She Was A Good Ole Girl!
When I was introduced to my husband, Tim, for the first time,I learned quickly he had another love and it was a love that could not be replaced. Lucky for me, it wasn’t another woman, instead it was the cargo van he used in his job as a manufacturer’s representative.
The van, which I picked up on quickly, was referred to as “her/she” on occasion. It was apparently legendary among his dealers and sales managers that would join him for a ride along from time to time. As he travelled in the Carolinas and Virginia, it (she) solved all of his traveling, hauling and storage woes for nearly 14 years. There was much discussion about the van and all it meant to him.
He did his best to prepare me for the fact that she was old and tired.
Y’all know exactly what I was thinking, it was going to be the awful white painters van that all abductions and thefts take place in. In my mind, it was going to appear in my driveway to “get” me at any given time!
My first van sighting occurred when Tim was on his way home from a road trip and we decided to meet in downtown Columbia for dinner. As we walked to my car after dinner, he asked if I’d like to see the van. I agreed and when I laid eyes on “her” there was relief. The buildup to this moment had me fearing the worst creeper van you can imagine. It was gray, not white, and in relatively good shape.
No ladders, no free ice cream or I’ve lost my puppy signs or other unsightly paraphernalia was attached to the exterior. With this, all was good as far as I was concerned. One day shortly thereafter, he asked me “Will you ride in my van with me?”. I looked at the van, and then I looked at him and said, “Well, if I don’t someone else will.” I hopped in shotgun so fast it would’ve made your head spin. Momma didn’t raise no fool!
From there, the van moved me and my things four times over the next nine months. My sweet husband prided himself on how much he could get packed in that thing. So, with this, my appreciation for the van grew as well. She was definitely a life saver and a problem solver.
In late June of 2018, after one of Tim’s many road trips in the van he barely made it home because of a slipping transmission. She was nearing 400,000 miles and it was beginning to really show.
When he arrived home, the odometer read 399,996. I immediately hopped in so we could enjoy this monumental moment together. We drove to the end of our street and back, and then around our circular drive way about four times and just like we planned the odometer tripped to 400,000 right in front of our house.
We were giggling like two little girls as we went around and around our driveway and all the while our neighbors were writing us off as if we had completely lost our minds. After this milestone, he got her tattooed. Yes, you read that correctly- tattooed. Every time someone committed to riding in the van, they were also committed to signing the interior with a big fat sharpie pen-that he kept handy for this sole purpose.
Then, in August, our national sales manager for Telescope Casual Furniture, Matt Pisani, and his wife, Greta, retail sales manager and 5th generation Telescope Casual family member came to the Carolinas for a Telescope ride along with Tim. Now you need to know the van was a two- seater and the only way to get air conditioning to the “way back” was by opening the little plastic curtain that separated the front from the cargo area. Anytime we had a third passenger, the van would be outfitted with whatever sample chair or sofa we might have on hand from our annual Telescope “Show on the Go”.
On this particular occasion, Matt drew the short straw and travelled across two states testing out the brand-new Telescope Wexler chair. For safety purposes only I suggested bungie cording him in since there was no seatbelt in the back. He didn’t seem to take too well to that idea!
If you live in, or have ever been to South Carolina in August, you’re going to completely understand what I’m about to say, it was HOT, and bless Matt’s little Boston heart it was going to be a long week for him.
No one knew as they took off out of our driveway it was only going to get worse. Day four into the trip, the air conditioning decided to temporarily go out and did I mention it was HOT? Matt had no window to roll down and could only rely on the two up-fronters (Tim & Greta) to push a little window air his way. As Matt tells it, they stopped for gas during this little air conditioning malfunction, and with his face and hands pressed against the back window he was mouthing “HELP ME” to anyone that would look his way. He was sweating profusely, in need of hydration and trapped with no way out of the fiery furnace!
After another 4,000 miles, the transmission finally decided to go out, and as far as I was concerned that was all she wrote. However, someone I love very much had other thoughts. Y’all, he just couldn’t let her go! With all of the kindness and gentleness I could muster I informed him that not only did the transmission have 400,000 miles on it, but so did all of her other parts (even the ones duct taped on). With this, he relented and we decided a truck would be able handle all of his needs (and mine).
Well, that turned out to be a no go!
Every day for six months after this, I heard that he should just sell the truck, get the van fixed and drive her as long as she would allow it. Soon the truck departed, (all the while the van is sitting in our driveway) and after much debate a SUV was purchased. With this I thought, okay, it’s now time for the van to go but not so fast. He still mourned her. It was still discussed daily.
Every few days he’d go missing and so would the van.
He would sneak off with her for a little outing around our neighborhood at her max speed of 35 mph just to see if she had changed her mind on leaving him this way. After much agony (and apparently in a very weak moment) he declared it was time to let her go. Needless to say, I moved like lightening to get her on the market.
Within a few days we had a buyer! Not only did this prospect/suitor want her, he drove four hours to get her and towed her out of our driveway.
The pain on my sweet husband’s face was real as she was hauled away. I found myself gently holding onto him. I was terrified he was going to run her down and offer the buyer a premium dollar to get her back!
As we turned to walk into our house, with the most downtrodden walk and look on his face, I heard him say with his head hung low, “she was a good ole girl”.
Right then my heart ached for him, he loved her. All I can hope for, is if my time comes before his, when they haul me off, he will say the same about me!
Until next time, if you’re lucky enough to have a good ole girl be sure to take good care of her, because if you do, she will be sure to be your constant and reliable companion for a very long time!