It is 1944 in Ontario, Canada, and Scotty is fifteen. World War II is coming to an end, although the war has left countless scars on Canadian families and the world at large. Scotty has his own problems at home, including an alcoholic father and the fear of being stuck as a small-town nobody his whole life. He can't wait to turn sixteen. Once he's sixteen, he'll be able to go his own way. Maybe he'll drop out of high school. Maybe he'll get a job at General Motors, since the Canadian headquarters are located in his hometown. He has friends to back him up-guys like Neil-the-Wheel, Georgie-boy, Joey, and Rick-the-dick. Together, these guys find their ways into adulthood. Scotty grows up. He soon finds himself involved with the local United Auto Workers union. He still looks over his shoulder in remembrance of the past, but as a young man, his life is open before him. Will he grow up to be better than his Old Man? Will he find success in his job and his relationships? It's a long road to adulthood, and Scotty will soon find that the road is his making.
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| Chapter One Friends or Enemies............................................ | 1 |
| Chapter Two Hands on the Wheel............................................ | 11 |
| Chapter Three The Devil or the Angel...................................... | 14 |
| Chapter Four WWII Victory................................................. | 18 |
| Chapter Five High School Drag............................................. | 23 |
| Chapter Six Teachers' Guff................................................ | 26 |
| Chapter Seven The Old Man's Car Deal...................................... | 30 |
| Chapter Eight On The Road, Legally........................................ | 35 |
| Chapter Nine Mother's Prayer Answered..................................... | 38 |
| Chapter Ten Happy Face Pays His Debt to Joey.............................. | 42 |
| Chapter Eleven Happy Holidays............................................. | 45 |
| Chapter Twelve School's Out Summer's In................................... | 54 |
| Chapter Thirteen The Hear-after........................................... | 59 |
| Chapter Fourteen Old Man's Show Down...................................... | 63 |
| Chapter Fifteen Dawning of Prosperity..................................... | 66 |
| Chapter Sixteen Movin' On................................................. | 73 |
| Chapter Seventeen Mother Embraces Feminism................................ | 76 |
| Chapter Eighteen Earning and Learning..................................... | 78 |
| Chapter Nineteen Line Life................................................ | 84 |
| Chapter Twenty Anonymous Friend........................................... | 89 |
| Chapter Twenty-One The Mentor............................................. | 92 |
| Chapter Twenty-Two Orville................................................ | 96 |
| Chapter Twenty-Three Smitten.............................................. | 99 |
| Chapter Twenty-Four Dying On The Line..................................... | 102 |
| Chapter Twenty-Five Home Owners........................................... | 109 |
| Chapter Twenty-Six Strike Looms........................................... | 111 |
| Chapter Twenty-Seven Picket Duty.......................................... | 118 |
| Chapter Twenty-Eight Back to Work......................................... | 121 |
| Chapter Twenty-Nine Another Job Option.................................... | 125 |
| Chapter Thirty The Future................................................. | 132 |
| Chapter Thirty-One Hot-rod Spooky......................................... | 135 |
| Chapter Thirty-Two The Big Wedding........................................ | 139 |
| Chapter Thirty-Three Boom Into Best....................................... | 144 |
| Chapter Thirty-Four New GMC Team.......................................... | 150 |
| Chapter Thirty-Five Profit Sharing........................................ | 153 |
| Chapter Thirty-Six Cynthia On Stage....................................... | 160 |
| Chapter Thirty-Seven Private and Confidential............................. | 167 |
| Chapter Thirty-Eight Strike Vote Called................................... | 169 |
| Chapter Thirty-Nine The Others............................................ | 174 |
| Chapter Forty Richard..................................................... | 179 |
| Chapter Forty-One Desperation............................................. | 187 |
| Chapter Forty-Two Resolution.............................................. | 190 |
| Chapter Forty-Three A New Voice........................................... | 196 |
| Chapter Forty-Four Always The Professor................................... | 199 |
| Chapter Forty-Five Victims................................................ | 204 |
| Chapter Forty-Six Helpless................................................ | 210 |
| Chapter Forty-Seven The Question.......................................... | 211 |
Friends or Enemies
Oshawa, Ontario1944
Growing up in war-time ain't easy. Specially if you're aGerman or a Japanese kid. Even English kids in Londonhave it rough with bombs falling all around and peopledying and stuff ...
Growing up ain't even easy for a Scotch-Irish-Canadian kid likeme, who only has to dodge whacks-to-my-head, and boots-to-my-assas the Old Man yells, "Grow up!"
But really, I'd rather be a Scotch-Irish-Yankee kid. They got alot more good stuff in the USA. We don't have no famous MovieStars like Betty Grable, Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney, a toughlittle-guy, he's one of my favorites. And we don't have Big Bands likeGlenn Miller or Dorsey with singers like Frank Sinatra who makeschicks swoon ...
If you want to hear anything good on the radio in Oshawa, yougot to go to WBEN, Buffalo. Toronto's CFRB or CBL has nothing but"The Happy Gang", and they don't make no one swoon ...
Anyway, in them other countries kids know who their enemiesare. Here it ain't always so easy to figure that out. A lot of enemiesseem to be disguised as friends. Anyone who makes you feel shittycan hardly be your friend. Sometimes I feel surrounded by enemies.You know what I mean?
Specially, it ain't easy growing up when you don't even knowwhat way's up. If up is where my Old Man wants me to go, it sureain't where he is. Whenever I act like him I get whacked, or a bootin the ass. Especially, when he's into the booze he gets me steamedup. You know what I mean?
So I learned pretty young, if I don't want to get whacked, or theboot, don't act like him. Like he says, "Don't do as I do! Do as I say!"
But that ain't always easy so I still get whacked. Like the OldLady does too; mostly for nothing, 'cause she's as good as Old Ladiescome. I wish the Old Man was over-seas, in the Army. But with hisbum leg, they don't want him. They ain't the only ones. Sometimesa family ain't such a great place, with all of its whacking and yackinggoing on. "Do this Dummy! Don't do that Stupid! Wha'd I tell ya?"WHACK!
So, I takes my whacks. But, I gives my whacks too. Whenever Ican, to whoever I can. But not to little kids I ain't no bully. It neverfeels good getting whacks. But sometimes it feels really good givingthem. You know what I mean?
School ain't much better than home. Sometimes it's even worse.Some teachers are really mean and whack you with their pointer oryard stick, for nothing. Like for not knowing the answers to theirdumb questions. I hate looking stupid with everyone laughing.Which don't happen to me too often,...
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