When my blue station wagon first came to live in the driveway at Sassafras House , it was 2011 and I was the mother of an 11 year old boy. Within a few weeks of buying Little Blue, I met T. My sister, aware that the last time I had owned a station wagon was 1999, when I got pregnant with JT, announced “you will be driving wagons forever now.”
Truth is a funny thing.
I do love a station wagon and over the years, my blue wagon has provided faithful service. It’s brought home many a grocery bag, been camping, and carried sports equipment and chairs for fans to sports events all over the state. Tucked in the side bin on the driver’s seats were loads of maps from those journeys. These days, I use my phone and Google, but the wrinkled maps remain.
I insisted on a standard transmission when I got Little Blue and it must be said that I love driving a stick shift. These gears (and the clutch!) have carried me more than 100,000 miles. That’s no small achievement in New Jersey, the stop-and-go traffic capital of the mid-Atlantic.
On the first weekend of February, Little Blue’s engine seemed unhappy. A trip to the mechanic confirmed that there was trouble. Big trouble. $2700 would put it back on the road, but I still needed new tires and the clutch has 100,000 miles on it…. Loathe to put that much money toward repairs into the 9 year old wagon, we parted today.
Little Blue has been sent to the great auto beyond but the memories of the first kiss I shared with T, daily drives to school with JT, downshifting around a curve, and driving all over the northeast in her company will happily remain. Thank you, little blue wagon.
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