Simple Man

[Martin Hash]

There was a time in the 1990s when all cars looked like jellybeans on wheels. I have to admit that I liked the look. I never got one for myself but when my youngest son, Haven, went to college, I bought him a used 1997 dark green Ford Taurus jellybean car. That was probably the last year cars had cassette players in them. Washington State University was in Pulman, over six hours away if a regular person drove but probably eight if Haven did; he was an old woman behind the wheel before that became a thing. Haven also used the backseat of the Taurus as a storage room; it was so full of old computers, books, sports equipment, clothes, etc., that no one could sit there and certainly the rearview mirror was worthless. Once Haven got stopped for driving too slow, and got a ticket for not carrying a driver’s license. He did have his driver’s license but it was in the backseat and the police officer wouldn’t wait while he was rummaging through the debris looking for it. Haven went to court and fought the ticket. He called my wife, Gwynne, to testify on his behalf, and he also called the police officer. The judge was impressed with all the preparation and negated the ticket. Having once won a speeding ticket in court after watching dozens of defendants before me lose their cases, I know how difficult that is.

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“Simple Man,” written by the late great Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd, is one of my favorite songs. I used to play it all the time at home when my kids were young. The song has a nostalgic feeling that can give me tingles up my spine. When Haven finished university, he flew directly to his new job in Seattle, so he asked me to drive the 6 hours, Gwynne driving time, to Pulman to bring his car home. Gwynne dropped me off at it, and after I moved as much of the junk in the backseat around to see just a little out of the back window, I started the car and headed back. For company, I turned on the radio/cassette player, and it started playing “Simple Man.” There’s no way that was a coincidence, I knew Haven had left it like that for me; tingles went up my spine.

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