For Twenty-three Years We Enjoyed the Car Leif Chose for Us

 

Twenty-three years ago, Leif showed up at our house and told me he had found THE car for me, that it "even has a place for your laptop." He loved car shopping, even when he wasn't in the market to buy. He just loved cars. He wanted to take me to see this one, as a replacement for our aging Maxima. 

When I first got into it, I'd never been in a car that big. I said I'd never be able to drive it, that it was like driving a bus! So, he good-naturedly took me to every car dealership in town to look at cars. We took several test drives, including one in a Mustang, which he decided we should try (even though it wasn't a realistic choice) because it was fun and he knew his dad and I had a Mustang for several years early in our marriage. 

Well, after all that, I had to admit he was right! He HAD found the car for me, so we went back to the Buick dealer and test drove the car. It took a few days but we did purchase it and it served us well for 23 years, almost to the day. Since it could manage 7 passengers, we had many wonderful times in it with Leif's brother and his family, the grandkids, and many others. We went on trips. We hauled things. We moved a carload of stuff to Florida in it. We moved my mother from her condo to a different apartment and then to assisted living. One grandchild even drove it to work for an internship. 

So, today, when we said goodbye to it, we were both very emotional, not only because of all the memories, but more importantly, because it was a connection to Leif. Although it's "just a car," an object, there is so much emotion connected with it, and seeing it drive away was also most having a piece of him taken from us. We have so little left from him, many photos, of course, and memories, but fewer and fewer things that are connected to him, as time goes on. 

I know Leif would find this attachment kind of silly. He was always looking for the next new thing, the next new car, motorcycle, computer, phone, and more. He would said, "Get a new car, Mom!" But we still feel the attachment, and now all I have are photos of what he chose for us. I hope he would like the replacement. We compared the cars we looked at to what we loved about the Rendezvous, including comfort, visibility, size, and chose something we think we will like very much and that he would approve of. I wish he had been here to help us choose it. His brother was, and did, and we are grateful for that.