WILD HORSES
BRADY. ‘THE HEART OF TEXAS’.
Literally and – as I’m about to discover – metaphorically. The air stirs lazily, barely sifting the high summer heat it carries. I descend from the cool cockpit and slam the flat door. It’s quiet in town. Not much moves, and nothing moves fast. Then…
Quick footsteps. “Say, is that mine?” I can’t decide if the guy is joking or not, but the expression sure is serious. As he strides across the baked, dusty street, I notice the Ford sign on the wall of the garage he’s just left. “Ah’ve bin waiting months for this. Boy, it’s a fine lookin’ thang”. He’s still walking, excitable arms jabbing and semaphoring like a TV evangelist.
The boots stutter fractionally as he reaches out to pat the Bronco, “I don’t remember orderin’ the Sasquatch pack, have you thrown that on for free?”, he exclaims, “and why’s it on manufacturer plates?” The penny drops. This, unfortunately for the lead salesman of Brady’s Ford dealership, is not his now-six-weeks-behind-schedule demo car.
Still, it’s the first Bronco anyone in town has seen, so across come the mechanics who’ll one day be working on it. Solidly built is an early impression, bigger than they expected, too. They’re excited about it and so are their customers. The Brady (pop 5,513) community has already ordered six, but there’s much chat about delays caused by the nationwide semi-conductor shortage – only one buyer is actually expected to take delivery this year. One chap disappears, returning minutes later with an original 1976 Bronco. Its 302 V8 sounds terrific, belying the 125 horses contained within. He has another, a gorgeous green pickup, in the garage behind. It’s like
