Some time ago, I purchased a car, but most people don’t realize that because my new car is very much like my old one, only 8 years newer. It’s the same silver gray as the other one, but the interior is grey instead of black. The old one had more bells and whistles than this one; it had belonged to a senator before we bought it used. I realize that the correct wording now is pre-owned, but that’s just too much euphemism for me. I bought it used.
This Mercury Grand Marquis was undoubtedly the best car I’ve ever owned so far. It excelled in comfort and handling, and even the gas mileage was good for a big car. I drove it for about 10 years until the mileage reached well over 300,000 miles. I would have offered it to the Mercury Corporation to display as the perfect model, but unfortunately no one manufactures the Grand Marquis anymore. Anyway, our children were starting to worry about their elderly parents traveling long distances in a car with that many miles. My pointing out to them that their moving so far away caused our need to travel long distances didn’t impress them much, so we finally bought another Grand Marquis. We searched the internet, found one as close to the old one as we could, and snapped it up. A little old lady owned it and drove it only to church on Sunday and to the grocery store once a week. Well, maybe I exaggerate just a bit, but you see my point. The mileage is significantly lower than 300,000 miles.
I know this 2001 vehicle was a glorified machine, but if felt like a part of the family. I really hated to sell it. I felt betrayal deep in my heart as if I were selling one of my pets. Nonetheless the dastardly deed is done and I have to learn to deal with the new bells and whistles of the newer car.
Last Friday, my sister and I ventured over to Statesboro to Books-a-Million and Hobby Lobby. After a leisurely lunch at Cracker Barrel, we explored Statesboro a bit. I wanted to find a couple of fabric stores, and I did---eventually, that is. You remember that I have no sense of direction and trying to find any place without my GPS is just an exercise in futility.
Sarah Nell kept asking, “Isn’t this the same road we were on earlier?”
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