Designated Driver
by Sterling Weaver
"Do not touch my car!" My mom stressed as she picked up her oversized lavender suitcase. I've had my license for almost 6 months now, but no matter how much experience I get behind the wheel, I will never have enough to handle the three hundred and twenty horses under the hood of her 2002 E-Class Mercedes-Benz.
"Is two hundred dollars each going to be enough for you and your brother?", she asks . Just knowing that we were going to be home, alone for ten glorious days was worth more than money itself. It was a wonderful thing to know that my parents could entrust in me their house, cars, and youngest child, was great motivation for me not to let them down.
"Yes, mom that's enough. But what if my truck breaks down? Can I use your car then?" I ask optimistically.
"No! You haven't been driving enough to-" she's cut off by the sound of my aunt's annoying Honda horn. I picked up my mom=s remaining luggage along with her laptop and purse, and followed her out the door.
"Bye honey. We'll be back on the 26th." She kisses my forehead and gets into the fairly small civic. My dad leans his head out at the last minute and says,
"Don't burn my house down!"
"I will!" I reply quickly.
The morning fog began to clear and as they drove down the poorly paved street, I could see that this was going to be a great ten days.
Still half asleep, I climbed back into my semi-warm bed, where I was hoping to spend the rest of the morning until I was awaken several hours later by the nearly violent shoves of my little brother.
"I'm hungry." he whined.
"Make a sandwich." I said, attempted establish the fact that I was still tired.
"I want something hot. Let's go to McDonalds."
"Okay well get a shower and get some clothes on.@ I tell him throwing a pillow at his face, which narrowly misses his head.
AI already got in the shower and I=m dressed. I=m waiting on you.@
I sat up slowly to see the fully dressed pre-teen full of energy. I went over to the linen closet grabbed a some towels and headed toward the shower. About 30 minutes later, I walked outside to see, JoJo, my brother, already waiting impatiently in the car. I hop into the front seat. I turn the key to hear the dual exhaust tips, let out a thunderous roar. Only to find out the ALow Fuel@ light was on.
AOh boy. We don=t have any gas in here, and I don=t want to spend any money this early into the ten days.@ I told him
AWellYMom left her Benz keys in the kitchen. And we=re only going to McDonalds.@ He replied attempting to persuade me into using the car I knew was off limits, but being the gullible older brother I am, his words made sense. We were only going to McDonalds, and its was a few blocks away.
AOkay, go get the keys. Hurry up so we can get back and park it just how mom had it.@
Before I could get out of my car , Jojo, was outside with the keys, ready to go. We get into the car and its cold leather interior presses against our warm skin. Since my mom and I are about the same height , I didn=t have to readjust the seats or mirrors. This convinced me even more that this car was made for me. I put the key in the ignition, turned it to the right, and once more to the right. The engine starts up as I grab the gear shift, and put into drive. I tapped the pedal slightly, just enough to get out of the driveway, and out onto the street. As we got onto the street, I attempted to tap the pedal in order to speed up. As I set my heavy foot onto the pedal the car took off. I could feel the force of the car slam my body to the back of seat.
ASlow down. We just got out the driveway and you=re already about to kill us!@ JoJo exclaims.
AMy bad. I didn=t know the pedals were so soft. Let me try again.@
I eased my foot onto to the pedal again, this time using less force. The car smoothly accelerated forward, and we were on our way.
The original plan was to just drive to McDonalds and back home; but after working with the pedals and learning how much power to apply to them, we figured why not run a few errands.
"We do need some food for this week." I said as we sat at the
stop sign.
"Yeah, we do. And I was supposed to go to Justin's house to get my
game that I left over there last weekend."
"That works perfectly. I can drop you off at his house, go to
Safeway, and pick you up on the way back."
I loved doing the shopping. It made me feel grown up in a way.
Now, without the restrictions of my parents "nutritional" list, I was free
to buy what ever food I desired.
After about twenty minutes of deciding between chicken and steak, I
finally reached the checkout line.
"$76.62", said the tired checkout clerk.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a roll of neatly folded twenty dollar bills. I handed the clerk the money. Just as he was giving me my change, I hear a annoying yet very familiar voice ask, "Paper or plastic?". I looked over my shoulder to find Eric Moore, my so called Arival@ in middle school, standing there in a Safeway apron. I remembered how everyday he came to school, he'd talk about how much torque his dad's truck had, or the smoothness of his mom's leather interior. It annoyed me mostly, because I didn=t know what torque was.
APlastic please.@ I said as I grabbed the shopping cart and headed toward the end of the conveyor belt.
