Crumbs From the Corner: Adventures in Woolgathering

Friday, August 21, 2009

Return of the Car



"Slow down a moment," squealed the car.
We had not seen it in weeks: it was fresh from a long, mysterious trek across the country, had just been delivered to our doorstep and was in a most frightful panic.
"I feel dizzy. Tell me: where on earth am I now?"
"California," said Spouse, heaving a box from the trunk.
"Wait. That's not right." The car appeared to frown in the intense sunlight. "Didn't I start out there- I mean here? Years ago?"
I remarked, while clutching a vacuum cleaner and a beaver-bitten chunk of a forest in Maine, "welcome home."
"But how?" exclaimed the bewildered car. "Didn't we drive together, the three of us, across deserts and mountains and purple plains, all the way to Texas? Didn't we do that?"
"We did," said Spouse, a trifle wistfully.
"I was ever so hot there. And we stayed a while- and then, just as I was getting used to everything, off we went again- east, wasn't it?"
"East," muttered Spouse, his arms full of cardboard.
"Then- then what happened? I remember lots of snow, whole flurries of it, and being jolted frequently by strangers- and a long, strange while in which nobody at all came to visit me. I had aches more often than not. Then what did we do?"
"Then," replied Spouse, "why- then we came home."
"Home," said the car softly, winking and sighing as it settled a bit, finding its feet on familiar land. "Ah, yes, I remember Home."

5 comments:

Beth said...

so glad that you are home and settling and writing your beautiful posts again.

Pappy said...

Me too. The "Cash for Clunkers" program ends Monday. $4500.00 and a new five years of car payments. Think about it. Hope you have a great time back in CA. Pappy

Pauline said...

home - there is no better word

Courtney said...

welcome home! So glad you, spouse and the car have returned safely and only a little the worse for wear...

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

Beth, and I've enjoyed your recent travel accounts thus far- travel this way some day :)

Texican, our car is a California car at heart, and it knows it. We will enjoy living here.

Pauline, no, not a one!

Courtney, we were a little worried for the car, because we'd not shipped it before, but it turned out all right, as did we :)

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