The engine sputtered as if agreeing with the gas gage, warning me I might not make it the final two blocks to the station. With my foot easy on the accelerator I made the first block, then came to a nervous halt at a stop sign and waited for traffic to pass. That’s when I saw it.
Directly across the busy six lane, parked crosswise at the stunted beginnings of an entry drive that lead to nothing but an endless field of tall Texas sunflowers, was parked a truly extraordinary car. From bumper to bumper the small station wagon had been painted in alternating warm and cool pastels, giving the effect of dozens of jumbled impressionistic paintings viewed through a gently blurring mist. Strewn here and there among them, a hint brighter and a little clearer, tiny accents of pastel flowers popped forth from the mist. For an instant I wondered if it was a fanciful illusion, a mirage conjured by the triple-digit heat. But no, it was real. Out in the field beyond this wondrous car a honey-haired head bobbed, gathering sunflowers.
My hand shot to my purse seeking my cell phone camera. At the same moment my car sputtered and shook, threatening me with a hot walk for a gas can, while a sudden opening in traffic invited me to make the turn and reach the gas station in time. Sense battled sensibility. The picture would be well worth the walk. On the other hand, running out of gas on that busy six-lane would be dangerous for me and every other driver on the road. There was no shoulder, no safe place to pull over if my car died.
I made the turn. I made the gas station in time. I made a mistake.
The station wagon was gone when I returned.
For weeks I created excuses to be in that area in the hope of spotting the car again. I trawled nearby neighborhoods in search of it. I annoyed my children (bad mommy!) by asking people I met at backyard barbeques and birthday parties if they knew who it belonged to. I never found it.
The car had probably been passing through town on that six-lane never to return. I comfort myself with the truth that even if I found it now, I could never re-create that moment when it sat ice-cool in the blistering Texas heat framed by a field of sunflowers.
But an odd thing came out of this experience. When I first described the car to my family I did so like this: “Imagine (insert name of a person my child had once dated) turned into a car. That would be the soul of this car.” This notion stuck with me. As I moved through my day, I began to notice cars here and there that embodied the personalities of people my children had dated. And this time I took the picture.
These are not extraordinary photos. They are not art. They compare to the photo I missed that day like preschooler doodles compare to Monet. But here they are, my current gallery of cars that remind me of people my children have dated:
- MODERN FLOWER CHILD – Drifting through life with tranquil ease. Sadly, this photo was lost for lack of a full tank of gas – which in a way is apropos for this contemporary hippie.
LIVIN' LIVELY DRAMA TIME
- NARROW MINDED NARCISSIST -note: some fab folks drive this style car, but my child’s experience with this particular one was not lovely
- LOOKING FOR A WIFE TO SHARE A SIMPLE LIFE
- SLEEK AND SOPHISTICATED – Wowza, Wowza, Wowza!
- A LITTLE BIT WILD BUT WITH A GOOD HEART
- HARDWORKING IDEALIST
- CLINGY WITH A SIDE OF STALKER
- SAFE, SANE, AND SENSIBLE
Most of the cars my kids’ dates drove weren’t shiny, new, expensive, or unusual cars like the ones in the pictures above. But I chose theses cars to reflect the spirits and personalities of these young daters. Which is why all the cars pictured are beautiful in their own way. Just as, to me, the people my children have dated are each beautiful in their own way (yes, even Narrow Minded Narcissist and Clingy with a Side of Stalker).
Are there cars that remind you of significant people in your children’s lives? Please share by clicking on the number near the title of this post.
*sunflowers image purchased from FreeDigitalPhotos.com – all other images used in this article are copyright 2011 by Regina Richards
Lol, Regina. I’d say a good number of the people in my children’s lives fall under the Livin’ Lively Drama Time category! My fav was the Clingy with a Side of Stalker – though the person it represents probably wouldn’t be!
When my kid got the “let’s just be friends” speech from Livin’ Lively Drama Time it was both sad and a relief. Livin’ Lively and my child really have remained friends though. Which I think is unusual. The LJBF speech is often really a “let’s exit each others lives” speech.
Too funny. Stalker car is scary fun. Personally I prefer wild with a good heart.
LOL! Great post! I’m wondering what car would match my son’s worst girlfriend…let’s see, she was drop dead beautiful, book smart with no common sense, and had this cartoon voice that, seven years later, I still can’t force out of my head (like nails on a chalkboard). Let’s see, what would that equate to…maybe a pimped out vintage Corvette with a clown horn attachment?
Hi Clover,
Thanks for coming by!
Wild with a Good Heart is one of my favorites, too.
