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The Kid & The Deuce by Stroker Ace
Sunday August 25, 2002 8:30AM
The phone rings Hello is Jason there”?
Yes may I ask whose calling”?
This is Harry with GoodGuy’s.
Just a minute I’ll get him”.
The kid picks up the phone Hello”
Jason”?
Yea”
This is Harry with GoodGuy’s. You the guy with the Deuce? The one that’s a
real Hotrod?”
Yea”
You going to bring it to Pleasanton today?”
Yea. I was gona be there for little awhile”
When you get there come to the Winner’s Circle. Tell them to call me”.
Cool. What’s up?”
You’re getting a special award”.
What award is it”?
I’ll tell you when you get there”.
The Kid caught up with Stroker in the garage. He was loading his Rod getting
ready to leave for Pleasanton.
You know a guy named Harry from GoodGuy’s”?
No. Why”?
He just called; they want the Deuce in Pleasanton… .. Said it won some
special award… . What da ya think”?
I think you better get your butt in gear and head toward Pleasanton. I’ll
wait” .. Did he say what you won”?
No. Said I’d find out when I got there”. There’s only a couple of awards
worth winning there. We’ve won most of them”.
Get ready; we need to get it on down the road”.
Ten minutes later The Kid fired the Deuce and started toward Pleasanton.
Stroker followed in his rod. As they flew down 680 toward Pleasanton at
better than 80 miles and hour; Stroker thought this could just as easily be a
scene out of August 1952. An arrogant young man in Levi’s, white Tee shirt,
ball cap on backwards, in a souped up Ford (a real hotrod) flying down the
highway. No fenders; No top; No shinny paint; No cares.
Stroker thought it was too bad The Kid was too young and the Deuce too
ugly to win the Billy B, award it would have been a good fit.
The Deuce had been one of the last cars Billy B had looked at. He’d seen the
car in Danville on the Thursday night before he passed away.
He’d asked Stroker. “This the Deuce Tom Walsh was talkin about. The one
built by a sixteen year old kid”.
Yea. That’s it”.
If you can have the car and THE KID in Pleasanton on Saturday and Sunday
enter them in the Vintage Air Young Guys. Talent like this deserves
recognition.
It was too bad they’d never met I think Bill and The Kid would have hit it off
well; even though they were forty seven years apart in age.
When The Kid and The Deuce arrived in Pleasanton at the winners circle
there was some confusion, no one knew a thing about an award.
The Kid finally said Look just find this guy Harry and tell him Jason’s here
with the Deuce”.
It was about 20 minutes later when Stroker looked for The Kid and the
Deuce.
The Deuce was now in the winner’s circle parked between a fine
looking 29 Highboy and a very cool Forty Ford coupe. The Deuce looked
kinda out place with so much shiny paint and chrome on either side of it.
Suddenly The Kid appeared out of the crowd walking toward Stroker and the
guy’s. Head high, chest out; arrogant as hell, The Kid was very pleased about
something. As he got closer Stroker could see the smile from ear to ear. The
Kid was indeed very happy about something. When he joined the group he
was bustin his chops to tell them.
Stroker said Well”?
The Kid smiled said The Billy B award”.
Several guys congratulated The Kid. Some said it was good that they gave it
to a car that Bill had liked.
They started down through the crowd in the winner’s parade. This was old
stuff for these two; they’d done it several times before. But the look on
The Kid’s face gave things away this was a very special moment in his life.
The Deuce wasn’t impressed at all.
The importance of it all really hit The Kid when pulled in front of the
announcer to receive the award. The first thing that hit him was he was
getting and award in memory of one of the GREATEST HOTRODDERS of all
time. Next was the reaction of the people around him. Gary Meadors was so
emotional he couldn’t talk he handed the job to one of the others, Harry and
Bill’s daughter were close to tears as they handed him the award.
And last ... The Deuce was acting up for the first time in all their miles together she
was getting really hot. As they left the stage area someone mentioned
something about the Deuce leaking on some very expensive real-estate. It
was mentioned that Bill would have really appreciated that.
As the Deuce rolled out the award area a staff person had The Kid pull the
Deuce into a shade area; said Harry wanted to talk to him, said The Deuce
needed to cool off it was really hot.
Things happen quickly from that point; Stroker The Kid’s mom and brother
had started toward the car just as The Kid shut the roadster down. At
precisely that moment The Deuce decided to make a statement about its
thoughts on awards and parades and all this foolishness. The hood blew open
and steam and 260 plus degree water shot three stories into the air
covering every thing with in thirty feet in hot water.
The Deuce was soaked there was a white cloud around the front of the Deuce.
Through the cloud Stroker could see that The Kid appeared fine
The Kid started waving he was ok. Stroker started to look the Deuce over
it also appeared fine. Other than the mess the water made and a top
radiator hose that came apart everything looked cool.
Several guys gathered around the two looking to get a closer look at the Billy
B. award winner; and see what happened. The Kid somewhat in a shock said
to Stroker and his mom Well looks like I won’t leave for Diego in the
morning like I planed”.
Stroker quietly said Why not; the cars fine. Let it cool off; clean it up;
figure why it over heated; screw it back together… drive it outa here and to
Diego. The look of disbelief on The Kid’s face gave him away. Stroker
stepped close and whispered That’s the way Billy B. would do it”. With that
The Kid took charge; he asked his mother and brother to start wiping down
the mess. Stroker removed the hood and wipe down the 327 and engine bay.
It took The Kid about 10 minutes to find the cause of the overheating a bad
fan switch. Another 10 minutes and that problem fixed.
Several of the on lookers offered advice or assistance. The Kid took it all in
stride; till he was offered a trailer ride back to San Diego. That was it…
The Kid looked up and with arrogance of youth smiled and said” A
TRAILER… NO THANKS. This cars never been on a trailer and never will
be. But thanks anyway; I’ll let it cool off screw it back together and DRIVE
IT back. There were laughs and chuckles among the on lookers. Comments
like that’s a real hot-rodder talkin ; that’s why they won the Billy B. award
cause that’s the way Bill would a handled it.
45 minutes later in front of a small group of guys The Kid slipped in under
the Mullins twisted the starter a much cooler, cleaner Deuce barked to life
and started out though the fairgrounds toward 680. Comments were made
that’s why The Kid and The Deuce won that award.
Monday August 26 2002 4:03 AM
The Kid hugs his mom goodbye slides in under the Mullins leans out and in his
classic style says Seeya”.
The Deuce looking quite different in highway trim barks into life and rolls
out toward the street, it’s nasty. As the little car rumbles up toward the
stop sign it duels barking out a loud nasty sound, letting everyone know a real
hotrod is out and about; disturbing the early morning quiet. At the stop sign
the little car wiggles almost as if saying goodbye. Suddenly The Deuce leaps
forward and is gone. Out on the boulevard you can hear the nasty sound as
The Kid wines The Deuce up through the gears. Suddenly it’s quiet…
they’re gone.
Monday August 26,2002 7:40 A M
The phone rings Hello”
Whatup”; (it’s The Kid).
Is everything alright…. the car Ok”?
Yea everything’s cool we’re just resting, before we go through LA”.
Resting; where are you”?
Gorman”.
Where’s that”.
On the 5 at the top of the Grapevine”.
You’re kinda flying low”?
No traffic.
Man you’ve cover over three hundred miles in a little over three hours”!
357 according to the Deuce. You know what Billy B. woulda said”.
No what”.
Ya Gota Drive M”! ..... ..”You know I’m truly sorry I never got to meet Billy
B…. . I think he and I might have hit it off well”!
That’s the way it happened.
Stroker Ace
AKA Rick Aņaņos
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