In high school, I dated a guy who went to Overland High School, I always thought of that exit. JEEP was a big deal, for the community for the world. My grandfather drove the generals around in Jeeps during the War. That exit always struck me as a little piece of history.
You'd turn left onto Berdan, go under the I-75 overpass and head down the tree lined Willys Parkway until you hit Marcos Pizza and the Library off of Sylvania. We visited both quite a bunch during my childhood in Ohio. We even stopped for a potty break in 2012 when I took the kids on a tour of where the grandparents grew up.
As my brother Bob and I got older, we knew neither one of us would be able to afford a car. The summer yard/kool-ade sales were just not cutting it. We decided that although we could not agree on anything, ever, we would but our first car together. He could pick the car, but I got to pick the color. He decided it would be a JEEP. I picked blue. That partnership dissolved as the giant tumor in his head took over.
My parents got him a beater to drive around with what funds they could scrape together despite hospital bills, lost wages from caring for a sick kid and well, life. I refused to drive with him. He had a flipping brain tumor. I don't even know what happened to it- the car not the tumor, I know what happened to the tumor. I was a teen and really pretty involved in attempts at normal. Even I knew tumors weren't normal.
When my turn to drive came. I learned on dad's van. Mom's Accord was stick shift and I just couldn't master it. I would drive my dad to the airport on travel weeks in exchange for use of the van. I was responsible for gas. Eventually dad upgraded me to my own 198o something accord. It was oldish, it had quirks, but ran and was generally reliable. And it was mine. I almost crashed it once- a story Phil loves to tell- in a time where I was 17, invincible and just trying to cope with death around me.
When dad died, I got college tuition and a 1992 Saturn. I got to pick the color. It was blue. That little car ran back and forth between Boulder and C.Springs more times than I can count- in every variation of weather. I was a bit of a speed demon, sat through driving school to remove points for insurance purposes and paid hefty sums in speeding tickets. When Kiera came home with her first speeding ticket last month- I shrugged- pay it or go to court- your choice. She just wanted to pay it- worked some extra hours at work and based on my ride with her last night- the price was not quite high enough. I issued understanding and warnings. The choices are hers. May the odds be in her favor.
She has a plan. She went and took the driver's test the first day she could, she took driver's ed, she got her probationary license and then her full license when she turned 17. Phillip got his license just so he would have one before her. He was interested in driving for freedom, he was not interested in the family car olympics.
College started for Phillip last year, we thought he should stay near. We are in a time of Just Exploring Every Possibility, while managing health that is relatively quite(ish). Phil and I reminisce how we could not wait to get out and drive- rides with parents, were a last resort. I would give Phillip rides every so often. He didn't seem bothered. Kiera got car usage because she transported the littles to school and activities. He tried the bus. It was a fairly epic failure. He worked out a carpool with friends, schedules change. He tried the college shuttle(they have one of those!) but it's reliability was not great. Especially when you call 15 minutes before you need it. He tried biking it. Great for physical workout, but bike maintenance became a limiting factor. Yes we took this opportunity to talk about the expense of maintaining vehicles as he started looking for a car. Kiera gave up looking for a car when she realized she wanted a ticket off this island for college- a car would be an added hassle. The deal is - you buy it, you register it, and take care of everything. Just Explore Every Possibility.
One night, he asks if he can buy a car. Not either of the 2 he's been exploring. I said standard requirements are still in place.
Boy child:Can I write a check?
Sure, DO you HAVE checks?
No.
Well that's kinda a problem. You will need to figure out the best way to transfer the money. Do not forget about registration and insurance and gas.
Yeah yeah mom I got it. Can I use the car to go get it tomorrow?
Would you like me to go with you?
No, I got it. How will you get 2 cars home? Ryan's going with me.
Allright. Good luck. Make sure you check everything and everything works. May the force be with you.
Somewhere around noon, he knocks on the door with the biggest grin. The girls and I pile in his brand new 2009 JEEP Laredo. The interior is filthy but in good condition, everything seems to be in decent order except the air conditioning. He says he likes to ride with the windows down. I take the crew to Starbucks drive through to celebrate. I have no idea how this will play out but I'm very proud of this step. I also like that Laredo is the name of the middle school where Phil and I met. The road may be bumpy, but sometimes you just gotta jump in and explore. Anything's Possible.
So Bella and I are at Ross, Looking for new curtains fo her side of the room, and this. this calls to me. A sign. A sale. whatever. A possibility. We are never further from home than we think we are.
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