I so wish I had a picture of Big Delores. Unfortunately, she is gone with Anthony this weekend for the Ragnar race. I miss her! Him too. But right now I’ll focus on her. :)
About three months ago, my parents asked if we could swap cars. They would give us their old white van in exchange for our little silver Impala. This was a no-brainer for us. We were absolutely on board! With all the running around that I do getting kids to and from various activities, we needed something that wasn’t quite as thirsty as Big Delores. She’s kind of a hog… gas hog, that is. Anthony always took the Impala to work because there was no way I was going to fit our army of a family in that thing. So, he ended up getting GREAT gas mileage in that thing and rarely had to fill up because work is only a mere three miles away. Meanwhile, I was running poor Delores ragged booking it from here to there and back again.
Anyway, long story short, we took them up on the offer. Insurance went up $50 a month, but gas has gone way down. I still don’t understand the insurance thing. We got rid of a sports car and added a minivan for crying out loud! Whatever.
We decided to name the van Timmy. He’s a very timid little thing in comparison to Big D. Hence the name… He’s great for running around but the kids and I still get excited when we get to hop in our beloved Big Delores. She’s the only way we can fit everyone in when Anthony is with us.
At the beginning of our writing course this semester, we had to write a love letter. The love letter was not to be written to someONE but rather to someTHING that we love. I chose Big Delores. I was just beginning to realize how much I was missing her after having driven Timmy for a couple of weeks. So, here it is…
Dear Big Delores (Suburban), It seems like only yesterday that I brought you home. The search for just the right vehicle to fit a family of seven, going on eight, seemed never ending. Then we saw you. Your beautiful black paint was a welcome sight after having driven old Wanda B. Red for a while before finding out that we would be adding another member to our ‘gang’.
You never got to meet Wanda. She was a Durango. A sweet gal, but she didn’t go well with our University of Utah gear being that she was a brilliant version of BYU’s blue. She sure wanted to be red though, which is why she got the name Wanda B. Red. When I spotted you, I just knew that you were the one to replace her. Sure, you had a slight drawback. You had two bucket seats in the middle row where we needed a bench to fit the new baby. Luckily, a tan bench, to match the rest of your interior, was located shortly after the baby was born.
When I’m behind your wheel I can’t help but feel a sense of safety. Come to think of it, I feel safe even in the passenger seat. Some of the vehicles humming along next to us on the freeway seem so vulnerable, like tiny bugs about to get squished. You, my love, are not them, and I love you for it. I feel like an army sergeant on the road, barking orders at all the little worker ants. “Get out of my way! Here comes Big Delores!” Of course there are much larger vehicles out there, and in no way am I implying that you are fat. I like to refer to you as “medium husky”.
Big Delores, you just make me happy. I love that you allowed me to name you after the girl in the movie Hope Floats. You’ve got a great sense of humor about me telling people that you have your own gang. You have to admit, not only are you large enough to have your own gang, you literally carry my gang around everywhere. Don’t worry; I’ve got your back!
You’re getting up there in years and miles now which makes me sad. The slight, repetitive rev of your engine when we are at a standstill leads me to believe that you might be giving out on me soon. Please know that you mean more to me than I can possibly explain in words (or afford to replace in dollars). I will love you forever. No vehicle will ever be able to replace you in my heart.
Love,
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