had known her for a few years, and although she was as sweet as candy, she was not helpless.
“I looked at this Cadillac and just knew it was right for me.” Mrs. Cooper stated, “Since no one was coming over to help me, I opened the door and sat inside behind the wheel, just like I am doing today. That got the sales manager’s attention, and how!”
“Good evening, madam,” the well-groomed man in the dark blue suit said as he rushed over to the Cadillac, “May I be of assistance?”
“Good evening.” Mrs. Cooper answered back from behind the wheel of the big Cadillac. “Yes, I am interested in this car.”
The salesman had a puzzled look on his face as he looked at the tiny middle-aged woman sitting in the car.
“Is your husband around somewhere?” the salesman asked, looking around the dealership’s showroom.
“He’s over at St. Margaret’s,” Mrs. Cooper answered back, looking at the salesman through the open window of the car. “He’s been sleeping there since 1953.”
Mrs. Cooper’s sharp response caught the salesman off-guard and he quickly searched for an appropriate response.
“He’s dead.” Mrs. Cooper said flatly. “Now, are you going to talk to me about this car or should I ask someone else to help me?”
“This is a nice car,” the salesman said with a slight grin on his face, “but a lot of car for a little lady like yourself. Perhaps madam would be more interested in our Buick line?”
“Madam would not!” Mrs. Cooper answered sharply. “I am interested in this car, not a Buick; Buick’s are for old people!”
Mrs. Cooper’s response took the wind out of the salesman’s sails. He had dealt with woman car buyers before, but usually they were accompanied by their husbands, or their sons, but he had never had one come in on their own, and this one was a real fire-cracker!
“My apologies, ma’am.” The salesman said, feeling somewhat foolish. “How may I assist you?”
“Good for you!” Alex said, proud of how Mrs. Cooper had handled the salesman.
Mrs. Cooper laughed at Alex’s response. She remembered the day as if it were yesterday, and it brought a smile to her face every time she thought of it.
“It got even funnier from there.” Mrs. Cooper said. “I insisted on a test drive, and one that I drove the car myself, not where the salesman chauffeured me around. I wanted to know what this baby could do.”
“I have a similar car that we can take for a test drive.” The salesman said to Mrs. Cooper.
“No, I want to drive this car.” Mrs. Cooper said softly but firmly. “This is the car I am interested in buying, so this is the car I want to drive.”
The salesman realized that he wasn’t going to win this argument. He quickly called over the other salesmen and told them to open the showroom’s large glass doors so that he could drive the Coupe deVille outside. The other salesman gave him a questioning look, but his face was serious; they quickly got to work.
“If you would kindly slide over to the passenger side, I will drive the car out of the showroom.” The salesman said to Mrs. Cooper.
Mrs. Cooper reluctantly moved over to the passenger side of the Cadillac as the salesman got inside and started the car. The big V8 engine came to life and quickly settled into a deep and comforting rumble.
The salesman carefully put the Cadillac in gear and slowly eased across the floor, through the open glass doors, and down the ramp to the parking lot. The salesman tried to ignore the amused looks on the faces of his employees as he went. Rather than stopping and changing places with Mrs. Cooper, the salesman continued out of the parking lot and onto the main street.
“The 1956 Cadillac is the pinnacle of automotive excellence.” He said as he eased the big coupe onto the street, “The V8 engine is powerful and quiet, delivering smooth acceleration and a ride that is unequalled in any other automobile.”
The salesman’s pitch went on for several minutes as he drove slowly along the street. With each block that passed, Mrs. Cooper was growing more impatient. She wanted to drive the car and make her own decision, and she found the way the salesman was behaving to be off-putting.
“Could you please pull over for a moment?” Mrs. Cooper asked after they had travelled several blocks.
The salesman stopped his sales pitch and pulled the Cadillac into a nearby plaza parking lot and brought the Cadillac to a stop.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked his passenger.
“Yes, there is.” Mrs. Cooper answered.
“What’s wrong?” He asked concerned about his passenger.
“I told you back at the dealership that I wanted to drive this car,” Mrs. Cooper said, using her best disappointed school teacher voice, “and here you are chauffeuring me around town telling me all about the wonders of the 1956 Cadillac!”
The salesman rolled his eyes which did not go unnoticed by Mrs. Cooper. Realizing he might lose a sale, he quickly apologized and finally offered to allow her to drive the Cadillac. He got out of the car and rushed over to the passenger side and opened the door for Mrs. Cooper. As she exited and went to the driver’s side, the salesman followed, but Mrs. Cooper sat inside behind the wheel and closed the door herself before he could.
“Are you coming with me?” She asked as the salesman stood beside the Cadillac.
