Drive Time

During a recent discussion of first cars, during which I noted my mother had purchased mine for me, a friend said, "My parents would never have bought me a car."

My mother didn’t have a choice. She never learned to drive. My dad fell ill in 1976. This meant I had to learn to drive, which took me a year and three teachers (including one professional instructor, who probably gave up his career as a result). When I finally got my license, we had no automobile, for reasons I frankly can't remember. I don’t recall what happened to my dad’s car. Maybe my mom sold it? (My dad’s illness resulted in his becoming a paraplegic and an amputee – I guess, having lost a leg, he was a uniplegic?)

Anyway, once I had the license in 1977, my mother bought me a 1968 Dodge Monaco, which I named "Auntie Griselda" after an old Monkees tune. And which I totaled in about six months, when the brakes gave out. (I was lucky if I could start Griselda, most days; the irony is, I totaled the car because it wouldn’t stop.) We were then reliant on family, friends and public transportation until 1980, when my mother was able to buy another car, my beloved 1973 Nova.

Of course, the deal wasn’t just “here you go, honey have a blast.” In exchange for her providing the vehicle, I was Hoke to her Miss Daisy, including regular trips to Philadelphia’s version of the Piggly Wiggly (Acme). I also have a developmentally disabled sister, and I had to be available to drive her to her alma mater’s social events and stuff like that.

The Nova was more fun, though, and I relate it much more to my wild, misspent youth than my dutiful trips to the supermarket with Mom. I used to shoe-horn 9 people into the Nova for trips to Philadelphia's South Street. Three in front, four in back, two lap-sitters. Completely illegal. I had to have all of them keep me apprised of oncoming traffic; I couldn’t see a damned thing. We'd go see THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at TLA Cinema every weekend.

So, Mom, thanks. It was never a problem taking you to the market. I never had to beg Dad to let me use the car, like other teenagers, and maybe I should have had that experience. But I didn't, and you can't have everything.