September 8, 2006

• automobile bliss

  Today while I was out and about I heard a sound that made my heart sing, a musical putter that reminded me of my youth, a volkswagen beetle.

  The first car I bought for myself was a bug.  I got pulled over so many times in that car. Once I got pulled over for going two miles over the speed limit in a hospital zone. The most common reason given was that my car was loud, to which my response would be’ it’s an air cooled engine officer.’ It was funny because when an officer would come to my car window, you could tell they were surprised that I wasn’t a druggy. They would smile and chat a bit and send me on my way. This should tell you what a polly-anna I look like, of course they were right, I don’t drink or do drugs… makes you wonder what I do, doesn’t it?

  So I  look like an angel. I am. (I can see my sister scoffing at her computer.)

   I had to sell my little bug when I was in college. My husband bought me a Volkswagen cabriole convertible the first year of our marriage. Which I loved to drive through the valley in Utah. I used it year round because if it did snow, it was gone in the morning. I had a second job working at a newspaper. There’s nothing like a convertible to deliver papers in.  We drove it to California and Las Vegas a couple of times, and a friend and I went to a concert at the Canyons in it, where we laughed because we were sure everyone thought we were lesbians. Of course it was an Indigo Girls concert  so everyone was probably  wondering about everyone.

  I had to sell it when we had our daughter  Truthfully it wasn’t much fun trying to drive it in Michigan winters or stretching into the back to put Charlie in his car seat.

  But today when I heard that wonderful tin like putter I knew that It won’t be long and I’ll be shopping for another one. A VW Thing would be fun but probably a classic VW convertible will be it.

  Of course it’s completely impractical and with three kids it’s all about practicality now. Maybe it could be my midlife crisis car. If I’m having one of those in my early thirties though I’m concerned, I’d like to live past sixty into my early eighties at least.  I guess for now I’ll have to enjoy cruising ebay, dreaming, and thinking once again, about someday.

  • 6:35 pm
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