Here in My Car...

Cars...we just picked up a new one yesterday for my husband (he commutes over 50 miles to work), it's a cute little car, zippy, fun to drive...if you're a midget! No really, it is cute and I do like it, but I still love my big honking SUV...with 3 kids and all their "stuff" I believe there isn't much of a choice.

I have had a love affair with cars since I can remember. I was obsessed with wanting to drive...I used to pretend our couch was a car and I was driving to the market with my kids (little did I know it's really NOT that much fun! LOL!). I also used to play with match box cars with my neighbor, he had the really cool Porsches and Mercedes cars, of course he would always take the really cool ones and I got the not so cool ones... story of my life...

I also would beg my step-father to let me "drive" the riding lawn mower (much to my nervous Mother's dismay), we had over 2 acers of a "driving" course for me to practice my skills...of course it wasn't always smooth riding...I was mowing around a tree and got a little too close to the lower branches...ouch! I was taken off mower duty for a while...I was bummed!

When I was coming of age to drive, there was no stopping me...I studied for my permit test...I passed with flying colors...well...sort of...when I went to take the test on the computerized machine, a few of the questions came up in English then they started coming up in Spanish (which I don't speak or read), I told the Policeman and he fixed it for me. Well only a few more questions came up then it was over, he came back over and said "you passed"! I think I may have only answered 5 questions and usually there are a lot more...of course I didn't argue with him!

I dutifully took Driver's Ed (my Mom's requirement, she was too nervous to teach me herself) and passed. Not without incident though...I was soo nervous my first time out that in order to stay in the proper lane on our back country roads I managed to hit every pothole in the road, my Driver's Ed teacher was not too happy considering it was HIS car!

It was time to go and take my test and I was READY! Everyone had to take their test at the police barracks in the next town over and they had just put into practice making appointments for the driving test (not a great idea, they changed it back to first come first serve the next year). I forced my Mom to make the appointment months in advance, which was about a month after my sixteenth birthday. She made the appointment for Good Friday, sounding promising to me, what could go wrong...

The guy on the phone told my Mother that he was switching books and would put the appointment in. We took his word and when that Friday came I was ready to go...of course I should've known things weren't going to go my way since it was pouring rain! We got up to the police barracks and I went inside, gave my name and was told I was not on the list...I was devastated! My Mother worked full time, so this was the only week day she had off. My Mother went in and yelled and scremed, but they didn't care. So off we went, determined to get my license some how.

We found out that in another town further away, people could take the test without an appointment, the only catch was that you had to get there at the crack of dawn...I am NOT a morning person...so the next weekend we woke up at 4am and made the 30 mile treck.

We were the first in line...I was exstatic...we waited in the dark and the cars lined up behind us and as the sun was started coming up it was time, 7am. The Police Officer took out his clipboard and started checking the car. Headlights working...check...wipers...check...horn...check...tail lights...che...nope...not working...my Mom's car had one tail light out! We were dismissed...again!

My Mom said on the way home that maybe I am not meant to drive...NO WAY! I had been dreaming of this since I could put my fake key in my couch...nothing was going to STOP me! So my Mom got her tail light fixed and we made the trek again...this time we were 2nd on line...ugh! I had to wait my turn.

I went through the test, praying to God to let me pass...as we got to the end, the guy tells me tha I passed! I almost kissed him...I couldn't believe it! Finally! Freedom and the road...was mine!

I set out to get my first set of wheels, I imagined myself beind the wheel of a cool convertalbe...my hair blowing in the breeze, but my Mother nixed that idea..too dangerous she said. So with my sweet sixteen party money I bought a trusty Aries K (definitely not a cool car). It ran and held a lot of my friends, so it worked for me.

I have had many cars since then and I have yet to possess a "dream" car, but I know I will...someday...right now I am relegated to a reliable SUV that holds all of my kids and our stuff...I still have a love affair with driving...give me an open road and some tunes and I am content...dreaming of the day I can feel the wind blowing through my hair in my convertable (sorry Mom).