Sunday, January 13, 2008

ode to a new car.....


yesterday,
a truck and trailer came and towed away a few old cars that have been sitting on the back 40, bringing shelter to many a skunk and woodchuck for quite a time now. The rotting cars were a thorn in my side for many years, but you who know Michael know that he is never in too big of a hurry to get rid of anything. (one never knows when they might need a part from that vehicle that was just towed away!) And of course,
every *real* redneck property needs a few dead cars parked out back...
But, Mike met someone in town yesterday morning who promised him $75 per vehicle he towed for scrap metal and Mike couldnt resist making a couple extra bucks while at the same time scoring extra points with wifey here.
So they came in yesterday afternoon and took Lacys first car plus the 1986 chevy Cavalier that sat out back.
To load the vehicles on the back of the long trailer the scrap metal guys also brought a Bobcat that kind of speared the cars and lifted and pushed them onto the back of the trailer. Along with this excessive force in loading, came some smashed windows and ripped chrome and new big dents.
The children stood with noses pressed up against the glass, watching the process in amazement. Rarely does such excitement occur outside these windows!
As I walked into the kitchen I saw out my bay window the truck and trailer parked with the two battered cars, ready to go down the road to the junk yard, to be smashed for scrap metal. Looking at my chevy station wagon ready to be hauled away brought a surprising melancholy moment for me. After all, that was the first and only car that Michael and I ever purchased brand new off a lot. We ordered it and hand picked the colors and options. I remembered the feeling of excitement when the dealership called us and told us our car was in. The feeling of pride when he handed us the keys of our spanking new shiny car. The *smell* of a new car was intoxicatingly exciting. We hadnt told ANYONE about our ordering the new vehicle but instead drove straight from the car lot when it arrived over to my parents house to show off our new prize with pride. Oh, how we beamed with joy and excitement as we then drove to Mikes parents house and sat in the driveway honking the horn until they walked out to see who was there in "the fancy new car" . I remember my father in law asking us "did you come into some money?" when he came out. No, we didnt , actually the opposite, because in spite of the joy of new car ownership the prize had to be paid for through monthly car payments. For 4 years that $150 a month was a huge burden for this young family of five. We couldnt afford the payments on our one income and that is when I went to work at Tobies as a waitperson to make those big, at the time to us, payments. I find it a bit hard to justify, in hindsight, that leaving my children to work to pay for a new car was worth the short time in my childrens lives. Alas,
no sense feeling guilt. We do the best we can at the time with what we have to work with, you know?
Then, as I looked at the car, I also remembered how fleeting those days of excitement over the "brand new car" were. Soon, like all new cars, it lost the new smell, lost the new appeal, needed mechanical work and computer work, and rusted quickly (as we still paid the $150 amonth car payment)
And then,
the trailer drove away out of my life, never be seen again.
good-bye to you, '86 burgandy cavalier, you will always have a place in my heart of life memories

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Are those really all your old cars?! Wow! Don't tell my teenage son. He'll never leave you alone and want to have one to "work" on. :+)

By the way, this is Kelly, Bren's friend.

mamajill said...

oh my no!
that is just a random photo. Mike may have a hard time getting rid of "stuff" but he isnt quite that bad :))