Wanda the Honda

I found this article in the CNN Living section. Yes, I was there again. :)

It's this sweet story about a woman and the attachment she had to her car, Wanda the Honda. She bought it 13 years ago and talks about her experiences with it, the road trips she made with it, the first time she got a job and packing it to the brim with her belongings, etc. She eventually gave it to charity and started crying as it was towed away.

It makes me think of my car. It's a Honda too..a little red Honda Civic, but not a hatchback. I bought it in 2000 when I was a high school senior. My first car was a 91 Ford Probe and while it was a blast to drive, I fell out of love with it within a year and told my dad I wanted a new car. So he kept his eye out, we went to various car dealerships and I didn't find anything I liked until my dad called me and said, "I found a car, meet me at the Blue Springs Saturn dealership." So I drove the 45 mins and there she was. Love at first sight. My beautiful red 1995 Honda Civic. Two doors, black interior, sun roof. Yup, she was mine and I was going to drive her home.

So I waited for my dad and stood guard around "my" car. A couple and their young daughter were walking around looking, but I made sure they didn't get near my new baby. My dad shows up, does some negotiations, I test drive her and yes, she's mine!

To this day, eight years later, I still love her. Yes, her paint may be not so red, her interior may smell a little like cats and dogs. It may be a little dirty, and oh yes, the A/C has been broken for over a year. But that's okay. I love her. Despite my family's requests to get a new car. "Find something more reliable." I refuse. She has taken me from my senior year to my first year at college. Those long trips between my dorm parking and my parents driveway. She was there the day I was married and took us to Kansas City to our hotel room. She took me through five years in England. She's seen the English countryside, Stonehenge, and various other attractions. She has been to Dallas and drove me to my new home in Tucson. She helped move me to my new home, my first house in which I live by myself. She has been with me as I was laid off and the various jobs that I've had since I've been here. And yes, she will take me to Phoenix as I finally start my career in the Criminal Justice field.

I see her sitting in my driveway and I smile. The comfort of her, the smell of her. She has been there for eight years and hasn't given up on me. So do I think it's silly about the author getting tears in her eyes as Wanda is being towed away? Heck no.. because as much as I don't want to admit it, that lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I'm writing this are proof that my Honda has a special place in my heart too.