In the Front Drive

by Jeff Baker

Doug pulled the car across the street and pointed at the house.

“Look familiar?” Doug asked.

There was a small, curved drive in front of the brick house that had stood on the side street for decades. The shiny black car was a model of twenty years earlier but looked like it had been built yesterday.

“Oh, my gosh” Scotty said. “That looks like your Mom and Dad’s old car”

Doug grinned. “The one they got when Grandpa stopped driving.”

“Yeah, I remember you telling me he told your folks not to let Hitler steal the car” Scotty said.

The two men laughed. They’d both turned twenty after the War had ended and they had met in College, sure they were going to get drafted. They weren’t. They’d moved in together after they graduated after Doug got his job at the bank and Scotty had gotten on there too.

If anybody knew, they were quiet about it.

“I saw this a few days ago,” Doug said. “I had to drive down this side street and there it was.”

“Could’ve filmed the Great Gatsby there.” Scotty said.

“Or Topper,” Doug said. The two men laughed again.

“Wow.” Scotty breathed. “Ten years since that night on the porch by the lake dancing to Spike Jones.”

“And now it’s going to be the Sixties,” Doug said. “Hey, did you hear about those protests down South?”

“Yeah,” Scotty said. “Marching at schools and lunch counters. Think our guys will get around to marching someday?”

“Someday,” Doug said.

Scotty grabbed Doug’s hand, hidden from outside view.

“When we do, I will be in the front of the line, proudly holding your hand.” Scotty said.

Doug smiled. “Let’s get home,” Doug said, starting the car up again. “I wanna listen to you snore.”

For an instant, in the rear view mirror, Scotty imagined Doug’s folks along with Gatsby and Daisy and George and Marion waving at them.

—end—

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A sequel to my story “On The Front Porch.” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2024/01/19/sit-on-the-front-porch-by-the-lake-for-friday-flash-fics-by-jeff-baker-january-19th-2024/