Memories of Daddy, Post 21: Sneaky, Sneaky Daddy.
Updated: Sep 25, 2020
So time to finish the car crash story on a lighter note :-).
As I stated in Post #19, this accident occurred 3 weeks before my 16th birthday, a day I was greatly looking forward to before I thought I sabotaged myself. I wouldn't have blamed Daddy if he told me I wasn't allowed to get my driver's license, but instead he fought for me to get it because he knew how important it was to me even though we both knew I was an idiot.
Daddy hired an attorney who asked me to get letters of support from teachers at school describing the caliber of student I was and told me to focus on my achievements, so when we were in front of the judge in traffic court and I had to give my statement, I was prepared. Ultimately, the judge was impressed enough that he said I could get my license.
I was shocked.
Daddy had come through again for me. I got my license, Daddy got me a cherry red Grand Prix GT for my 16th birthday, and I was a happy little (and mildly spoiled) teenager.
But a few months later, I got a call from Daddy. He had just spoken to the insurance company; I guess it took them a little while to catch wind of the fact that I was underage when my accident occurred... and they were none too happy about that. They told my dad to keep me on his insurance would be costly, along the lines of an extra $1000 PER MONTH (I'm not kidding).
Daddy loved me but he wasn't stupid.
So I ultimately lost my car anyway. I went a year without driving, and when Daddy spoke to the insurance company again, they relented with the price and though still higher than normal, it was reasonable enough for Daddy to pay it.
So how did I repay Daddy for everything he had done for me? By getting a speeding ticket about 6 months later (yes, I was not a bright individual). He was not happy about this and he said he was going to have to call the insurance company to find out how my rate would change. Once he did, he called me back and told me that the insurance had gone back up to $1000 per month and, therefore, I was losing my car again. I was massively bummed about this but I deserved it.
It wasn't until about 10 years later when I was speaking with my brother that this story came up once again. Manish had felt guilty about this for years since if he had driven me, the accident would never have occurred - but the past was the past.
I lamented the whole scenario, but especially my stupidity for getting the speeding ticket that caused my insurance to go back up. He then looked at me and said fairly nonchalantly (in so many words):
"Oh yeah, Daddy called me when you got that ticket. He wanted to teach you a lesson, but he didn't want to be the bad guy. So he just told you the insurance company had bumped your rates back up, but they had only increased them slightly".
I was shocked (as you may be able to tell by now, I shock easily). He knew he needed to father, but he found a way to ensure that the only person I could blame was myself. Daddy could be a sneaky SOB when he wanted to be.
Touché, Daddy. Touché.