First Car

What was your first love? I mean, car?

When I was 16, my dad bought me a used 1971 (I think?) orange Camaro with metallic flakes in the paint that glimmered when you caught it in just the right light. I just LOVED that car. I washed it and waxed it every weekend, cleaned the inside. It had an 8 track stereo that sounded great. Automatic transmission. I worked for a short time at a chicken place, Famous Recipe Fried Chicken, to pay for the gas and later at a young women’s clothing store in our mall. I commuted to university all four years in that car. I drove it for over six years, but finally, it was so rusted out that I could see the road through the floor board.

You know, a lot of people have opinions about whether parents should purchase cars for their kids. I can tell you this; I always appreciated my dad doing this. It’s one of my fondest memories of his love for me, his generosity. I never took this act of love for granted. And I was a good kid who didn’t drink and drive or even drive fast. I made straight A’s. I mostly drove this to school, games and work. Dad gave me my first taste of independence while I was still dependent on him. He gave me a gift he certainly never had as a kid or an adult. He just GAVE it to me, extravagantly. He has been gone ten years. To this day, when I remember this gift, I get tears. Thank you, Dad! That was so awesome and kind!

This is not my car but a replica. Can you believe I don’t have one good photo of that beloved car?

This second photo is of my actual Camaro that my husband bought for me when I turned 40. For this one, I had to learn how to drive a stick shift. I can’t believe it, but that was 20 years ago. I also drove this one for a long time–ten years. I gave it up when I became a grandmother at 50. We had to get a vehicle that would–gulp–hold car seats again. So we bought an SUV. And then when more grandkids came, we got an even bigger vehicle. Oh, Circle of Life. Yes, another extravagant gift for me from a man who loved me dearly and enjoyed seeing me be happy. He has never been emotionally attached to a car (of all things) but he was supportive the day we left it at the dealership. He knew it was the end of an era for me. So yeah, twice I’ve been gifted Camaros from two favorite fellas. I’m grateful.

16, 1970s, 1980s, camaro, first car, high school

Gratitude: Day 5

Prompt: “A Friend”

Again with “one?”

OK, I do have one friend who feels like home, who I’ve known since we were 14, since the summer between 8th and 9th grades.

We had both been cheerleaders at different middle schools and had been selected to cheer together on the freshman squad at the high school. Even though the city wasn’t that big, we didn’t know each other. Kids’ social circles are larger now because of social media. Back then, you could talk on the phone, or you had to physically cross invisible town lines and meet face to face to get to know each other.

One day, I got a call from this stranger that went something like this: “Hi! This is Kris (last name). I was thinking that since we’re going to be cheering together this year, we might want to get to know each other a little bit.” We chatted a long time and found out we had lots in common, including church-going, which wasn’t all that common. The more we talked, the more her sweet personality came across, and the safer I began to feel about this new friend. Before long, we were visiting each other’s homes, “laying out” in the sun, getting lunch together. She had a pool that I was blessed to enjoy. When she came to my house, she often fell asleep on my mom’s couch with a frequency that caused it to become a joke. I was so glad she felt comfortable around me and my house, my parents!

We were physical opposites, almost. She was a beautiful brunette with big dark eyes and the whitest teeth. She smiled easily and despite her beauty, she was very down to earth, maybe even a little insecure about the beauty that everyone else saw. We shared secrets, shared feelings about people and events, shared apprehensions about the year ahead, shared feelings about certain boys. We hit it off completely.

I have always loved her with all my heart and been 100% on her side whatever the circumstance. I don’t have a biological sister, but I have her still. I also have a full box of notes she passed to me in high school between classes. They are priceless to me.

I named one of my daughters after her.

We are both 60 years old now. We text frequently, meet every few weeks for lunch that lasts a couple of hours. She was there for me when my mom had dementia. Well, there hasn’t been a time she wasn’t there for me. We’ve never had an argument or falling out. Never. To know her is to know why.

She’s in Florida right now on vacation. I’m so happy she’s getting away with family and enjoying the sun. But I’ll be glad when she returns. We’ll have a bunch to catch up on.

Grateful? I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve whispered, “Thank You for Kris,” “Please bless Kris,” “Please watch over Kris,” over the last 46 years. Her constancy, loyalty, understanding and encouragement have gotten me through very tough times. She’s heard things from me I’ve never shared with anyone else. I said she feels like home. We started out as children together, I’d say, even at 14. I can’t bear the thought of losing her.

I don’t know when/if she will ever read this, but none of this is new to to her. She knows it all. Only now I have it written down, this solid friendship, so that there’s always a record of it–a note or story about a phone call that impacted both of us for life. Yes, I am so grateful for that phone call and the hundreds that followed. For every hour I’ve spent with my best friend, I am inexpressibly beyond grateful. I love you, Kris!

*Sophomore year

70s, best friends, cheerleading, gratitude, high school, nostalgia