“I can’t win with this one!” the man said under his breath as he quickly ran to the passenger side of the car and then got inside.
“Now, let’s see what this baby can do!” Mrs. Cooper said as she put the Cadillac into drive.
Mrs. Cooper pulled the Cadillac to the edge of the parking lot at the main road. When the way was clear, she gave the car some gas and quickly exited the lot. She was used to the power of her old Hudson – it had been the fastest car on the road back when she had purchased it – but this new Cadillac felt even more powerful than the Hudson.
“You can turn right at the next light.” The salesman said after they had driven only a few blocks.
“Why would I want to do that?” Mrs. Cooper asked, “Highway 401 is still a few miles north of here.”
“The 401?” the salesman asked, shocked at the idea.
“Yes, the 401.” Mrs. Cooper replied flatly. “I want to know exactly what this Cadillac can do that my Hudson cannot. I can’t find that out on city streets now, can I?”
The salesman’s face filled with panic at the thought of taking this expensive car out onto the highway, and with a woman at the wheel. This was not part of the planned test-drive route that was carefully laid out by the dealership.
“That is not how we normally conduct our test drives.” The salesman tried to explain.
“If you think I’m paying you $5,500.00 for a car and never trying it out on the highway, you’re crazy.” Mrs. Cooper said calmly.
The salesman was noticeably disturbed by the idea of having her take the Cadillac out on the highway, but Mrs. Cooper didn’t care. She knew that the Cadillac’s value was double that of any new Buick so if he wanted his commission, he would keep quiet.
Five minutes later, the on-ramp for the highway appeared on the right. Mrs. Cooper turned on the indicator and eased the Cadillac onto the on-ramp. The highway was Canada’s first limited access highway, and the speed limit was 70 mph, and Mrs. Cooper was not afraid to drive at, or even above, the speed limit.
Mrs. Cooper started to press her foot down on the Cadillac’s accelerator pedal as the car exited the slow turn of on-ramp and straightened out to run parallel to the highway. She felt the big V8 pull strongly and smoothly as the speedometer needle slowly began to climb on the dial. As she neared the end of the on-ramp, Mrs. Cooper pressed even harder on the gas pedal and the big coupe began to accelerate even faster.
“You may want to ease up a little, ma’am.” The salesman said nervously. “This car has the twin 4-barrel carburetors and is quite powerful.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that.” Mrs. Cooper said smiling, “Let’s see what twin 4-barrels will do!”
With no traffic ahead of them, Mrs. Cooper pressed her right foot down hard on the accelerator, almost to the floor. The Cadillac’s powerful V8 roared to life. The front end of the heavy car lifted noticeably as the car quickly increased in speed from 45 mph to 65 mph, then 75 mph, and finally reaching 95 mph before she finally eased off the accelerator.
The salesman was hanging on to the passenger door of the Cadillac, his face pale, as the big car roared down the highway. Mrs. Cooper’s face was one big smile; she was enjoying the power of the Cadillac, the ease with which the big car handled, and she was also enjoying the discomfort of her passenger.
The Cadillac glided along at 95 mph silently, floating down the highway. In a matter of minutes, they had travelled almost to the eastern end of the city. Mrs. Cooper let her foot off the accelerator and the big car began to slow until they were back at 70 mph. She exited at the next ramp and then repeated the performance run on the highway in the opposite direction.
When they arrived back at the dealership 40 minutes after they had left. Mrs. Cooper knew she had found her new car. The salesman however, no longer cared whether he sold this woman a car or not, he just wanted out of the car and back on firm ground!
“I don’t think that salesman ever looked at a lady customer the same way ever again!” Mrs. Cooper said as she laughed about the memory. “When we got back to the dealership, he quickly excused himself and disappeared for 5 minutes!”
“What was he doing?” Alex asked.
“I think he had to change his shorts!” Mrs. Cooper said seriously, and then burst out laughing again.
It took Alex a moment to realize what Mrs. Cooper had said, but when he did, he also burst out laughing! He could just imagine the look on that salesman’s face as Mrs. Cooper drove the Cadillac along at 95 mph.
“Anyhow, when he finally came back, we negotiated a price and I bought her, right then and there.” Mrs. Cooper said proudly. “And we’ve been together ever since.”
“Why don’t you drive her anymore?” Alex asked.
“Well dear, one of life’s cruel tricks if you live long enough, is that parts of your body will start to fail you.” Mrs. Cooper answered sadly. “For me, it was my eye-sight. Even with my glasses on, I can no longer see well enough to be comfortable driving. I would never forgive myself if I hurt someone, or damaged my beautiful car.”
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