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“Completely understandable, sir. I want the same thing for her,” I said with a small smile.
“Glad we’re on the same page,” he said, clapping my shoulder. We reached a large brown barn. “Now feast your eyes on this.”
He opened the door and revealed the Beetle, the old teal paint chipped off. The hood was a bit rusted, along with a few rust spots on the roof and on the sides. Despite that, the car was still in decent-looking shape.
“This is nice,” I mused, circling around the car.
“Right? Got it at a steal, too, only about $9500,” he exclaimed in excitement.
“That’s it? That’s like highway robbery for a classic like this,” I mentioned with a chuckle. He laughed and nodded.
“Exactly. Though the original owner’s wife was selling. Her husband had passed and she was going to move in with her daughter and couldn’t take the car with her. It was quite the deal.”
“It definitely has good potential, that’s for sure.”
“I plan on getting a new paint job, like something dark. Black really looks good on this kind of car, right?”
“Definitely,” I replied, peeking into the windows. “Considering the age of the car, the interior doesn’t look bad.” The cream-colored leather seats looked a bit weathered, but there were no significant tears or missing stuffing that would require a complete gut job.
Phillip moved over to stand next to me, also peering through the window. “Question for ya. Now I personally think the seats can be saved, you know? Nothing that a needle and some thread wouldn’t fix. Kind of want to keep the antique look so that it looks as it did back then, but Janice thinks I should update it and make it modern. What do you think?”
I rubbed the facial hair on my chin thoughtfully. “I honestly think you should stick with the original. That’s what makes a restore great, you know? Besides, if people wanted something modern, I think they’d be cheaper just buying a current year Beetle,” I replied. He let out a breath that sounded like a mixture of shock and relief, shaking his head.
“See? You get it! That’s exactly what I thought! Women just want things to look nice, but it’s so much more than that. Some people like things that remind them of the good ol’ days, you know?”
“Definitely. I used to go to car shows and marvel at the antique models that came through. I especially love seeing those on the road. Nothing like driving next to something that’s like a blast from the past.”
“Exactly!” He looked at me, his eyes shining with excitement. “Man, you’re like the son I wished I’d had! I’d love to have you come over and help me with it sometime.”
“I’d like that, sir. I’ve wanted to do something like this, but haven’t had the money to.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what. You help me out with this and we can split the profits when it sells at auction.”
My eyes widened in surprise, a smile creeping across my face. “Really?”
“Heck yeah! It’ll be nice to have someone around that actually cares about this kind of stuff.”
“I’d like that, sir. I look forward to it.”
“Good then. Let’s check out under the hood.”
We spent the next twenty minutes going back and forth about what engine he should replace the old one with and other cosmetic details he’d have to decide on.
“I almost thought it would be cooler to make this a convertible, but not sure if it’s cost effective. What say you?”
“Hmm…it may raise the value a tiny bit, but I agree. It wouldn’t necessarily even out cost-wise. I’d stick with keeping the roof as it is. Just fix the rust spots on here and get a good paint job; it’ll feel like it the buyer is in the fifties again.”
He shook his head with a chuckle. “Same wavelength, man. Same wavelength.”
“Not to interrupt your budding bromance or anything, but Mom needs your help, Dad,” Ashton said from the doorway of the barn.
Phillip sighed. “Dang it,” he muttered under his breath and turned to me. “You stay put. I’ll be right back.”
He rushed out the barn and past Ashton, leaving us alone again. She entered the barn and walked over to me, wrapping her arms around herself.
“I’m sure he’s told you you’re the son he wished he had,” she said with a playful grin.
I smiled. “Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t.”
