The Weekly Photo Challenge this week is ‘Nostalgia‘.  Click on the title ‘Coca-Cola Nostalgia’ to see my choice.

This story came to mind when I first saw the challenge word.

I thought I’d add it here.

Enjoy …. 😎
 Do you see the back seat in this Chevy Impala?

Do you think this was my seat in the car?

No, it was not.

My older sister sat in that seat right behind my mother.

My younger sister sat in the middle.

My 2 year old brother sat on my mothers lap.

Yes, you read that correctly.

It was way, way before car seats for children were mandatory.

If there’d been an accident, his face would’ve been mashed potatoes. The dashboard on the old cars were as hard as a wall.

I was on the other side of the back seat right behind my father.

There was no air conditioning. The wide windows were rolled down the minute we got in the car.
For me, the Sunday after church outings were always ‘The ride from hell’.

My fathers was a chain smoker. He smoked the best ones from that era. You know ‘Camels’, the unfiltered cigarettes.

They were very short which meant he’d light another cigarette as soon he was finished inhaling the first one.

I had the pleasure of inhaling nicotine and carcinogen chemicals on every car ride.

As the wind blew into the car, along came the smoke and ashes right at me.

The stench and ashes in my face were disgusting.

Have you ever tasted burnt ashes??
I did. It was repulsive.

I was always car sick.

There were many times he had to stop the car so I could vomit. It wasn’t pretty.

Everyone would mock me for my delicate system and for spoiling everyones enjoyment of their Sunday drive.

We lived in a Brownstone which meant no garage.

In the summer, the seats were always scorching hot. There wasn’t a summer day I didn’t burn my skinny legs on those seat.

Eventually, after a lot of complaining, my mother decided to take a towel and lay it on the seat for us just before we’d leave.

When we’d arrive at our destination, whether a park, the beach or one of their friends homes,

I’d have to sit until the dizzy feeling would pass.

Seltzer was the beverage I had to drink to settle my stomach while the others drank cokes.

I think about the fact that I do have those Sunday drives as a memory.
But, I just wish it could have been more fun for me.

Incidentally, I’ve never smoked because of those experiences.
Something good did come out of those Sunday rides, after all.
2016©Isadora DeLaVega