Free The Gold Cadillac by Mildred D. Taylor Page A

father shrugged and smiled. “Told me I bought this Cadillac alone, I could just ride in it alone.”
    Another uncle laughed. “Uh-oh! Guess she told you!”
    “Oh, she’ll come around,” said one of my aunts. “Any woman would be proud to ride in this car.”
    “That’s what I’m banking on,” said my father as he went around to the street side of the car and opened the door. “All right! Who’s for a ride?”
    “We are!” Wilma and I cried.
    All three of my uncles and one of my aunts, still holding her baby, and Mr. Pondexter climbed in with us and we took off for the first ride in the gold Cadillac. It was aglorious ride and we drove all through the city of Toledo. We rode past the church and past the school. We rode through Ottawa Hills where the rich folks lived and on into Walbridge Park and past the zoo, then along the Maumee River. But none of us had had enough of the car so my father put the car on the road and we drove all the way to Detroit. We had plenty of family there and everybody was just as pleased as could be about the Cadillac. My father told our Detroit relatives that he was in the doghouse with my mother about buying the Cadillac. My uncles told them she wouldn’t ride in the car. All the Detroit family thought that was funny and everybody, including my father, laughed about it and said my mother would come around.
    It was early evening by the time we got back home, and I could see from my mother’s face she had not come around. She was angry now not only about the car, but that we had been gone so long. I didn’t understand that, since my father had called her as soon as we reached Detroit to let her know where we were. I had heard him myself. I didn’t understand either why she did not like that fine Cadillac andthought she was being terribly disagreeable with my father. That night as she tucked Wilma and me in bed I told her that too.
    “Is this your business?” she asked.
    “Well, I just think you ought to be nice to Daddy. I think you ought to ride in that car with him! It’d sure make him happy.”
    “I think you ought to go to sleep,” she said and turned out the light.
    Later I heard her arguing with my father. “We’re supposed to be saving for a house!” she said.
    “We’ve already got a house!” said my father.
    “But you said you wanted a house in a better neighborhood. I thought that’s what we both said!”
    “I haven’t changed my mind.”
    “Well, you have a mighty funny way of saving for it, then. Your brothers are saving for houses of their own and you don’t see them out buying new cars every year!”
    “We’ll still get the house, Dee. That’s a promise!”
    “Not with new Cadillacs we won’t!” said my mother and then she said a very loud good night and all was quiet.
    The next day was Sunday and everybody figured that my mother would be sure to give in and ride in the Cadillac. After all, the family always went to church together on Sunday. But she didn’t give in. What was worse she wouldn’t let Wilma and me ride in the Cadillac either. She took us each by the hand, walked past the Cadillac where my father stood waiting and headed on toward the church, three blocks away. I was really mad at her now. I had been looking forward to driving up to the church in that gold Cadillac and having everybody see.
    On most Sunday afternoons during the summertime, my mother, my father, Wilma, and I would go for a ride. Sometimes we just rode around the city and visited friends and family. Sometimes we made short trips over to Chicago or Peoria or Detroit to see relatives there or to Cleveland where we had relatives too, but we could also see the Cleveland Indians play. Sometimes we joined our aunts and uncles and drove in a caravan out to the park or to the beach. At the park or the beach Wilma and I would run and play. My mother and my aunts would spread a picnic and my father and my uncles would shine their cars.
    But on this Sunday afternoon my mother