My new car sits in the driveway.
Well, let me clarify. The car that is new to me, the car that is to replace a vehicle that I loved, sits like a stranger in my driveway.
Oh, I know it’s a “thing.” But, this one is a “lady,” to be sure. She is shiny and pretty; polished and put together the way a debutante would be prior to her party. I liked her from the moment I saw her. She’s no spring chicken, but she’s got a great body and she doesn’t show her age!
Somehow, though, we haven’t yet been able to get beyond the “small talk” and the awkwardness. I don’t even know her name!
All that will change, I’m sure.
Together, we will see to it.
It’s silly, I say to myself as I consider going to the grocery store, meeting a friend for lunch or just taking her on a spin around a few city blocks.
But I delay. It’s as if by embracing this new one I am somehow being disloyal to the “other one.” But, that one gave up on me. He — that’s right, he — simply decided one day to stop running. No argument, no warning, no comforting words at the end. Just. Stopped. Running.
Oh, yes, there was an interim vehicle. I didn’t simply give up driving waiting for a replacement. And I didn’t go on a hunt for the perfect replacement. In fact, I was less than enthusiastic about looking. Anything will do, I told myself. As long as it runs. I told my husband the same thing.
And so we replaced Reggie (yes, he was the one I loved!) with George. A workhorse, designed for hauling gear and heading for the back country, George (or Monty, short for Montgomery) is a gem, but he is also a proper British gentlemen. He seems reliable, but he’s older! Even though I drove him willingly for a couple of months, I wasn’t totally comfortable inviting him on a road trip.
Thus the dilemma. The remaining member of our vehicle family was also up in years. Sheila, a grand old girl, just wasn’t up to taking a trip.
As if by magic, opportunity knocked. My husband and I like to think that Reggie and Sheila met up somewhere in the old vehicle yard and are telling funny stories about the times they shared with us.
And here we are. This pretty, strange lady sits in the driveway, just waiting. In 10 days, she will take us through several states on a journey of close to 2,000 miles.
Maybe, before we take to the road, just maybe, she’ll tell me her name and I can give her a hug!

Originally posted by Adrienne Cohen on  Sept. 22, 2015, on freelancewriter.biz prior to the Road Trip