Mukilteo Musings

What is it About Automobiles? Part 1

Drama has been created in our lives because of cars. I do not know where it all started. When I was dating Dave and when we were first married, he drove a gold Pontiac Firebird with a tachometer on the hood. In Kansas City, I worked in an inner city all Black elementary school the first year we lived there, and I drove the Firebird everyday. The children loved the car. "Mizz Eaton drives a BAD car!" they would tell me. Eventually, the car became impractical because of expensive repairs and we traded it for a cute new Fiat which was the worst car ever made in the history of the world. We did not have it long, needless to say, before it fell apart. I remember the Fiat dealer in Kansas City had a Bible on his desk and he honestly tried to talk us out of trading in the Firebird for a Fiat. We should have listened to him because Dave counts this as one of the mistakes we made in the early years of our marriage.

I guess Dave has always had a thing for hot cars and it does not have anything to do with mid life. In 1983 and living in Seattle, we drove a Subaru. We did not need more than one car because I took the bus to work in downtown Seattle and Dave also took the bus to UW. But then my father died and I was struck with the molar pregnancy. Suddenly, life seemed more fragile and unpredictable for us as we entered our thirties. Medically, I was not allowed to try to get pregnant again for another year. We both had good jobs and Dave decided he wanted a more exciting vehicle than a Subaru. I mean, everyone else in Seattle drove a Subaru and actually, it still appears to be the car of choice around here even now. He always regretted getting rid of the Firebird and decided to step things up a bit. I do not remember the circumstances but Dave enlisted the help of one of his students and managed to find a 1979 White Porsche 924. If I remember right, he did not ask me my opinion.

We did have fun with the Porsche, I admit! Specifically, I recall "Footloose" blaring from the tape player and Dave handsome in his pink sweater as we sped around the curvy roads bordering the farmer's fields up in Skagit County. We took trips to Vancouver, Canada and other weekend destinations. The back seat was almost non-existent and without seat belts, but we would still cram friends in to go out to dinner in Seattle. I do believe this was the time we moved from hippiedom to yuppiedom. I was not completely comfortable with the transition and would choose to drive our Subaru over the Porsche. However, I looked pretty hot in the Porsche and would get looks when I drove it.

Yep! Dave loved the Porsche but it was not long before we were able to try for a family again. And a baby car seat had no place in the Porsche 924!

Stay tuned!