What in the World is going on in the Back Seat of That Old Car ….Is that a dentist?

I want to set the stage for this story … to some it may be weird, to some they may be able to relate, and to some they may think this is a “foreign land”.  To me as a little 8 yr. old girl it was my reality, and i loved it every minute. 

Our family was a working class family that lived way out in the woods of Montgomery County.  We had at least 10 old hound dogs running around at any given time.  If you count the cousins and extras in the kid department you could probably count that many or more of them as well.  We lived a simple life of running up and down an old dirt road bare foot and happy.  We didn’t have the “extras” that a lot of folks had but to be honest we did not know that and truthfully if we had we probably would not have cared.  We went to town once a week in the summer and we rode an old school bus for at least an hour to school one way. 

My dad worked in the pipeline and construction field and there were always old trucks and tractors around.  From a young age you knew that this was the way that we made our living and if daddy told you to hand him a crescent wrench or a pair of vice-grips, you knew what that meant.  You never argued or talked back if you knew what was good for you and you had your “yes sir, yes ma’am manners” ready at all times.

Along with this construction work, you would normally have your “day helpers” around too.  My mom would feed them supper (and it always was good) and they would earn day-pay from my dad.  These men could be cousins or men that were “slower than most” or had “their problems from the war” …. Whatever the case may be, they were respected just like your parents were respected.  One of the “colorful individuals” that was a fixture around while we were growing up was Mr. Percy P.  He was a simple man with simple ways but he was a hard worker.  When daddy needed someone help him; whether to pick up roots on a job or haul the fuel and refill the tractors, he could count on Percy P. to be there.  He worked for day-pay and supper and he worked hard. 

One day Percy P. and a friend of his came flying in the driveway in an old beat up four door sedan; one of the big old freeway barges.  I am sure that car had not ever been washed or had the inside cleaned out. It did have quite the odor when you walked by and the windows were down.  But it got these fellas from point A to point B and they were glad to have it. 

Now that you have a picture of our place and our characters I will tell you the story of the dentist office in the back seat of an old four-door sedan 

Percy P. came up to the door of the house that day and the entire side of his face was all swollen up.  It was red and you could tell he was hurting really bad.  He asked if dad was home and we said yes, and called my dad to the door.  Percy P. told dad that he had a really bad tooth ache and that he needed some help.  Back in those times (mid 60’s) where we lived, you just took care of things your own way.  Daddy ask Percy P. are you sure you want me to handle this.  He said yes Uncle P’Nut (everyone called my dad that) I trust you to know what to do.  So daddy and Percy P. and all us kids a following headed out side to where that old freeway barge was parked.  Daddy asks Percy P. if he had any whiskey (of course Percy P. did).  Dad told him to drink him a couple of big swallows and lay down, face up in the back seat of that old car.  Then daddy turned to one of us kids (I don’t remember which one) and said “go get me those vice-grips”.  When whoever it was got back with them, they handed them to daddy.  They were dirty and greasy (fresh out of the old tool box).  But so were dads hands and I have already told you the condition of the interior of that old car.  Then I remember clear as day, daddy crawled in that car on all fours in that back seat, right over the top of Mr. Percy P.  All I can remember is daddy telling Percy P. to hang on tight and open wide.  Then daddy took those dirty old vice-grips and he stuck them in Percy P’s mouth and he grabbed ahold of that old nasty bad tooth and he commenced to pulling.  He pulled and he tugged and he grunted and Percy squirmed and I honestly thought he was going to kill that poor soul. 

Finally, daddy comes out of Percy’s mouth with a tooth that looked like one out of a horse from the pasture.  It was just a good old mess (i will leave it at that).  Percy was alive, Daddy accomplished his mission and we thought all was complete.

But then…..

Daddy looked at Percy P. as Percy took a big old gulp of whiskey and he said “is there anything else”…..Percy thought a minute, looked at dad, swished that whiskey around in his mouth, and swallowed it down. Then if you can honestly believe it …. Percy P. said”Uncle P’Nut, just go ahead and get that one on the top, it’s probably gonna hurt soon anyway”.    And the Dentist procedure was began again, this time with a lot less drama and then the job was once again complete

I can promise you from that point forward; our mom never had to tell us to brush our teeth.  We did not want to end up like Mr. Percy in the back seat of that old car with vice-grips and my dad as the dentist.

The days of our youth are precious. It seems like every memory i have has an old car of some sort involved. I would give anything for a picture of Mr. Percy P., of those old rattle trap trucks and all the things in between. The things we remember from our youth are things that follow us throughout our life. I miss those simple times, those simple people and all that was our “normal”.

God Bless Each of You

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