[Tommy]

My Cheetah had been inop since last August when I discovered a leak that required attention. I finished putting it back together earlier in the week and the weather was great yesterday for the monthly cruise-in held nearby. The Cheetah drew lots of attention and I enjoyed all the car talk with friends and strangers. But my favorite moment was something I had missed since I sold my Cobra about five years ago.

A family consisting of a Grandfather, father and two sons (9 and 7) stopped by. The boys were obviously told to not touch the cars and were very well behaved. The older boy's face had a huge smile and his eyes were in awe of the Cheetah. He asked permission to get close enough to put his head inside the door and look around and I said yes. His dad explained that he was building a first generation Camaro at home and his son loved cars. When we finished our conversation and they were about to walk away I asked the older boy if he would like to sit in the car. He looked at his dad who nodded approval. He said yes and I showed him how to get in. He grinned and photos were taken for a minute or two. I didn't have to tell him not to touch anything - he just sat there. When he got out the grandfather asked if the younger brother could sit in it and I said yes. Dad lifted him into the car and more photos were taken. Dad told me how very special the moment was for his boys and thanked me again. As they started to walk away the older boy rushed over to me and hugged me around the waist. Having raised two sons myself, it was as special for me as the car was for him.

I'm very selective about who I let sit in my car. But I have a soft spot for well behaved kids who genuinely like and respect them.