Daddies and Daughters
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 I was 20 years old when I bought my first car. I had only had my license for a few months and I would have happily borrowed one of my parents vehicles forever, had my parents agreed to it.
But my boss kept telling me if I wanted to move up on the corporate ladder I needed to ditch the bus pass and get some wheels and my boyfriend kept telling me he was poor and couldn't afford to drive in from the countryside every night to come and see me.
It was time for me to embrace my independence. My job and my love life depended on it.
The search for car to call my own had begun.
I remember I found more than a few lemons along the way. I also remember being propositioned, belittled and just once, proposed to by a pathetic balding forty-ish man who lived at home with his mother.
That was the last time I looked at the classified ads for used cars.
Then, one afternoon, my dad took me to a used car dealership. We looked at one shiny car after another; I'd stroke the dashboard and remark how pretty it looked, as he'd pop the hood and ask about engine combustion and such. He helped me pick out a vehicle and take it for a test drive and when the car passed his inspection and held up my standards for looking pretty, he held my hand as I signed my very first car loan agreement.
I wasn't just signing my life away to a dealership for eight grand; I was signing the papers of my independence.
He handed me my very first set of car keys and stood silent as he watched me drive away, all tail lights and freedom and he's been watching me drive away ever since.
Daddies and daughters.
Today, Ken gets her very first set of wheels to call her own.
Today, Bruce is holding his daughter's hand as she insures and registers her very first car and once again, life has gone full circle.
Today, Bruce will hand Ken her very first set of car keys and he'll watch her taillights disappear down our lane, as she drives towards the freedom just waiting for her.
And just like my dad, he'll never stop watching for those taillights, even as she keeps driving away.
Daddies and daughters.
Me? I'm just going to sit here and quietly clutch my kleenex and marvel at how quickly it all goes.
And then I'm going to call my dad.
***
It's been a good week. Even if the week included dentists, broken hearing aides and thousand dollar car seats for Knox.
Thank god for boxed macaroni and cheese. Because that's about all I can now afford.
37 and still with the zit paste. I blame this on my children. Their puberty is rubbing off on me.
Knox wasn't the only one with dental woes this week.
Guess who sat up ON HIS OWN and discovered he has a bedroom window with a view?
Happiness in a hospital. It is possible.
Have a great weekend. May there be many squeals of delight for each of you.
16 Comments • posted in General, family, humor
Reader Comments (16)
Ha! My oldest got her very first car less than a year ago...much to my chagrin we are paying for it and guess what? IT'S NICER THAN MINE. She pays for insurance and gas though, so there's that, and I do get a little schadenfreude when I hear her complain about the cost of gas.
Love the video of Knox, keep 'em coming.
No kidding with this... My car story is long, I will shorten for you :) My first INTENDED car to be mine was a car my dad got when I was 15 and a neighbor asked to borrow money. Dad said, "No, I will buy your car though.." A 1965 Ford Galaxy was what he got in exchange to "help" his neighbor. I helped him restore it and loved it and was promised it... Financial woes broke the promise AND my heart. I had my eyes set on a set of wheels I could drive and enjoy, unlike my mom's car which was a secondhand '86 Bronco II. I graduated High School the same year that my (now ex) Stepfather's brother came into some serious family money. He recognized my fabulousness in academia and the fact that everyone else overlooked it; I got my step-Aunt's old car when they bought three brand new ones... I LOVED that car. I feel I earned it and I will always love it as my first car :) Purchased car MYSELF, I still drive it 10 years later... I like it okay, I'm not IN LOVE with it like that first car though ;)
That beautiful girl is not amused. However, that beautiful boy is. Love it.
I still haven't owned my very own car. Just shared ones with my husband. I may never fully grow up.
I started to think about my children getting their driver's licences and buying their own cars and then I started to have a panic attack so I stopped.
Cheers to boxed mac & cheese.
My very first car was a 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera-S that had gone through 3 sisters before I bought it for the easy price of $500. I taught myself to drive and lived out in the country. But the freedom that car gave me as a 24 year old that had previously lived in the big city with public transit and now lived in small town KS? Was awesome.
It turned into the hoopty-mobile after I got smacked by a drunk driver outside Kansas City... the back shocks were shot, so it bounced up and down like a clown car whenever you hit a bump in the road...
My parents bought my first car for me to 'share' with my mother, which meant I was allowed it whenever I could drive them somewhere, and otherwise was not to go near it. I bought that car off them a few years back, and now, on Sunday, I'm trading it in for the first car that I'm going to buy myself. Excited!
My first car was a 1989 Ford Festiva (automatic), and I drove that poor thing until it got to the point where I had to "check the gas" and "fill the oil" instead of the other way around (my gas guage was broken, and I burned through over 2L of oil per gas tank).
My second car was a 1990 Ford Festiva (standard) and I drove it once, and the engine kinda exploded a little bit (it had sat in the driveway for a year because I was afraid to drive standard, and all the seals dried out).
My third car was another 1990 Ford Festiva (standard) and I drove it until my left knee gave out, and I couldn't use the clutch anymore. It's been about 5 years, and I still miss that car. It was my absolute favorite car. I would happily drive it instead of my shiny new 2013 Nissan Versa (which is pretty awesome).
This brings back memories of my dad helping me pick my first car. By "helping me pick my first car" I mean that he and my mom went to used car lots while I was at work, he test drove a car, took it to his mechanic, negotiated a price, and then had my mother leave me a message with how much money to have ready in the morning. It turned out to be a little red Dodge Neon that I loved. He was quite proud of his find.
The picture Knox looking out the window brought tears to my eyes, he's just looking and watching and it's just lovely. Wow.
I shudder to think of my kids getting a car. Hope things go well up there. Oy.
Um, hey, wasn't Fric conceived shortly after you bought that car at age 20? Scary. My girl is 11; I'm not ready.
I love Knox in the window. It's amazing.
I do not have daughters and still I'm tearing up. AWWWWW!
:) I love the audio clip... Sending you loads of virtual wine glasses to get you through these early driving years.... Can't hardly wait for two years for my son to drive. JOY.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a little determination will bring !
Don't feel bad, Tanis. I am 53 (ack!) , a year into menopause (double ack!), and I still have to borrow my 13 year old son's zit paste from time to time.
Such a great picture of Knox in the window. You must have been happy enough to burst.
I am a huge fan of your blog, by the way. Have been reading it for a year or so but this is my first post. Really love your style of writing and your humor.
That little boy is THRIVING in your love and care.....You are awesome!
I have to admit that I have been busy the past year and have not checked on you and the family.....but, I always thought Knox was blind. I'm sorry if I am mistaken, but I was pretty sure.