There’s one thing about the male sex I have always marveled
at: their connection with cars. While I know that it’s a broad scale of
extremes (those who find them as handy tools versus those who live, eat and
breathe them), there does seem to be a connection regardless. I have tried my
whole life to figure out how my dad and brothers can glance at a car and tell
me what year it is when the year is not printed anywhere on it. (I know – I
spent considerable time in my childhood trying to find it.)
My husband is even better. He can spot a car a mile away and
tell me the year of it. Not to mention how it compares to the other years of
that vehicle’s genealogy. Or how it compares to cars of it’s class that same
year. I must confess I don’t always listen completely. Anymore than he listens
to the plot of the current book I’m reading.
For Ed, cars are a hobby. He would spend every spare moment
he has at a car lot test driving if he could. And then only thing I have ever
seen him read from cover to cover is his Car
and Driver magazine. So does his daughter.
Yes, Emry will sit on the floor and flip through the Car and Driver. She happily points to
all the pictures, declaring, “Car! Car! Truck! Car!” She does the same thing
when we’re out walking or running. Every car we pass gets pointed at…and since
nearly everyone in Pittsburgh parks on the street, that’s a lot of cars! The
most I can tell her is, “Yep, that’s a blue car. And that’s a red car. And
that’s a white truck…” While I could branch out a little from colors since I do
know what a Toyota insignia looks like versus a Ford one and vehicle makers at
least print the model of the car on the back, I’ll never be Ed. “Look, Emry! A
1978 Pontiac Grand Am.” (I repeat: where is that date printed? Not to mention
that 1978 really means 1977 in most cases. Why do car companies do that? It’s
like saying Emry’s birthdate is really 2014 when she was conceived. It makes no
sense to me.)
Emry also has her father’s expensive taste. At the mall, she
loves to run up to the cars put on display – cars we can’t possibly afford. She
even wants to climb in and sit in them. And her favorite “store” is the Tesla
showcase. While I admit that looking at a Tesla is fascinating, I’m fairly sure
I’ll never be able to afford one in this lifetime. (Not to mention that even if
I could, I can think of a million things to purchase over a car.) So, the other
day at the mall was quite a treat: a Tesla just her size!
Emry picks out her first car.
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