At the Drive-In by Rick Perry

Author:Rick Perry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: small town life, short story collection, short story anthology, high school memoirs, memoirs, school stories, small town stories
Publisher: Rick Perry
Published: 2019-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

Renovations, 1991

James “Sully” Sullivan passed away in the fall of that year. He was just shy of his sixtieth birthday and had only recently celebrated his thirty-fifth anniversary. He and Ellie had never been able to have the sons and daughters they had dreamed of raising, but the drive-in they had built was legacy enough in the minds of most of Eastlake’s citizens. Besides, they had been surrounded for decades by the surrogate sons and daughters who frequented the restaurant.

Big, strong, tough, teen-aged boys would confide in Sully and more than once, Ellie had caught them wiping away tears as they left. He was a father figure to a multitude of young men over the years, just as Ellie had served as a maternal presence in the lives of countless teen carhops who had found a home away from home at Sully’s. Despite never having children of their own, the Sullivans considered themselves blessed and their lives in Eastlake full and happy.

The heart condition that he had inherited from his father had never slowed him down. It may have kept him from playing football in high school, and prevented him from joining the service, but it had never kept him from leading an active and productive life. The kids who worked at the drive-in were in constant amazement at the high level of energy he maintained throughout the grueling shifts behind the grill. He had been loved and respected by all of Eastlake and he would be missed.

Once the drive-in had begun to flourish, Sully and Ellie had done all they could to support the local community. They had always been willing to host any special events staged by the school or any of the area churches or businesses, and as the years passed, they became pillars of the community. The Chamber of Commerce began to actively promote them as one of the “must see” attractions in the whole of East Texas. They had even been featured once in one of the major newspapers in Houston.

In its first few years, the drive-in had remained true to Sully’s original vision, with only slight changes. Obviously, the hours had expanded. In the beginning, the restaurant had opened just before lunch and closed at seven. Sully had never imagined people eating burgers at midnight, but with the Friday night sporting events being such important rituals in the small community, he soon realized the late hours were providing most of his income. He began to stay open late on weekends and Ellie was soon hiring and training extra carhops. Eventually, he had even hired a second cook to help him on the inside.

For almost a decade, the poodle skirts and white tops were standard issue for the carhops at Sully’s. With a scarf at the neck, a cute cap on top, and the signature skates below, the carhops were unique and stylish. Eventually, Ellie switched to a uniform in blue and white that matched the colors of the hometown Eagles. She hoped to give up the skates, but her husband would not even entertain a discussion on that subject.

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