A Buck For A Truck

Written by Jim Blue
JimBlueMusic.com
From Reiki to Rock - Creator of Music That Moves You


I was in a repair garage the other day and, one of my crazy, fond memories of childhood came to mind.  My Dad was a master diesel mechanic and the foreman where he worked and I used to go with him to work on Saturdays.  He worked 1/2 a day on Saturdays.  I was around 12 at the time.

The memory was enlivened by the aroma of the repair garage where I had my car in for an oil change.  Aroma....  That may not quite describe it.  It's a combination of grease, oil, diesel fuel and solvent.  Not exactly aroma therapy!

I really loved Saturdays with Dad.  I got to hang out with him.  And, for the first time in my life, I heard him swear!  There were lots of things to explore like old tires, pieces and parts from engines, tools I'd never seen before, the "pit" (a work area below the floor where mechanics changed oil, etc) and on and on.

Now back to the aroma!  What I remember, in particular in my Dad's garage was that it had years of grease packed on the floor.  And the sink, where the mechanics cleaned up, had never been cleaned!  It was white somewhere under the layers of dried grease.

There was large drum of ZEP hand cleaner next to the sink that the mechanics would reach into, grabbing a handful of the yellow hand cleaner which was the only soap in the world that would even come close to getting the grease stains out of their hands.  Next to the ZEP was a drum of clean red rags they used to wipe their hands dry and another drum where the dirty ones were tossed.

This was actually my first job too!  I got to wash big Mack trucks (referred to as tractors) for a buck!  Yeah, you heard me right.... a buck!  And, let me tell you, at 12 years old they were BIG trucks!  I had to climb up them to get to the roof and the hood.  And the tires were almost as tall as I was!  And, inevitably, the drivers would complain (in fun) about a little spot here and a little spot there that I missed, and I would climb back up and take care of it.  I think it was their way of letting me know they appreciated my work!

But, I could wash two or three of them in a morning and come home with some hard earned cash in my pocket.  And I got to spend the morning with my Dad.  Can't put a price on that.

Jim Blue
JimBlueMusic.com
From Reiki to Rock – Creator of Music That Moves You