STOP STEP AWAY

STOP STEP AWAY FROM THAT CAR WHY YOU'RE TAKING IT OFFICER TO MY SHOP TO RESTORE IT WE GOT A COMPLAINT THAT SOMEONE WAS REMOVING A CAR MAN'S PROPERTY OFFICER I ASKED HIM TO TAKE RESTORE IT MYSELF ANYMORE AND HOW MUCH ARE YOU CHARGING HIM NOTHING I'M RESTORING HIS CORVETTE FOR FREE THE POLICE HAD JUST ORDERED ME AWAY FROM THIS 2000 FOR CHEVROLET CORVETTE C O 6 AFTER SOMEONE REPORTED THAT I A VALUABLE CAR FROM A FRAIL ELDERLY MAN'S PROPERTY BUT THE OFFICER DIDN'T KNOW THE STANDING BESIDE IT WAS THE REASON I WAS THERE BEFORE WE CONTINUE TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE WATCHING FROM TO KNOW HOW FAR THIS STORY REACHES THAT MORNING 84 YEAR OLD WALTER WAS STANDING BESIDE THE YELLOW LEANING HEAVILY ON HIS WOODEN CANE THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING UNTOUCHED FOR YEARS IRON CONTAMINATION AND GRIME COVERED THE YELLOW PAINT AND THE WHEELS WERE BADLY SCRAPED AND YEARS OF TRAPPED MOISTURE HAD LEFT MOLD ACROSS THE SEATS CARPET AND DOOR PANELS WALTER HAD ONCE SPENT COUNTLESS WEEKENDS WITH HIS WIFE AFTER SHE PASSED AWAY THE CORVETTE THE LAST THINGS THAT STILL REMINDED HIM OF THOSE YEARS TOGETHER HE KEPT TELLING HIMSELF HE WOULD RESTORE BUT AS HIS STRENGTH FADED THE CAR SAT LONGER AND LONGER EVENTUALLY THE 5.7 LITER V8 STOPPED RUNNING ALTOGETHER OLD FUEL REMAINED IN THE TANK THE INJECTORS BECAME CLOGGED AND THE ENGINE OIL DETERIORATED WALTER COULD BARELY MANAGE THE WALK ANYMORE MUCH LESS BRING THE CORVETTE BACK I OFFERED TO MY SHOP AND RESTORE IT COMPLETELY FREE BUT JUST AS I BEGAN PREPARING THE FLATBED A POLICE OFFICER WALKED QUICKLY ONTO THE DRIVEWAY AND SHOUTED FOR ME TO STOP SOMEONE HAD REPORTED A VALUABLE VEHICLE HOMEOWNER'S PROPERTY THE OFFICER TOLD AWAY VERIFY WHAT WAS HAPPENING WALTER IMMEDIATELY STEPPED FORWARD OFFICER I ASKED HIM TO TAKE RESTORE IT MYSELF ANYMORE THE OFFICER LOOKED AT ME AND HOW MUCH ARE YOU CHARGING HIM NOTHING I SAID I'M RESTORING HIS CORVETTE FOR FREE ONCE WALTER CONFIRMED THAT I HAD PERMISSION THE OFFICER ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE SHOP WE DISCOVERED THAT YEARS OF NEGLECT WAS AN INCREDIBLY SOLID CORVETTE BECAUSE THE BODY WAS FIBERGLASS IT HADN'T ROTTED AWAY UNDERNEATH REMAINED REMARKABLY CLEAN WITH ALMOST NO SERIOUS OXIDATION EMBEDDED IRON CONTAMINATION CORRECTED THE SCRATCHES POLISHED THE YELLOW PAINT REFINISHED THE DAMAGED WHEELS AND PROTECTED THE EXTERIOR WITH CERAMIC COATING INSIDE WE REMOVED THE SEATS AND CARPET DEEP CLEANED EVERYTHING TREATED THE MOLD AND BACTERIA AND PERFORMED TWO OZONE TREATMENTS TO ELIMINATE THE ODOR MECHANICALLY WE DRAINED THE OLD FUEL FLUSHED THE CLOGGED INJECTORS CHANGED THE OIL INSTALLED A NEW FUEL PUMP REPLACED THE BRAKES AND FITTED NEW TIRES THEN CAME THE MOMENT WALTER THOUGHT MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN AFTER YEARS OF SILENCE THE 5.7 LITER V8 FIRED BACK TO LIFE THE ENGINE SETTLED INTO A SMOOTH IDLE HEADLIGHTS ROSE AND THE FORGOTTEN FINALLY RETURNED TO THE ROAD WHEN I BROUGHT THE CORVETTE HOME WALTER WAS WAITING WITH HIS CANE HE STARED AT THE RESTORED YELLOW PAINT BEFORE SLOWLY WALKING TOWARD IT THEN I STARTED THE ENGINE WALTER PLACED ONE CAR AND LISTENED QUIETLY TO THE V8 I NEVER THOUGHT I'D HEAR THAT AGAIN HE WHISPERED I HANDED HIM THE KEYS THEY TIGHTLY IN HIS PALM THE POLICE HAD ARRIVED BECAUSE SOMEONE BELIEVED AN ELDERLY MAN MIGHT BE LOSING HIS CORVETTE INSTEAD WALTER WAS GETTING BACK A LIFE HE THOUGHT HE HAD LOST FOREVER GOD SOMETIMES SENDS AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT MOMENT COMMENT AMEN