Fond Memories of Aunt Concepcion Garcia de Watanabe

I must have been ten years old when I overheard a conversation between my parents and my aunt Concha. The story involves a mint 1956 Chevy BelAir. At the time of this anecdote, she had been the widow of my uncle Francisco Watanabe, a very wealthy merchant.

Shortly before his sudden death, he had given my aunt the car to celebrate her birthday. Upon his passing, she related, she was so heart broken than she placed a tarp over the vehicle. She did not have a need to drive the car, as she was driven by her personal assistant.

Years later, my aunt was visited by her brother Damian Garcia, who lived in Mexico City. My aunt mentioned the car sitting in the garage, wondering if the car, because of its age, was worth anything. Damian, being a car mechanic, inspected the car and found nothing mechanically wrong with the vehicle, except for the condition of the rubber tires that had deteriorated.

My aunt offered the car to my uncle at a very low price, but Damian refused to take advantage of the situation and declined. The car was placed back in service. I still can see the car outside our house, driven by her assistant when she visited us. The bright cherry red car was a beauty.

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