AHey, don=t I know you?@ I asked.
AUh, I doubt it.@ he said.
AYeah I do. Eric Moore right. I remember you from middle school. You don=t remember me? Sterling? I used to have glasses.@
AOh yeah. How you are doing, I haven=t seen you since 8th grade.@ He said ecstatically.
AGood@ as I pushed the cart toward the door. Now was my chance to get back at him for all the times he made fun of my mom=s old van.
AHey@ I yelled back. ACould you help me with these groceries to my car?@
ASure.@ We walked along through to rows of neatly aligned cars, stopping at the pearl white Mercedes.
AWow, this is your car?@ He said as I popped the trunk.
AYep.@
ADamn, you must be running, what, three hun--@
AThree-Hundred and Twenty horses, chrome exhaust, with leather interior? Yep.@
He looked at me, jealousy flaring in his eyes.
AAlright, thanks for the help.@ I reached in my pocket, pulled out a crumpled up dollar bill and handed it to him as I got \ into the car. I backed out and drove away, feeling like I had accomplished something.
Minutes later I picked my brother up from Justin=s house. He got in the car brandishing his videogame. This day was so perfect. It felt like nothing bad could happen.
By the time we got home, it was 6 o=clock. Since it was summer, it was still warm out as well. I came around the corner and pulled slowly into the driveway. Since I parked crookedly I reversed out and tried it again. As I was pulling back in, I ran into the curb. Instead of backing out and trying again, I floored the pedal.
I lose control of the car. Just as I grabbed the wheel, I heard I loud thump. My brother jumped up and looked around.
AWhat was that?@
AI don=t know.@ I shifted the car into park and got out. I checked the back, and trunk. Nothing. Everything was intact. Until I got back to the driver=s side. I closed the door slowly only to find that left side mirror was dangling from the car, connected by a single red wire.
AOh crap. JoJo come look at this.@ He gets out the car and runs to the drivers side only to be stopped by the sight of broken glass on the ground.@
AMom is going to pissed, and its all you>re fault!@ I couldn=t believe it. He was the very reason why I took the car in the first place, and was now laughing in my face.
AWell no matter what, you=re going to be in trouble too. You didn=t stop me.@
AOh yeah. Well what are we going to do?@ He asked.
ATomorrow morning, we=ll get up and take it to the body shop on Powell street. In the meanwhile, go grab the broom and sweep the glass up.@ I jumped back into the car and finished parking it. This can=t be good.
Morning came sooner than expected. I felt the sun=s warm rays glistening on my face, just as I noticed my cell phone ringing. It was my mom. I put the phone on speaker.
AHi honey! How are things going at the house?@ she exclaimed loudly through the phone. All I was thinking at that moment was, should I tell her? Why not, she=s all the way in Hawaii and what could she do from there?
AHello?@
AHi. Everything=s going well. I went grocery shopping yesterday.@ I mumbled.
AGood job. I have to buy you a cookie when I get home, but I can see that your sleep so I=ll call you guys later. Bye, love you.@
ALove you too mom.@ I don=t know what felt worst that day. Lying to my mom about how things were going, or thoughts about how much that repair was going to cost. I got up, picked out my clothes for the day, and woke my brother up.
AC=mon Jojo, we=ve got an adventurous day ahead of us.@ I told him as I slid my legs into my sweatpants.
AYeah, I know. I=m hungry though. Can we go to McDonalds?@ I couldn=t tell whether he was playing a mind game, or if he was really hungry.
ANO! We need to take the car to the body shop so hurry up.@ I grabbed the keys and headed out the door. I got back into the car, and was joined moments later by my brother with Pop Tart.
The Body shop was about a mile away. We arrived just as the owner was opening the gate. I drove the car forward and stopped it right in front of a totaled BMW.
AWhat can I do you for?@ he asked.
AHi, yesterday we got into a little accident with a fence and kind of knocked the mirror off.@
AOh, I see. What year is this car?@
AIt=s a 2002.@
AHmmmYYeah. These type of mirrors run off a computer board within the car. Which is what enables them to change views while in reverse, and automatically fold inward while parked.@ I tried to nod my head as if we were on the same page.
ASoYwhat does all this mean?@
AIt means, that only a Mercedes-Benz authorized dealer can perform maintenance on it.@ I lowered my head, let out an un-expected laugh, thanked the mechanic, and got back into the car.
AWhat did he say?@ JoJo asked.
