By Ricky Swindle
Muffler Shop Musings

Howdy friends,
I’ve got a story to tell you about two great friends of mine who
were on two different roads of life until one day their roads
intersected with each other.
The first fellow I’d like to tell you about was a man named
Kenneth Avant. He was known by his friends as The Worm or
Wormy, whatever you wanted to call him was fine by him. He was
a slender man and most likely never weighed over 130 lbs his
entire life.
He was a good man and a hard working individual. At one time he
was about the best automotive front end and brake man you ever
saw. He was sought after by other shops in town but he always
managed to end up back with my Daddy at our shop.
He and Daddy were great friends and he never left here on bad
terms. He’d work awhile in a different environment and come back
to ask for his job back. If we had a full crew or not, it didn’t matter
to Daddy, he’d always hire him back. He didn’t take advantage of
his and Daddy’s friendship, he just came to work and work is what
he did.
Worm had an alcohol addiction for many years, but it didn’t
interfere with his work or his ability to provide for his family first
and foremost.

He told us, one Saturday, he was watching some old Tarzan
movies at home and he said he heard a racket outside. Now
Worm always kept a very nice pickup that he had usually built
from the ground up. He said he looked out the curtain and there
were about a dozen Pygmies and they had his truck on blocks
and were stripping it all the way down. He said he just closed the
curtain.
A little while later his wife Tiny came into the living room and said
“I need the key to the truck, I’ve got to go to the grocery store”.
He exclaimed to her how she couldn’t use that truck because the
Pygmies had disassembled it. She looked out the door and stated
the truck was fine. He opened up the curtain and sure enough the
truck was in pristine order.
He told us that he looked down at that half a fifth of vodka
remaining on his coffee table and said “Well, that’ll be about
enough of that” and he never touched another drink as long as he
lived.
Our old Worm, as I’ve stated, was a superior mechanic, but if
there was one thing he hated in this world it was a preacher. Any
preacher. Could not stand to be near one.
Now, we run a business and we cater to everyone. If we
recognized a preacher coming up, we’d get Worm to the other
side of the shop because never would he ever speak first but if
that preacher spoke to him, Worm’s rebuttal may cut to the bone.
He told us stories about growing up in the Delta close to the
Mississippi River because his father worked on the river. Worm’s

mother passed away when he was young so his Grandmother
raised him and his siblings on barely nothing.
He related to us how a tent revival would come to the area and
his grandmother would empty out the cupboards to feed the
traveling preaching crew and they would have to do without so the
preacher and his entourage could be fed. He grew a hatred of
preachers at an early age.
Now, the second person I want to tell you about is Robert
Rawson. Brother Robert is one of the best men I’ve ever ran
across in my 61 years. Plain and simple, Robert Rawson is a
good man.
He would bring his vehicles to our shop for service and as always
we kept The Worm at bay. We just could not allow him, as much
as we loved and respected him, to offend such a kind gentle man
as Brother Robert.
Brother Robert brought that old worn, over driven Cadillac to the
shop one day. He told Daddy how he depended on that old car
and he wanted it checked out bumper to bumper and whatever it
needed, just fix it.
I don’t remember the amount but Daddy called and told all the
ailments the old car had and Brother Robert’s only question was
“Can you fix it, Mr. Hubert?”.
Daddy told him it’d take a few days to gather the parts but the old
Cadillac could be repaired one more time.
In a few days we called him and let him know his old car was
ready and he said I’ll be there directly.

Bro Robert was writing his check for his old car and Daddy told
him, “Bro. Robert, surely those folks at the Church of Christ can
pay you enough money to get you a new car and you can quit
spending so much money on this old Cadillac.”

Folks, I was standing there in our office when my Daddy told this
good man those words. Brother Robert replied, “Well Mr Hubert,
the folks at the Church of Christ are very generous to me and they
compensate me well for my duties and I could very well go out
and buy myself a brand new car if I choose to do so. But, Mr
Hubert, from time to time folks will ask me for some help and I’m
not paying a payment every month so I’m able to reach in my
pocket and do what I can for them. So just do your best to keep
my old Cadillac on the road.”
He shook Daddy’s hand, chuckled a bit and walked to his car.
Unbeknownst to us, Ol Worm was standing outside the door,
sipping his coffee and listening in. He walked in the office and told
Daddy,” I heard what that man said. From this day forward,
whenever he brings his car, I’m the only one who’s going to work
on it. I believe that’s the finest man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
And he did, he was the only one that could touch any of Bro.
Robert’s vehicles. Daddy saw to it and after Daddy passed away
the rule still stood until Worm retired.
Bro. Robert and Worm became great friends. Kenneth Avant
finally found him a preacher he respected after all. I can’t say
whether or not Bro. Robert led him to The Lord or not because all

that’s their private business. But Bro. Robert sure was a good
witness for The Lord to Worm, I do believe that,
Kenneth Avant, The Worm, died not long after he retired from
working. Brain tumor is what got him. His final wish was Bro.
Robert to do his service for him which he gladly did.
Brother Rawson is now in The Alamo Rehab and Nursing Home
in Alamo, TN.
I am proud of the memory I have of the day two different roads of
human life intersected and intertwined with each other. The day
two good men met each other and genuinely liked and respected
the other.
Take care of yourself and your neighbors folks.