The New Ride

My nine-year-old purple Taurus wagon was getting older by the day--and it was leaking everywhere. Every fluid except the wiper fluid was slowly seeping out from where it was supposed to be, or so they told me when I last got the car serviced. It was due for a 30,000 mile maintenance, too, and that would have cost plenty without touching the cost of fixing all those leaks. There comes a time in the life of every car when you have to consider whether fixing it is going to exceed its Blue Book value.

So I have a new ride. I miss the old one, but the new one is making me very, very happy right now. So happy that I just want to get in and drive. Road Trip! I don't care where, and that's not the best thought to have right now when gas prices are so high. The new car is a Dark Shadow Gray Ford 500, and I'm completely in love. I cannot say enough about the quality of this vehicle. Who'd have thought a car could be so classy and yet so affordable? Ford, ya done good! I've named it Phouka. The old purple Taurus was the Dragon Wagon. The dark blue Ford Probe before that was Dreamweaver, and the olive green Dodge Colt (my first car) was Aloe Vera, otherwise known as Vera.

I name my cars. Always have. And I keep them for a long time, too. They become, in effect, part of the family, to be defended, fussed over, and loved. When I had to fill out the form for the personalized license plates, I had to provide an explanation for my three choices. How does one explain Phouka? A magical horse. A creature of fantasy. An Irish legend. And above all, a shadowy steed that lures unsuspecting passersby to it and then gives them a wild, wild ride.