Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

The Hupmobile

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The Hupmobile.

I’m not sure I know what a Hupmobile looks like but my Dad told me once his father had one.

Anyway my parents moved in next to Linda and I when we retired and they built a Wausau Home on a forty next door. In the first few years they were in good shape and except for some idiosyncrasies were able to take care of themselves. However my wife and I were the “entertainment” and more and more they insisted we become the center of their lives.

As time went on they became more and more dependent. My father had always handled the finances in his family and as he began to slip he tried to hand that duty off to my mother. What he didn’t realize was that she was in even worse shape and wanted nothing to do with the books. As a consequence Linda took over the job and would go down and make out the checks every month and my mother would sign them. My Dad thought Mom was handling the chore and became angry when he discovered how things were really being managed.

As his condition worsened he became sort of mean spirited and nothing Linda and I could do seemed to suit him, especially me. Both my parents were controlling types and Dad tried to use inheritance as leverage to get us to do more and more. They really needed to be in assisted living but when we tried to tell them, they became even more indignant. Finally my father began having trouble separating dreams from reality and one morning confronted me with a dream he had the night before.

This is what he said, Son, I just called your Brother and told him everything that is going on… He knows what Linda and your mother are doing with the check book and is driving up here in his Hupmobile. The Highway Patrol is escorting him from Janesville and he wants to meet us in the bank.

Now my Dad loved going to the bank and when a CD rolled over could not wait to get there and talk the pretty young bank manager into shaving him a percentage point. He always loved playing the “Big Shot” and in his younger days, his charismatic manner made him quite a hit with the ladies.

Anyway he made me mad, flying off at Linda, and finally all the manipulating, threatening and hatefulness got to me.

“OK Dad,” I told him, “I’m glad Norman is on his way up here. Let’s go to the bank right away so we can be there when he arrives.”

So we hopped in the car and drove to the bank. As we pulled into the parking lot I said…“I don’t see the Hupmobile, you think maybe the State Patrol got lost? Maybe they parked around the corner. Let’s see if they’re waiting inside.”

In the lobby, I said in a loud voice… “Has anyone seen my brother Norman? He’s driven up from Virginia Beach in his Hupmobile… he’s being escorted by the Wisconsin State Patrol…. Not here yet huh? Well lets take a seat. Dad, I sure hope the Hupmobile didn’t break down….”

Everyone got real quiet, like there was a bank robbery in progress, or something like that. People cast us furtive glances and looked away. My father set his jaw, with a hard sullen look. After about half an hour he said, ”Maybe I dreamed it all up… you think that’s possible?”

By that time I had cooled down and was feeling a bit ashamed of myself. “You know Dad, I think you might be onto something,”

Without question there are those who will judge my behavior as harsh and insensitive….I can only say that when my patience pegged, the Devil made me do it. It wasn’t because I’m a jerk, ( Percy makes the cross sign gesture) was all the Devil’s doing.