Oh Eva, what memories that doll brings back. It all began because my friend Fred was leaving Georgia Pacific and his friends wanted to surprise him.
Somebody had the idea for a blow up doll. Since I was a contractor and did not have anything very pressing, I took it upon myself to go and pick her up and take her to the party.
Anyway, if you know anything about Atlanta, you know that you have to drive a while to get anywhere. I had to drive from Doraville to the airport. There is a restaurant there that is built with a World War II airfield motif. There are pictures of army life, i.e. jeeps, trucks, sand bags, machine guns�you get the idea. It is mainly a restaurant, but there is a huge bar in the back and that is where we were having our goodbye party for Fred.
I got ready and also dressed Eva in a little blue bikini and put her in the car.
At that time I had my 1986 Toyota Supra. I opened the sunroof, rolled down the windows, and put on some Billy Idol (The Vidal Idol CD to be exact).
Now, I had not given much thought as to what I must have looked like with an inflatable doll in my car wrapped in a seat belt to keep her from flying out of the car. At my first stoplight, I heard some giggling. I looked over and saw a couple of girls that could not seem to catch their breath. On the highway, some people would pass me, then backup to see if they really saw what they thought they did. Other folks were just trying to move away from me before their kids started asking too many questions.
At the restaurant, I had Eva on my arm. She was very light on her feet. I walked up to the hostess stand and asked where our party was. The guy said "Oh, it's in the back just go" and then he stopped like he had never seen an inflatable girl before as he looked up at us for the first time. After a second or two his training took over and he mechanically finished the directions.
You know the sound of a restaurant where there is a low murmur and that tinkling sound of spoons and forks on plates? Well there was some kind of silent bubble that hung around Eva and I as we walked through that place. It was as if people just froze as we walked through.
I don't have to tell you what a hit Eva was. She danced with everyone and eventually went home with Fred. He later told the story of how his sister came in a few days later and thought he had his girl friend over, until she got a good look at her. Fred said that she almost left (his sister, not Eva).