AWe have to take it to the Mercedes-Benz dealership in downtown Oakland.@
AWell it=s nine now, so lets go over there so we can be the first to be helped.@ That was the smartest thing he since my parents left.
We arrived at the dealership around 9:30am. I drove up and explained to the mechanic there what happened.
AThe part it self is going to cost $250 and the labor is going to be about $1,100; but since your in such a bind, I will take $150 off the labor.@ Even though $150 wasn=t a lot, it seemed like it was at the time.
AOkay. So when can you start?@ I said ecstatically.
AWell you can leave it here today and we can start tomorrow. It will most likely be done by Friday.@ Since it was Sunday, and my parents weren=t going to back until next Tuesday, that was perfect.
AAlright, so I=ll leave it here, and be back on Friday.@ I was incredibly happy.
I=d gotten ready to walk out the door when the mechanic, exclaimed from behind me AWe do need a $200 deposit, before we start the work.@ My heart sank. I had the money for the deposit, but it was the money, that was supposed to take care of my brother and I for almost two weeks. He directed me to the site cashier where I filled out the hour and a half necessary paperwork and paid the deposit.
After the courtesy shuttle dropped JoJo and I off at home, I went upstairs to my room and counted how much money we had left.
AHmmY$77.00 on groceriesY$200 for the deposit, and oh yeah $9.00 for McDonalds. Including the money I had stack from my last job, we have $180.00.@ The money we had left went to the car fund, but we were still $820 short. As I sat in my room, and tried to figure out how to get the money, the phone rang.
AHello?@
AYes, hi. This is Patricia, Daniels mom.@ She=s was one of my moms daycare parents.
AOh. Hi.@ I mumbled.
AYes, I was wondering if there was daycare Monday?@ That=s when I was hit with an idea. We could reopen my moms daycare and just make sure the parents pay on Friday. It was perfect. We had the manpower and food for the job, so why not I figured.
AYes we are. We=ll be open all week.@
AOhYokayY cool. Daniel and I will be there Monday morning. Thanks bye!@
I hung the phone up and ran to my brothers room.
AJoJo come help me setup the playpens.@
AWhy is there a baby here?@ he replied.
ANo. We=re opening the daycare tomorrow morning. it=s the only way we can get the money for the car.@
AHaha. No. You see these hands, they=re made to play videogames, not change diapers.@
ALook. I don=t want to either, but we have to do something.@ He looked up at me and away from the TV.
AYou=re serious, aren=t you? If you think we can do it, then I=ll help I guess.@
AYes! Okay I=ll setup the beds, you call the parents.@ We put our plan into motion.
Monday morning came quickly. I woke up to piercing sounds of the annoying doorbell. I looked at my phone, it was 6am! I put on my flip flops and went downstairs to the door. I peeked through the window to find Daniel and Patricia standing there, both of whom had smiles on their faces. I opened the door slowly, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the bright morning light.
AHey!@ She said, attempting to become my own little piece of sunshine. AHere=s Daniel, his bottles, diapers, and wipes. I made him 3 bottles but if he get hungry then I put 2 jars of baby food in his bag, its all in the bag. Where=s your mom?@ My eyes widened.
AUmmYShe and my dad went out to dinner last night, and she ate some bad shrimp, so she=s upstairs sleep.@ I was surprised at how fast I thought on my feet.
AOhYwell okay. Bye!@ She kissed Daniel on the forehead and left him with a red/pinkish lipstick smudge on his face.
ADaniel I think your mom does crack!@ He let out a baby giggle as we headed toward the daycare room.
Over the course of the next two hours, five more kids, ranging in age from two through four, showed up.. We were up to six kids at that point, which was about the number of kids needed to cover the repairs.. It was also a good number for Jojo and I to handle.
The first three days ran smoothly. The kids were great. None of the parents complained or asked where my mom was. I thought nothing could go wrong.
AWhat=s that smell?@ I asked JoJo, who was attempting to feed Daniel his smashed peas.
AI don=t know. I just changed everybody.@ I look around the room and found that the bathroom door was open. I ran over to the door only to find Craig, the daycare bully, playing in a puddle of water which seemed to be coming from the toilet, I step through the smelly water to find and over to the toilet. I notice something floating on the floor in the puddle. It kind of looked like chocolate.
AEww!!! JoJo get the mop and the Lysol spray, I rushed Craig out of the bathroom and sat him on the stairs in the backyard. JoJo got up from the highchair and ran over to the bathroom, leaving the peas on tray in front of Daniel. He gets the mop and we clean the bathroom up. Although the smell of old permeated the air for about an hour. Satisfied with our work we returned to our duties. Just as I got back to my seat, I looked over at baby Daniel.
