The Car Legends are Built On

Our faded red Jetta has faded from our lives, but its memory deserves to be held alive. Last week we posted Ben's car on Craig's List for approximately five minutes. Then we proceeded to delete our post...unsure if we really wanted to attract less than desirable characters. Well, as God would have it, that five minute post instantly generated responses. And we sold the red rumbler to a young guy last weekend. A few days later we were driving around town and what do you think we saw? If you were going to say a plain horse and carriage on Mulberry Street, then you love Seuss as much as I.

No, we saw our car with a new decal on the back window and packed with passengers. The fact that we saw the Jetta before we heard it was amazing. I use to wash dishes at the kitchen sink and could hear Ben heading home by the distinct rumble and roar of the muffler in which you could drain pasta. Not that I would use that filthy old muffler for a colander, but it had about that many holes.

The buyer knew that the driver door doesn't open from the inside except by a secret thumb gesture. He saw the exposed wiring by the steering wheel where the plastic casing broke years ago. He saw the dent in the door where a jealous boyfriend punched it in a moment of rage (Thank goodness, it wasn't my boyfriend.) He saw the driver's side mirror pieced together from a Walmart makeup mirror. He saw the decorative keying on the side of the car from our days in G-town. He saw the driving lights are missing like an empty eye socket. And he saw that the VW emblem on the front grill was long gone. (Personally, I think the car was embarrassed by its shabby appearance and it shed the emblem to not bring scorn on its maker.) The buyer saw the car's heart was dark and smelled distinctly of 10W-40. (Hopefully the young man will remember the good doctor's prescription of a quart of oil every 2-3 weeks.) He saw all this and he still bought it.

Mind you, Autozone's stock prices will plummet when that car finally heaves its last breath. But the car has been decrepit for ages now and it continues to run. Who knows but it may outlive us all.