re: Vega owners (oops, long)

[Tessie McMillan <tessmc@domain.elided>]

I guess I missed what the original post was about, but I've been following 
the 12-step thread with enthusiasm:

My name is Tess.

I learned to drive a stick shift in a Chevy Vega.

Could that be my problem?

In all seriousness, when I was just at the age of getting my driver's 
license, one of my mom's friends at the time was independently wealthy 
due to an inheritance. (Why a woman like that would own an old beat-up 
Vega, I don't know.) She had all kinds of artwork and statues, fancy 
European furniture, deep shag rugs you could lose small children in, a 
condo on the water that you took a fancy elevator up to, and she drove a 
beat-up red Vega with a tan interior. We, on the other hand, were on the 
"frugal" side (to put it euphamistically), and she knew I wanted to have 
my own car in the worst way. So whenever she went out of town, she'd leave 
the Vega at our house, with the instructions to "let Tessie drive it so 
she can learn how to drive a stick shift." I used to take it out at 
midnight and practice parallel parking up on Queen Anne Hill (among other 
things). These days, with the suspected Green River Killer behind bars I 
can't believe I did this stuff without proper escort, but I also used to 
cruise up and down Pacific Hwy So. and stare with mingled mirth and 
disbelief at all the prostitutes. 

I don't recall ever changing the Vega's oil... (maybe another one of my 
problems?) That car stood up pretty well to my mangled gear-changing and 
park-by-braille.... My mom's friend owned it for many many years and kept 
leaving it for me to drive.... 

an older -- but most won't say wiser -- Tess
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