All Good Things Must
When I was 19, my parents decided the car I’d been driving around my college town was about to break down (as I’d found myself alone on the dark highway with a dead vehicle on several occasions), and they wanted to buy me a new one. I’d been paying for most of my college expenses on my own, including tuition, and their offer of a car was such a wonderful gift. We searched and searched for the perfect “college car.” We test drove every Jeep I could get my hands on, a few Camry’s, and even a Honda or two. But in the end, we found a great deal on an almost-new Chevy Blazer. It had two doors, POWER WINDOWS (I was so excited about the freakin’ power windows), and a CD player. I was in heaven.
I drove that car for years and years. Even when bits and pieces of it started to be recalled, and Chevy discontinued the model entirely, I loved that car. I named her Daisy, because I was a girl and I was in college, and shut up I don’t care what you think! I took her on road trips to Florida and Tennessee and Colorado and Texas. I burned several little holes in the upholstery with my disgusting smoking habit. One time, when the battery had to be replaced, I drove around with the old battery in the back for weeks before I realized it had tipped over and spilled acid everywhere. Let’s say that was the end of the nice upholstery.
My brother once backed in to it when he was high at my parents’ house, and we had to have the bumper completely replaced. I backed in to a giant tree at the dog park in Lawrence and completely smashed out the rear window. That car had been through some drama.
But good times too. It was the car of Trent and I’s first dates, kisses, trysts that I won’t mention here because, um, ew. One time, while drunk tailgating at a Royals game way back when we were young and fun, Trent decided he needed to brand my car with his love.
Yeah, permanent marker…that never came off.
So when I traded that lovely car in for a brand spanking new vehicle last Friday, I started to shed some tears. I told Trent to take a picture of me with the car, quick, before I lost it. I’m not good at saying goodbye.
Lu just put her head on my shoulder, one hand holding a red balloon that the salesman had given her, the other hand placed on my cheek, whispering in my ear, “You’re fine, Mama. You’re fine. It’s okay.”
Endings make me so sad, sometimes it’s hard for me to realize an ending is really a beginning. Stuff is just that. Stuff.
And it doesn’t hurt that the new car has satellite radio.
at least you have cute hair! and Lucy….has a… combover?
I really like your bangs and I will miss the blazer I remember I was so jealous; me and my 1973 nova and you and your fancy blazer…oh we are growing up:(
She yanked out her hair tye right before we took a picture…and it was windy. And she’s apprently the heir to the Trump fortune.
Theresa – I loved the Nova!!! Did it get handed down?
I love the hair lady – it’s super cute! I didn’t know you got a new car! What did you get?
I sold the Nova when I moved here, but not to the higest bidder but to this couple who use to have a Nova and they loved Nova’s and wanted to fix it up. My Mom says she see’s it every once in awhile it is still around the Manhattan area
Abbs – We got a Hyundai Santa Fe, the Blazer’s transmission pooped out and Trent had been afraid it was going to blow up at a moment’s notice…not too safe.
T – I hope when I’m back in Manhattan I see the Nova. I would totally take a picture with it too.
I feel left out of this blog conversation…I too love the hair and have great memories of the Blazer and the Nova. Now will people talk to me!?
Mara you are the greatest…my life would not be complete without you! Dont you know we ALL love you!!!!
Mara, you had not yet entered in to the blog conversation, how were we supposed to say hi when you weren’t here? But now that you are, hello missy. I love you too, and I will not allow you to move to Texas.
What TEXAS!