Robofootball: Doublespin

“Come on mom, why can’t I take Jess out in the Camaro?”

“You’re lucky we let you ride in that old truck of his.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Your father says that these old trucks are built real solid, and still crash test better than the new cars because they’re so big. They’re like tanks.”

“Daddy I’m sure doesn’t have a problem with me taking Jess out in the Camaro, do you daddy?”

“Uh, uh,” Pete Tucker hesitated, especially after receiving a withering look from Sarah Tucker, his wife of 21 years. “You know that your mother knows what’s best for you Carly.”

“That’s not an answer, what is your true opinion?”

“Well, it’s different for boys and girls….,” Pete stopped as he received disapproving looks from both of the short but strong-personality females. Carly was only 5’3” and the 3” was probably a stretch from 2 ½”. His wife was about an inch shorter than Carly but a little wider in the hips, and Carly’s hips would not be considered narrow by any means. Speaking of hips, both of them had their respective hands on them. This was trouble and he knew that he had gone too far. It wasn’t easy when they ganged up on him.

“How so?” A chorus of female voices struck him at once.

Damn, thought Pete, Carly sounds exactly like her mother now, how did that happen? Girls were not supposed to become their mothers for at least 20 years, but Carly was already 16, just yesterday she was not only babbling like a baby, but was indeed a baby. He sighed.

“Yes Pete, why don’t you explain that one?” Sarah said with her hand still firmly entrenched on her ample hips.

“I guess when I was young, my dad told me a few things from a, a man’s perspective”. He held up his hand, “Let me finish, you know, ask a girl to dance, or a girl out. I asked your mother 3 times before she said yes. I don’t recall that many girls asking me out even though we supposedly live in more enlightened times.”

“So you’re saying that girls are supposed to be passive?” Carly blurted out beating her mother to the punch. “That we’re supposed to wait for the guys to do everything?” She paused a bit thinking how shy Jess was but went on. “Since Jess is the man, he does all the asking? All the driving? All the DECISION-MAKING?”

Pete Tucker looked at his wife who in turn was a little perplexed as well. On the one hand, she admired and had fostered Carly’s independence, constantly reinforcing how one had to look out for one’s self, and that one, particularly a woman, should never be wholly dependent upon a man for her livelihood. On the other hand, Carly was her daughter, and the strong mama bear-cub relationship was still there, overly protective to a fault.

“Once again,” Pete ventured, “Call it gender discrimination if you will, but you both being girls, I think that your mother is far better equipped than me to handle this.”

“You got that right,” Sarah finally piped in like a church organ. “You know that Camaro handles poorly in the rain for one, it’s what, geared too high, right Pete?”

“Yes, they’re especially poor in the snow. If we get a couple of inches or more, we can’t even move them around the lot. They’re rear-wheel drive and all they do is spin, especially the V8’s like her ZR1. Pete was the 3rd generation owner of Tucker Motors, a Chevrolet dealership, but do direct relationship to Preston Tucker, the inventor of the infamous Tucker Torpedo automobile in the 1940’s, a dream car concept that never really got off the ground in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

“I told you time and time again, that the Camaro was a poor choice for her,” nagged Sarah. It was already an old line, repeated weekly since Carly’s 16th birthday on July 15th, more than 2 months ago.

What could Pete or Carly say for that matter? Owning a car dealership in a small town like Harrison, Michigan meant that they were one of the wealthiest families in Clare County. When her dad presented her with a cherry red ZR1 Camaro with white racing stripes down the center, he had instantly become dad of the century. She had become the envy of her classmates too mixed in with a good deal of scorn and jealousy in there for balance. Those that had vehicles to drive were invariably like Jess, something older and raggedy. Still, her mother had put some strict limitations on her driving, and one of them was no passengers for 6 months. Michigan law was more favorable allowing 1 non-family member passenger under 21 years of age outside of the 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew time.

“I may as well not have a car at all,” Carly directed to no one in particular in a somewhat heated voice.

“Well, we have to do something before winter sets in, how about a Cruze?” Pete chipped in.

This time Carly looked at the mother, “Then can I have a passenger?” She said somewhat defiantly.

“I’m not sure I like your tone missy.” Missy was a bad acronym for Carly. It was generally cited when her mother was basically pissed off. It annoyed her as much as Gnarly Carly only in a different sort of way.

“Well?” Said Carly.

“Well what?” Answered her mother.

“Will I be allowed to drive with someone else in the car?”

Sarah counted aloud on her fingers, one for each month – August, September, October, November, December, and January. “Hmm, January, I don’t know, that’s winter time and you have little or no experience driving in the snow.”

“You said 6 months,” said Carly with growing desperation in her voice.

“Yeah, I didn’t think enough ahead to realize that it would put us smack in the middle of winter.”

