Bob's Corner
Not for lack of any other topic, but I feel like telling the story of our ‘65 Chevy van and the Tijuana Express.
I was working for the daily newspaper in Escondido, Calif. This was in the vicinity of 1977, and we had a somewhat worn van given us by Jan’s father, the one and only Lionel Lancelot Xavier Hodson (always enjoyed that name). Anyway, I had become acquainted with this wild man name of Gil, who was a wheeler-dealer.
Actually, he was in charge of a quasigovernmental training and education organization for men and women needing to upgrade to get better jobs. But he was still a wheeler-dealer with more connections than my parents’ Christmas tree with 20 strings of lights and two electrical outlets.
One afternoon, ol’ Gil popped into the newsroom, energetic and hustling as usual. “Let’s go to TJ and get your van painted,” he said with a grin. “And you can get new upholstery too. I know some guys.” I resisted. A little. “Let me phone Jan,” I weaseled. I phoned. She said it was up to me. And away Gil and I went to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
I followed him via a circuitous route into areas not sought by turistas. We left the van at a large house with a sort-of basement. It was filled with wrecked vehicles. We dickered on price for the paint job. We agreed. We bargained for the price of new upholstery. We agreed. Gil and I left, with a promise that the van would be ready in a week.
Before we returned to the United States though, via the crossing at San Ysidro, Gil needed to visit a wrecking yard. He needed something or other for his hot-rod VW Bug. At the yard, I noticed that most of the vehicles were nearly hidden by weeds and brush. Guess there wasn’t much business. The hombre in charge pointed to where we should go look, with the warning to “Watch out for the rattlesnakes.” Gil and I froze in our tracks. We left without checking for parts.
As for the paint job and upholstery project, the one week turned in to three weeks. But eventually, the work was completed. Gil took me back to TJ, and there was our old van, looking mighty good. The price had risen a bit though. I think the extra was Gil’s commission, but I never said anything because it really was a bargain. They even painted the engine.
Proudly drove back to the United States in our refurbished van. But first, Gil took me to “a really good restaurant with cheap food” because, as he put, “I know some guys.” Well, the food wasn’t that good, but it was inexpensive, and there was plenty of it. Which is probably why my friend was always popping buttons off his shirts.
No matter, it was a Mexican Adventure. And it’s always good to “know some guys.”