WWAGH is in a solid relationship now with a person who is not one of my children *sigh* but still hangs out regularly with the gang at my house.
p.s. Clover,
I see you have a terrific list of Twitter resources on your blog this week. Expect to see me over there a lot this week, ’cause I gotta learn to Tweet.
Oh, Barb. Clown horn attachment? LOL!
Glad your son let that pimped out ride drive on past.
Hi Regina!
What’s wrong with this statement?
sunflowers image purchased from FreeDigitalPhotos.com
Struck me as funny….and frustrating.
Great post! I am safe, sane and sensible (at least behind the wheel of an automobile!)
Hi Wendy,
The free stuff is so tiny you can’t see it. You pay $3 for a visible one. But at least you aren’t just renting the image for a set time as you do on some sites and then a year later you pay up again or it disappears. In this case for $3 it is yours forevermore.
Glad you’re safe, sane and sensible. The SSS who dated my child for a while was a good egg despite the fact they caused some real heartache when they decided to move on.
Hi, Regina!
I’ve never thought of people or cars this way, but I think it’s very unique. I reminded me of the movie Christine,where the car took on a personality of its own. (Of course, based on a book by Stephen King.)
BTW, I’ve been in the situation more than once where my car/truck was low on gas. With kids in tow.
Abbi
Hi Abbi,
Having kids in tow really makes it a much scarier situation. Especially if it’s summer in Texas. Hope you didn’t have to take a hike with the little crew.
HI REgina! Love the originality of this post and the photos were great. Since my kids are still young, I would say my first car had the most impact on my life. A two toned Plymouth Horizon that took me everywhere for cheap, no air conditioning, friends piled high in the backseat, and the road swerving endlessly to a mass of possibilities. I still sigh with pleasure when I occasionally spot one, but they are pretty rare now. I hope my children get the opportunity to experience a car like that and don’t get spoiled by wanting something “cool and fancy” right off the bat!
Hi Jen,
My first car was an old Toyota Corolla. Very NOT cool. But since my buddies didn’t have cars at all it still made me popular.
Regina, great post. You know how I like cars! I do think that you can tell alot about a person by the car he/she drives. Also cars can show some personality/attitudes that you see in people. I’ve got a couple of people I could match to cars now that I think of it. Is this going to be like having a song stuck in your head? Am I going to be mentally car-ing people I meet all weekend?
Thanks for coming by Steve. Yes, I do know how much you lioke cars!
I’ve noticed how sometimes people seem to fit the car that they drive, but I’ve never thought about cars representing people like this. I really liked this post. It brings back some memories of past dates and girlfriends, and how they would fit in here.
Choice of car can definitely say a lot about someone’s personality. Coincidentally, a lot of your descriptions reminded me of past boyfriends.
Thanks for stopping by Keith and Molly.
Pegging my kids dates as cars seemed easy, but when I tried to start thinking of my own dates (a million years ago – pre-marriage) I had a much harder time. Was it just that those people are so far in the past or is there something else at work there? Who knows?
My first car was also an old Toyota Corolla…not sure if it was reflective of my personality but it said to my friends “look at me, I gotta car…. Let’s go”. lol
Now you really have me thinking about the cars that my friends and family drive. Very interesting!
Hi Optimistic Mom,
Corolla summers. I remember them well. Cruising the sonic with too many girls stuffed in that little car all trying to look pretty with our elbows in each others’ eyes. We always believed we’d meet a carload of Mr. Perfects cruising by or sipping sodas at the Sonic. We never did. But hope sprang eternal.
I just love this post. I’m sorry you missed a picture of that car, but to envision the people your children have dated as cars is just amazing.
I wonder how someone would describe me as a car, you know?
Hi Roxanne,
I shudder to think what sort of car I might remind my family of. I think I won’t ask, ignorance being bliss I’m guessing.
I had never thought that a car could be used to represent someone before. Now that you have done that it makes sense. There are many people I know that could be represented by different cars.
Thanks for stopping by Charlie.
And congratulations on your new command! Gig ‘Em!
My first car was an old Toyota Corolla too. An old blue 1977 model that we lovingly referred to as “Bubbles” (because of all the rust bubbles it had!) Tragically the rust eventually claimed one of the back doors which was replaced with a mustard colored door. Charming!
I was telling my 9 year-old daughter that story last week and she was appalled that I kept driving it around with one mustard colored door. It got me from A to B.
Welcome Cecilia! Thanks for stopping by.
One mustard clored door. I love it. If you lived in a small town like I did that door would have meant anything little you did in that car (like waving at boys or playing music too loud) got back to your parents faster than you could make it home.