“I’m not talking about going to Canada or Mackinac Bridge or even out of town, well, maybe Clare at the furthest, that’s the closest movie theater, and it’s only 15 miles south at the most.”

“What do you think dear if the weather is okay?” Pete chimed in with a little tentative support for his daughter.

“Not with the Camaro,” Sarah instantly shot back.

“With a Cruze?” Pete questioned. Both Pete and Carly looked at Sarah Tucker expectantly for confirmation.

“Maybe,” was all Sarah said.

“Maybe?” Carly questioned.

“Yes, maybe when the time comes, we’ll consider it. Plus you’ll need a little practice and experience driving a Cruze at that time, and it might depend what the weather is like too.”

“Daddy, when can I get a Cruze?”

Pete sighed, “I’m sure I can pull a used one off the lot. Why don’t you stop by after school tomorrow?”

“I’ve got Quiz Bowl.”

“The next day then.”

“Debate Club,” Carly fired off mentally appraising her extracurricular schedule. She also had band practice and was the vice president of her school’s National Honor Society chapter.

“We’re open Friday….”

“Jess has a game and you know I’m in the band.”

“And Saturday if you’d let me finish.”

“Right, Saturday at 9:00 a.m.?”

“Sure, why not?”

Carly nodded her head, blurted out an ‘okay’, and was off to her sizeable bedroom. They had a 3,000 square foot 2-story 5-bedroom home, and Carly was an only child. Her room upstairs would easily have been a large master suite in most homes, but was still only two-thirds the size of her parents’ room on the ground floor, an even larger master suite.

“I don’t know about this Pete,” said Sarah after Carly had left.

“She’s a good kid; we certainly can’t bribe her about grades or anything like that. Have you ever known her nor to get all A’s?”

“I think her gym teacher gave her an A- in 7th grade and she had a major hissy fit, didn’t do enough jumping jacks or pull-ups or something in the allotted time.”

“Yeah, I guess I remember,” Pete laughed. “I think she wrote a letter to the principal in protest. I don’t know where she gets her brains from.”

“Well, I was never big into math and science,” said Sarah, “But I’ve always read a lot, and she at least gets that from me,” Sarah added slightly offended.

“Me neither, all that Algebra and Geometry gave me a headache, had to take Algebra 3 times in college to pass it. But hey, we made it through college, and I think she will too.”

“Marketing for you and English for me, yeah, maybe you’re right; she does seem to have a knack for all subjects.”

“That she does,” Pete said proudly.

“So why didn’t you start her out with a Cruze, why the Camaro if it’s more of a summer-only kind of car?”

“She’s an only child, you should relate.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t all that well off, I didn’t even get a license until I was 18, and then a junker at 20.”

“But you’re still spoiled dear.”

“I suppose,” Sarah eyed the 3,000 square foot home that they were in with a big stone fireplace in the living room.

“She’s my only daughter, what can I say? I think it’s even more important for kids today to be seen in a nice ride, maybe I over did it a bit, but heck, I own a Chevrolet dealership, how many 16 year old kids get a crack at a Camaro? We’ll get her something to putt around with in the winter. She’s responsible. I don’t see her driving crazy, and plus it doesn’t snow or rain all of the time.”

“I just don’t want her driving around much in bad weather.”

“Yes dear, I agree with you.”

“Good, now what do you think of this Jess kid?”

“Seems like a good kid too, not what I expected.”

“How so?”

“He’s quiet, not mouthy, seems respectful, just not a typical loud-mouthed jock. You know the type, you remember those guys in high school? Some were bullies even though schools have tried to eliminate much of that, assholes or smart asses, walking around like they own the place, shoving freshman in lockers, throwing food at you in the cafeteria, knocking books out of your hand, doling out wedgies, and, well, you get the picture. This Robinson kid is not like that.”

“Yes, maybe,” answered Sarah. “He seems okay. You know, I did bring up birth control with Carly a few weeks back.” She thought it was about time to bring him on the loop.

“What?” Pete had a magazine in his hand but closed it as he became even more focused now. He wasn’t sure how to react.

“She’s past 16 you know.”

“Yes I know, what did she say?”

“I think it caught her by surprise. A little awkward perhaps as she put it. I don’t think she’s quite ready yet, but I told her to think about it some.”

“I suppose that’s a small amount of relief. Why are you pressuring here?”

“I’m not really,” Sarah became a little indignant. “I want her to be sensible, not do something in the heat of the moment, and I surely don’t want her messing up before her college years.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“She is sensible but hormones have a way of getting in the way of good sense.”

“I suppose,” said Pete who was still contemplating every father’s worst nightmare, the eventual deflowering of his baby daughter by who knows what or who. “I guess it has to happen sooner or later,” he added more to himself in resignation.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, just thinking aloud.”

“Yes it does,” said Sarah.

“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

The Bible, New Testament, James, IV, 14