Friday, March 23, 2012

The Christmas Eve Car

What was the first vehicle Dan and I bought together?  It was a white 2001 Malibu.  We bought it Dec 24, 2002.  I remember sitting by Dan across from the salesman.  As we signed the contract I was surprised Dan hadn't haggled more over the price.

We took a trip that summer.  I got to meet his cousins and he got to meet my aunt.  I remember watching the Columbia River as we went down the road.  We went from point A to point B with no meandering.  As a truck driver his approach to driving is very efficient.  I like the occasional point of interest.

In the book "Marley and Me" the author talks about the dog they had while he was writing the book.  He said she was a good dog, but not a Marley.  Not a dog that he would write a book about, because nothing ever happens with her.  For most of the time that was the white Malibu.  A good car that  kept on going.  Well almost.

March 5, 2005 Dan was home and he joined me for lunch at school.  He was on his way home when he was involved in a collision.  It totaled the car.  He called to tell me about the accident.  I remember going down to the office to let my principal know what happened and that I was leaving.  One of our parents was in the teacher's lounge.  My principal took over my classes and Kim drove me to the accident.

Dan was arguing with the EMT when I got there.  He didn't want to go to the hospital.  I informed both of them that since he had recently had his pacemaker, he WAS going to the hospital.  They both shut up.

No visit to the hospital is fun.  Waiting for results was hard.  Ours had a good ending though.  They could not tell if his sternum was cracked or just bruised.  It turned out it was cracked. They put some stitches in his noggin where he had cracked the windshield with it.  I always told him he had a hard head.  Now I had proof.

When it was time to replace the white Malibu we looked for another one just like it.  We found a 2001 Maroon Malibu and bought it.  Now the Maroon Malibu had some stories.




8 comments:

  1. You truly have a way with words!  I can see the movie in my mind.  I'm glad Dan was okay.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh cars, they really do make a special place in our lives. I had a feeling that he was going to be stubborn about getting help after the accident. Men! I'm glad that he was ok and that you were able to find another Malibu that fit your family. My grandparents had a Malibu but it did not have a nice story like yours. I'm eager to hear about the marroon Malibu's stories.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now this is a sweet, nostagic story.  I imagine with all your driving, you needed a reliable car.  And I'm glad your husband was okay!  White Malibu's are the best!  My husband managed radio stations early in his career and got to drive malibus all the time for the advertising value, and for who would go where..

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a great vignette. A story that winds through the ebb and flow of human emotions. I enjoyed reading it very much. When someone writes about real events using words that evoke a sense of connectedness, the reading experience is greatly enhanced. I have to tell you, I loved the use of the word 'noggin' Strong visual images all through this piece.
    Alan

    ReplyDelete
  5. You tell good car stories! Can't wait to hear about the maroon Malibu!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Type your comment here.I like the comparison of the car to the dog.  So glad your husband was okay.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I should have just writtten Jone.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great ending - left me wanting to know the next story. I laughed at this part, "
    I always told him he had a hard head.  Now I had proof."  

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment.