1952 Vincent Black Lightning’ and “Cool Whip, Indie!”
Every time I hear the Del McCoury song ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’ I think of my old pal Indie. He loved motorcycles. His favorite was a ’47 Indian Chief former Nevada Highway Patrol bike that he and his buddy Blinky restored one winter.
When Indie was a young doc there was a little French foreign exchange student in town who loved that bike, and was enthralled with Indie too. She’d hop on the back, grab Indie by the waist, and sing some French song as they buzzed down the back roads. She wasn’t much of a student. The whole time she was here she only learned two American phrases. “Motorcycle ride” was one and “Cool whip, Indie!” was the other.
Mrs. Jenkins was not amused. Indie might have gotten into the Jim Beam too much at times, and he could fiddle all night long, but he was harmless. Other than what happened in ‘The Mandolin Case’ that girl was the only time Indie ever got in any real trouble.
I hate it happened, but in a way you could see how it might. Even though I was just a boy at the time, you couldn’t miss the fact this was some kinda good-looking woman. That girl wore a sweater in a quite memorable way; she had better curves than a slope shoulder guitar. No man in town ever forgot her, and I’m sure Mrs. Jenkins didn’t either.
‘The Mandolin Case’ was quite an ordeal, and put a hurting on Indie, but I always thought that one mistake with the French foreign exchange student weighed much heavier on him. When he got old he told me it was the one thing he wished he could change in his life. Mrs. Jenkins forgave him, and Indie finally made peace with it before he went to his maker, but it was hard on him.
I forgave him too. None of us are perfect, but at least Indie was truly sorry, and he was faithful to Mrs. Jenkins the rest of the way. All we can do is our best, and after that girl I always thought Indie did that.
Dr. B
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Dr. Tom Bibey: Stories of the Bluegrass Music Road 
December 9, 2009 at 9:51 am
Another good story Dr. B. We all “fall from grace” sometimes. Grace and forgiveness get us back where we need to be.
December 9, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Cindy,
Amen. Ain’t no one perfect, even Indie, and he was a hero to me. He maintained that status with me because he was genuine in his repentance and never tried to blame the error on anyone but himself.
Dr. B
December 12, 2009 at 9:56 am
I get a kick out of that song…it’s the red hair thing, 😉
December 12, 2009 at 10:12 am
Carmen,
I have two nurses who have worked with me twenty five years. They both like that tune, but the red-haired one is extra partial to it.
My wife, like me, has a little bit different shade of hair color these days, (not as much as I do) but I always say I was lucky ’cause I was like Charlie Brown but I got to marry the little red-haired girl.
Dr. B