A simple act of closing a car door inspired this column. Even I find it hard to have so many memories conjured up from this basic action. Let me explain:<\/p>\n
Cars built this century generally have door-closing mechanisms that require only the slightest bit of energy to assure a tight seal. Cars built last century \u00c2\u00ad \u00c2\u00ad\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and that covers a wide span \u00e2\u20ac\u201d often failed to close completely on the first try.<\/p>\n
Well, in my family, the first car we owned was built in the first half of the past century, but it behaved as if Ben Hur himself had been on the assembly line and in the driver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s seat. In the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc50s, neither men nor women needed gym memberships, as the effort expended in closing a car door helped develop bulging biceps and bigger triceps.<\/p>\n
Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s be more specific: My sister-in-law, Gina, came up with the term \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The J.D. Slam,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in honor of my dad, who owned those initials, and who almost never shut a car door quietly or gently. The \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc49 DeSoto we owned routinely sprung back open each time I tried to close it; it was as if there were nothing to make it latch on to the car body. Nothing.<\/p>\n
On the fifth try, I imagined the car had said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153OK. I give up,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and let me close it for the duration of the ride. I once received an overtime parking ticket in the days when the town was metered.<\/p>\n
As I was driving away from a spot on the Plaza, a patrolman on foot, ticket in hand, badge flashing, grin across his face and a spring in his step, opened the driver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s side door to present me with a love token he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d hurriedly written, and when he tried to close the door, it bounced back open \u00e2\u20ac\u201d several times.<\/p>\n
I got out to try my expertise, and I suspect he construed my movement as a threat. So I stopped and let him have a half dozen attempts until he won.<\/p>\n
But back to the J.D. Slam. Whether my father was the driver or a passenger, I swear he used all his might to guarantee the doors were sealed. I sensed that even if I or some other occupant offered to close the door for him, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d still be convinced he had the better way.<\/p>\n
After a successful door closing, Dad would usually say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153there!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to imply that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d solved the door issue for all eternity.<\/p>\n
The rest of us were too polite (or terrified) to second-guess Dad, so we let him continue in his usual way. I still wonder whether Dad was accustomed to slamming more agrarian equipment, such as farm stuff. I vaguely recall getting into early-model vehicles that had a single latch that sometimes held the door closed.<\/p>\n
When my sons came along, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rush to Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door and close it for him. Gently.
\nAnother action that Gina failed to name was the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tio Juan Slam,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which made my dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s effort look like mere kids\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 play.<\/p>\n
Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brother, Uncle Juan seldom rode in cars \u00e2\u20ac\u201d never learned to drive \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but when he did ride and reached the door handle before we did, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d usually need to check all four tires to make sure they were still aligned and that the four remained on the ground.<\/p>\n
Door slamming, as opposed to mere door closing, can mean several things. If a person is exiting the car, the words sometimes accompany, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I never want to see you again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Or, if the door is slammed really hard from the outside, it comes with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How dare you? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not that kind of girl.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Alternatively, a hard slam upon exiting the car, addressed directly to the car, follows, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So you refuse to start? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll show you. Tomorrow I trade you in on a used Chevette.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
We drive a late-model car, one which ostensibly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need the strength of Schwarzenegger to close it. But, as luck would have it, just this morning one of the passengers I drive to school emulated both J.D. and Tio Juan.<\/p>\n
The passenger who slams my car door with such vigor has caused the return of myriad memories of my childhood. But worse, a few more J.D. Slams, perhaps linked with an occasional “Tio Juan Slam” is starting to make my newish car look and act like cars we tooled around town in sometime last century.<\/p>\n
Alas! When will I ever learn that sarcasm and irony sometimes just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work?<\/p>\n
I should never have said to my passenger, after the last Tio Juan Slam, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to slam it harder next time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
My passenger took my words at face value.<\/p>\n
Looks like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be a long school year.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2<\/p>\n
Margaret Johnson, the daughter of the late Thomas Oliver Mallory, who was my major English professor at Highlands, submitted a letter in praise of Dr. Bob Amai.<\/p>\n
Because of Amai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s erudition, professionalism and ability to reach and teach students at all levels, I am publishing Ms Johnson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s letter in its entirely.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thank you for your column on Bob Amai. You hit all the right notes. The front page article also did an outstanding job.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dr. Amai was able to teach chemistry to those of us who considered ourselves hopeless on the subject \u00c2\u00ad\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I had to wait until my junior year to take the survey class because of scheduling conflicts, but I was not going to take it under anyone else. His name\/face skill was remarkable beyond belief. He set a high standard of teaching skills for those of us aspiring to become teachers; I never came close.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I last visited with Bob and Pat at Wal-Mart (where else?) shortly after my mother passed. Pat said she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t consider Mom gone \u00e2\u20ac\u201d just going around just out of view.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hope she feels the same about Bob \u00e2\u20ac\u201d his was a permeating spirit of caring that brought out the best in us.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But it still hurts.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2<\/p>\n
Margaret Johnson earned degrees in English and French from Highlands University and Texas State University. She taught English, French and history for a number of years at West Las Vegas High School.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A simple act of closing a car door inspired this column. Even I find it hard to have so many memories conjured up from this basic action. Let me explain: Cars built this century generally have door-closing mechanisms that require only the slightest bit of energy to assure a tight seal. Cars built last century […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1676,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions\/1676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}