The "Parade" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was up very early and had just finished detailing the '87 Vette for the Millersville Parade. The Corvette is bright red with a removable top. Not a spot on it! It also has a 5 speed manual transmission and does not lend itself very well for parades, since you have to ride the clutch the entire time. The Lancaster County Corvette Club has volunteered to drive the Homecoming Queen candidates in the annual parade throughout the town of Millersville, PA. We start to assemble at a church about 3 miles from the football stadium which is our final destination. I am next to last in line. All cars receive candidates except the last car. Either too many cars or not enough good-looking coeds for candidates. The parade starts. All is well for the first 2 miles and then we start up a fairly steep incline. RIDE THAT CLUTCH. My candidate starts to smell what I am smelling. It is called "burning clutch." "What is that terrible odor?" I hear from above me on the open roof. "That would be my clutch" I respond. I'm sure she probably had no idea what a clutch is, but I told her anyway. Well, about 20 feet later the clutch pedal went the whole way to the floor. The parade was over for the '87 red Vette and its owner. Lucky for me and the candidate that I wasn't the last vette in the parade. My fellow vette club member helped me push the car to the side of the road and we hoisted the candidate onto his roof. She got to finish the parade, but not in style. You see the vette behind me was silver and not red! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.