AAhhh!!! JoJo, bring the wipes and a towel. We=ve got a problem.@ Daniel, in a rush to get fed, dumped the entire jar of smashed peas onto his head, and was dripping onto his white T-Shirt.
AWe=ve got bigger problems than that.@ Jojo announced. I glanced over to the very irritated pre-teen only to find Craig, who, took it upon himself to take a mud bath, in the backyard.
AAre you serious?!? Okay, well you take Daniel and I=ll get Craig.@ With a little elbow grease and a heavy duty washing machine, we had everything back to normal. It was now 2:00pm which meant, NAPTIME! That also meant it was time for my break. I went to the living room and crashed on the couch. Only to be awakened minutes later by the melodious ring of the cordless phone.
AHello.@ I mumbled through the very comfortable pillow.
AHi, this is Jim Robinson calling from Mercedes-Benz of Oakland. I=m calling to let you know that your car repair is finished, and that once you pay the remaining balance ofY$1000, you may pick up your car. A This was good news and bad news of course. You see it was good because the work was done early, but bad due to the fact that we were still $880 short. A
Okay, well I don=t have the money at this moment, but I get paid Friday, can you hold it until then?@
>We sure can. So we=ll see you Friday?@
AYes sir. Thank you, bye.@
Friday rolled around quickly, which meant it was, PAYDAY!!! That day went by so fast, before we knew it, the kids were gone. All the parents came around 5pm that day and paid. I sat at the desk in the loft, and counted how much we made for the week.
AY$800, $820, $840, $860, $880.@ I couldn=t; believe it, including the money I had stacked, we were still $120 short!
ABut how? We called just enough kids to pay it off.@ JoJo exclaimed. I recounted the money, sat the desk and though were we went wrong.
AWait, did Craig=s mom pay you today?@ I asked JoJo.
ANo, I thought she paid you when she dropped him off.@
ADamn it! We never got her money, and she lives in Antioch, there=s no way she=s coming back.@ That was a major blow to everything we=d done that week.
AWell, I guess I=d better call Mercedes to see if we can get another extension.@ I walked over to the phone just as I heard a loud but familiar horn outside. It was my aunt, who looked kind of pissed off.
AHi auntie Dede, what brings you by?@
ANothing, where=s your moms car. It was here when I picked her up.@ My heart skipped a beat, and then another, and then another.
AUmm, I uhhY@ I was caught. No lie in the world could=ve helped me then.
AYou don=t have to lie, Mercedes sent me the invoice for the car.@ Damn. I forgot about that. The car is registered to my grandmothers house who passed a month earlier. My aunt took over the house. Which meant since everything is registered to that house, including my moms car, they sent the invoice to the address on the registration.
AHow are you going to pay for that? Nobody here has $1000.@ At that moment all I could do was let out the truth. I told her everything, about how I destroyed the mirror and opened the daycare to pay for the repair. She looked at me with disbelief.
ASo you=re saying that, you and JoJo reopened your moms daycare, risked her providers license, and made almost $900 in a week.@
AYep.@ I felt a cold wind run across my ankles. I shivered a little and look my aunt dead in her eyes.
AI=m proud of you. You took it upon yourself to try and fix a problem. That shows a lot of maturity, Sterling@ I smiled, but the respect I earned from my aunt was not going to give me that $120 I needed to get the car out.
ASo, how much are you short?= she asked.
A$120, and we have to get it today@
AWell here/, you earned it.@ She reached into her pocket and handed me $300. I couldn=t believe it. .All I could do was smile.
AI only need $120.@ I gave her two of the bills back.
ANo, you and your brother earned it. Go out and have some fun this weekend.@ A single warm tear rolled down my the right side of my face, as I gave her a hug and kiss. She got back into her car and drove off. I ran inside grabbed my jacket and called the shuttle to come pick me up. That day could not have gone any better.
I returned home about an 6:30pm, with the newly detailed Mercedes. I pulled into the driveway, SLOWLY, and parked. JoJo stood on the porch and directed me around, until the car was parked exactly how she had it. About 20 minutes later we were done. It felt good knowing that we accomplished our goal and were now free to have fun for the next four glorious days. Of course we used my car
Until this day, my mom never knew what happened those tens days. Although she did get a little suspicious when Craig=s mom attempted to give her a check when the daycare officially reopened. It was all good though, I told my mom we babysat him while his mom went to work. No biggie. Even though she never gave us the money for it. The experience from that week and a half was more than enough.