My Car

When I turned 16, I begged for a bee yellow Dodge Dakota truck; instead I got a Ford F-150 manual that was red. I wasn't any good at driving the manual, and the truck quickly became my dad's primary vehicle.

When I was in 20 and in college, I needed a car to go to school sites for observation hours as part of my major requirements. Up to this point, I had enjoyed college without a car. I had a boyfriend (now husband) with a truck and friends who had cars with them, so I didn't need one. Unfortunately, I couldn't schedule my observations with any friends, so it was necessary to get a car.

I still wanted a yellow vehicle. We looked and came up with the yellow Suzuki Aerio SX. It's a hatchback which was perfect for the trip across the state. Plus I really loved having a yellow vehicle. I even got matching shoes and purse to go with the car.

I loved my little yellow car, and I drove it all the time. It was the best present I ever got (though it was still my parents' car as they were paying for it). I loved it from the moment I laid eyes on it, and it made driving fun. Plus it was a manual which made things interesting, since before I had no luck with driving one of those.

Driving home from band camp this year, I was exhausted. I wasn't paying very close attention, as I was just trying to stay awake. The traffic was thick on I-440, and it was rush hour. It had been raining off and on all day causing the roads to steam. The 18-wheeler in front of me stopped, and I didn't notice. Though I tried to stop, I didn't make it. My poor yellow car was not happy with me.

Luckily, I wasn't hurt. I broke my big toe on my left foot and seriously bruised the big toe on my right, when I slammed on the brake and clutch to try to stop. The car is definitely not as lucky as me.

I pulled over immediately, but the 18-wheeler kept going. I had to wait for him to pull forward before I could get out from under the back end of his trailer. He didn't even notice I hit him. I couldn't tell how badly I damaged the car, so after consulting Wes I decided to drive home. As I said before, the roads were steaming; little did I know that some of the steam was coming from my car! I had busted my radiator.

Wes's parents bought me a new radiator and his dad installed it for us, which was wonderful. We are slowly trying to find parts to replace the bumper and hood; painting can wait if necessary. His dad managed to get the hood to stay latched with the secondary latch, but Wes won't let me drive my beloved yellow car anymore. Instead he drives my car since he only works 5 miles from home and I work 55 miles; I get to drive his truck.

The moral of this whole story is two-fold: pay attention while driving -- always; and make sure you review your insurance policies once a year. We didn't have full coverage on my car; neither one of us realized it. Now we have to eat the cost of trying to fix my car, which is why it is taking so long. So review those policies!