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Sep. 22, 2006
Straying from family car evokes feelings of guilt
There are many reasons for temporarily renting a car. You might need extra space for a road trip, you might fly out of town and need transportation at your destination, or your car could be temporarily incapacitated. Once you give the rental company information, sign off on the condition of the car and decide on insurance, there's a period of adjustment. The first thing I have to do is adjust the seat and mirrors. The previous driver of every car I have ever rented is, on average, 9 feet tall. I feel like a child sitting on my dad's lap pretending to drive, with my feet nowhere near the pedals and the mirrors reflecting the sky, a few tree tops and the rack on the roof of the vehicle. With seating and mirrors properly readjusted, I make sure I know how to turn lights and wipers on and off. The sales associate standing to the side as I get ready to pull off must think I just received my driver's license when he sees me test the wipers. I'm sure he's hoping I really meant to do that, especially since I didn't purchase the extra insurance. Once I am comfortable behind the wheel, the radio is the next big obstacle. The previous driver of every car I've ever rented likes talk radio. It takes a few minutes for me to scan and settle on a music station. Some car renters never turn on the radio. But like most in my generation, I'm not sure I could actually drive and navigate through heavy traffic without singing along to the best of the '80s, '90s and today. In a rental car, I am the safest, most defensive and offensive driver alive. Mostly because, like I alluded to earlier, I refuse the insurance. Yes, I realize I would only be out the 20 or so bucks it would cost to purchase the additional insurance should I wreck, but when I rent a car for 29 bucks a day, I really only want to pay 29 bucks a day. I also do not particularly want an upgrade for only a few dollars more. Automatic windows and locks would be nice. A CD player would be convenient. The extra space would be luxurious. But, like I said, I really only want to pay 29 bucks a day. When the paperwork is complete and the adjustments are made, it is time to head out, albeit cautiously if no insurance was purchased, in the exciting rental vehicle. Renting gives the driver a chance to drive a car she would not normally drive. Not only do I like the compacts for their economical price, but I like them because I spend almost every day at home driving a bigger, less efficient family vehicle. When I rent cars, it is usually for business purposes, so my big family is not around. There are no book bags or instruments. There are no baseball bats or footballs pads. My briefcase, suitcase and I do just fine in a zippy little compact car. I almost enjoy buzzing around in a little car too much. After awhile, I actually start to feel guilty, as if I am being disloyal to my minivan. But then, I rationalize that it is not as if I am going to head home and sell my car so I can buy a sportier, non-gas-guzzling automobile. The rental is a short term thing. I convince myself that the rental is necessary for business -- it's not like I could have checked Ol' Magster ... 'er, I mean my minivan, with my suitcase before boarding the plane. But what if Ol' Magster smells the rental car on me when I return to the daily parking deck? Will she get jealous? (Yes, my minivan is a "she" since everyone else in our household other than me and the dog is of the male persuasion.) Will she forgive me? As I approach my car wracked with guilt after a couple of days riding around in a rental, a comfortable feeling washes over me. I can hardly wait to open the door and catch a whiff of stale fries and melted crayon. The inhumanly tall talk-radio buff can have the compact rental back. It was a nice change of scenery, but I know, as I head out of the lot and toward home, my loyalties will always remain with Ol' Magster. She is, after all, the car that has so many times safely transported my boys, Hubby, our beloved pets, school supplies and sports equipment, many a carryout pizza, tons of dry cleaning, thousands of dollars worth of groceries and, of course, me. Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@earthlink.net. |
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