A neighbor watches as a man named Mr. Tinkle tinkers with his car, a Ford. The Ford is a five seater car that is in ramshackle shape. However, Mr. Tinkle spends each day working on the car and fixing it. The neighbor passes the Tinkles' home one day and notices the entire family in the seats, but the car not moving anywhere. However, the Tinkle family is pretending like they are driving and pointing out landforms that they "pass." Mr. Tinkle's wife sits in the back with a baby on her lap and the three other children fight to be in the front seat. Then neighbor notices this happening for several days. One day, the neighbor stops to talk with Mr. Tinkle about it. Mr. Tinkle asks the neighbor about where to listen to tunes and the neighbor explains that they don't know. Mr. Tinkle explains that he has been laid off from his job and that he is unable to find another job so his family is suffering financially. His daughters look for food at local shelters, but often find nothing. Mr. Tinkle talks about his dream to someday buy gas and take his family on a long drive to travel. The next day, the neighbor walks past the Tinkles' house, but Mr. Tinkle is not working on the car. One of Mr. Tinkle's sons is pretending to drive in the driver's seat and explains that his mother is sick. For several nights, the neighbor doesn't see Mr. Tinkle. One day, he sees an older large woman on the porch. The woman tells the neighbor that Mrs. Tinkle died recently and that the car is going to be used during the funeral. On Saturday afternoon, the neighbor watches the funeral where the hearse and the Ford car drive along the road. Mr. Tinkle and his children are sitting in the back. Mr. Tinkle's children are excited to be driving in the car for the first time and forget that they are driving in their mother's funeral. The neighbor watches as they drive down the street and then begins walking home.