The "Amazing" Exploding Minivan

A few days ago, Andy’s brother moved into the Morningside dorms. Since Dan is still under his parents’ insurance and Andy is not (because he’s not in school and because he’s married) we switched cars. And my heart is broken, because I loved that sweet orange little Reno. I loved the great gas mileage, the audio cable for plugging your iPod right into the stereo, being able to find it in a parking lot. I loved the feeling I got driving it. I loved the security of knowing that if a smaller person got in the passenger seat, it automatically turned off the airbags. (On good days, weight-wise, I loved sitting down and the airbag turning off because I didn’t weigh enough). I loved that Punk’s carrier fit securely between the back of the front seat and the front of the backseat. And I loved knowing that there were the “tie-in harnesses” for extra security when you put a child seat in the back.

But, as Andy’s dad put it, it would cost “exorbitant amounts of money*” to keep it insured for us to keep. (And I am hurt that we’ve been making payments for it to Andy’s mom whenever we could, while trying to plan and pay for a wedding and life in general {and it’s not the cost that bothers me...} and I can’t imagine that they’ll make Dan pay anything for it)

The plan I originally heard, back in May when this came up, was that we would switch and we would take the Vibe and Andy’s mom would keep the Reno. Which sucked, a lot, but the Vibe gets good mileage and (once we got the stench of defeat out) was overall, a pretty ok car. Then the plan changed.

So we switched to the car Dan had been driving for the summer. To a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country van. I’m 22 and I feel like a soccer mom….Except without the security or the kids. But I guess I’ll never get pulled over for suspicion of drugs or something right? (yeah, cuz that was such a problem for me…)

And the very best thing of all? Andy’s dad, in his supreme talent for making every situation worse, telling Andy (in front of me, of course… like I don’t hate the entire deal in the first place already) to make sure to get it insured because “you know the first time you hit something, it’s gonna explode and all we’ll ever see of you again will be pieces.**”


*Side note: that is the most “Englishy” thing {read: biggest words} I’ve ever heard Andy’s dad say, even though he went to school {for seven years!!} for an English degree {which he never got}
** Well that's just great, cuz then I can be either dead or widowed and vehicle-less! .... and possibly the owner of a dead cat... or the parent to a dead child. Best. Car. Ever.

fmfl.