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November 12, 2004
Illness in the Family
It is with great reluctance that I announce that my beloved '89 Saab has reached a critical stage and is currently undergoing an exploratory procedure by trained professionals, the outlook is bleak.
The old girl has been in my life since the fall of 1998 and the memories are many. I remember that crisp, sunny day like it was yesterday, driving down Rt. 20 with the sun roof down and the radio on (and subsequently leaving the interior light on and running down the battery on the very first day). RJ and I inexplicably took her on a road trip to DC after a night of crying in our beer, pulling over somewhere in Delaware to call in sick to work. She took me across country (and was a comfy bed on many nights of that trip) and back after I quit my job and did a bit of a freak out in 2000. She broke down in the rotary in front of the Sagamore Bridge to the Cape a summer later, which I (or the 7 miles of backed up traffic) didn't look kindly upon at the time. The old girl took the new girl and I on many a trips during the dating years, a few to Provincetown, a couple to Burlington and other Vermont points, Portland, Long Island to meet my family, Melrose to meet her's, uh, Hartord - Insurance Capital of The World. The old girl was there when I proposed, she was struggling and showing her age, but she gutted her way all the way to Lake Champlain with the ring and champagne in the trunk. What a trooper.
I was, still am, hoping that she holds together until we finally have a place with a garage and enough space that I can fix her up like she deserves. But I can't really justify another big repair bill, especially since I'll have to put her in storage while we're in Houston. I fear our time together is fleeting as I sit here in my cold, austere office, waiting for my cell to ring with the diagnosis.
Say a prayer.
Posted by stan at November 12, 2004 11:18 AM