When I was a senior in high school, I started itching for my own vehicle. I was willing to buy a cheap car myself, but my parents insisted on buying me a decent car that they wouldn't worry about me driving around in. I searched online and settled on a Toyota Camry. It had to be green. So we visited a few dealers in search of a used Camry. None of them suited me until we saw one at Charlie's Toyota. It was a green 1998 Camry and exactly what I had envisioned. When we arrived at Charlie's to test drive it, there was a lucky penny heads up on the ground outside the driver's door. (They probably place a lucky penny outside of every vehicle, but the trick worked.) I took it for a test drive. She drove unlike any other car I had driven (granted I hadn't driven many cars). She steered incredibly smoothly and felt grounded to the road. It didn't take me long to decide that was the car I wanted and my folks generously made the purchase. I glued the lucky penny on the dashboard.
In no time Lydia was decorated with all manner of hippy do-hickies. Back in the days of Bush, I was quite avid in demonstrating against the war and I found the perfect bumper stickers to express my sentiments: "Teach Peace" and Ghandi's quote "An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind." A little dream catcher that I made hung from the rearview mirror, the partridge feather blowing in the breeze when the window are down. A silk lily is pinned on the visor. A Smith sticker is displayed in the rear windshield and I slapped a SCUBA sticker on the trunk. Lydia represented all of my proudest skills, accomplishments and beliefs. She became more than just a vehicle. In college, she was a statement.
Lydia boldly escorted me through my high school and college years. She has driven all of my friends around at some point or another. She has been well-used, whether it be transporting as many as six compressed contra dancers to a dance or taking my best friend and I on a road trip to upstate NY. She drove me safely back and forth to college in western Mass countless times. She has lugged around chainsaws, smelly boots, buckets of seafood, and my bike for many years now. Like my old co-worker who called her Subaru Forester her "truck," Lydia is my beater pick-up. And a nice one at that!
My "truck" has been dependable and very safe. My mother calls her a "solid citizen." There is a noticable dent on the front driver's side corner of the fender where she deflected a doe's head. Both the doe and Lydia were practically unphased. I was terrified. My only accident was in the winter when I was looking in the rearview mirror and returned my eyes on the road just in time to see a telephone pole coming at me. I came to a gradual halt in a snow bank, missing the pole by a few feet, by the grace of God. The radiator needed attention. Lydia was fine. Again, I practically pooped my pants and learned my lesson.
That car has served me well. I learned many a lesson about driving in her. She has now racked up close to 180, 000 miles and dons many a dent, rusty spots, and a broken bumper. I recently took her to the mechanic to learn that she needs a few expensive parts replaced. She's at the stage in car life where I'm going to be investing more in her each year. I have decided instead to buy my Grandpa's practically brand new car, since he is no longer able to drive it. Edwin (a 2009 Chevy Cobalt) and I have big plans already. We'll see where he takes me in life!
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