1957 at a Drive-In

So it's 1957, it's in black and white, I'm at a drive-in but it's day time. The sun is setting so I guess we are all waiting for darkness to fall. Since it is going to be a while before the movie starts I roll my window down and sit on the door of my car with my feet on the front seat while I lean against the side and my arms stretch forward across the roof.
It's my brand new car, a Chevy. Even though everything is in black and white I can see it's brand new, 'cause the chrome shines so brightly in the setting sun. Not a scratch or a smear to spoil the unblemished newness of this wonderful hunk of metal.

As I sit there another car swings into the space two spots down from mine. It's a Caddy, white, not so new. The guy driving it  is dressed in a white t-shirt and a white stetson as dirty and well traveled as the car. He looks like Hank Williams - on a bad day, he looks angry. His passenger is dressed all in white as well. It's Marilyn Monroe, she looks sad. Hank gets out, grunts, slams the door and saunters off like some drunk cowboy looking for a fight and heads towards the kiosk to buy some cigs.

I wave and say "Hi" to Marilyn, she flashes the briefest smile. "You OK?", I ask.
"Just been one of the days", she says back.
"A drive-in movie will cheer you up", I say trying to brighten her mood.
"That's what I was hoping, but old grumpy britches doesn't agree."
"Well I'm on top of the world today", I tell her, "got my brand new Chevy and I thought I would bring her to the drive-in to show her off".
"It's one good looking automobile" she tells me.
"Yes it is. I just need a good lookin' gal to ride along with me." I say hoping she will jump out of Hank's car and into mine.

She doesn't, but she does slide over to her driver's seat so she can lean out the window to continue our conversation. I tell her about my beautiful new car, she tells me about Hollywood and how she sometimes feels like running away from it all. We share some jokes and she begins to smile more and more. I tell her that if she wants to run away she can run away with me and she flashes the biggest smile I've ever seen - bigger than when I've seen her on the movie screen. That's when Hank comes back, they didn't have any cigs. He looks at Marilyn's smile, he looks at me and I wave and say "Hi". He gruffly gets in the Caddy, roughly pushes Marilyn over to the passenger seat, starts the car and drives off in an angry cloud of dust.

Then as the Caddy drives off into the setting sun I see Marilyn look back to me and raise a timid hand to wave "Good-buy", through the dust.