Saved by the Belle

I am so thankful to have found a beautiful two-year-old vehicle, looks a lot like an upgraded version of what I had which was exactly what I wanted. It has just 47,000 miles on it and gets 39 miles to the gallon. Got it at the Nissan dealership. There was only one like it on the lot--reserved for me and saved me from renting. Ironically, appears the car was a rental in its former life. So, it's been around, like me. It's a brand I never owned but my friend raved about the one she had once upon a time. I think she fell in love with the car before I did, but I am certain that God reserved it just for me. There weren't any others like it on the lot, and ever since yesterday afternoon I was pretty sure I needed to look first at our local Nissan dealership. I had a feeling that was where I was supposed to go and that would be where my new car was waiting for me. And, indeed, it was. The salesman has worked at Capital City Nissan for as long as I've lived in Topeka again--17 years, and we had some mutual church friends from years back. I had spoken to him before a number of times because I used to spend a lot of time over there. He actually recognized my voice on the phone and we figured out who each other was. I don't know if I'll go back for all the services they offer at the dealership, but I have never gotten a bad deal on a purchase there. I talk like I've bought a half a dozen cars there, but really, only two, I believe, but I have loved my Nissans. I swore I would never drive anything but a Nissan, but I got something else today. So that tells me you should not swear you won't do this or that. I'm tempted to call her Black Beauty, but that is, admittedly, very corny and unoriginal, and I'll probably change it. I could also call her "Belle," as in "saved by the 'Belle.'" I never did name my Versa. Also, now Nissan doesn't even make Versas anymore. Instead, they have something called a Nissan Kicks. There was one there but it was not as compact as the Versa. I don't like big cars. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than I like. I only looked at three cars and only really considered one: The one that was waiting there for me. I have never been a car person. I can't tell the difference between today's different car brands. All I can tell is color, size, more or less, and that's about it. I can't tell you how many times I tried to unlock someone else's little black pill-bottle shaped car I thought was mine. And I know I'm not the only person who has done this. I have seen people do it. I am not going to say what the brand or the model of the new car is just because. It's another Japanese brand, I will say that. Not Honda and not Toyota, so if you can figure it out, you are much more acquainted with cars than I am. But I did love my little black Versa Hatchback, and it really had been with me a long time and had served me well. The AI Overview mentions how people become attached to cars like family members, rather than inanimate objects. That is probably what is going on. I miss her in a way. She was with me for a long time and we went through a lot together (sigh). Why do we think of cars as "she?" I figured there was a nautical link and there is. People have called ships "she" for a long time, and apparently the tradition translated to automobiles. The AI overview says the practice dates back to sailors referring to their ships as goddesses or mothers guiding them. I think it's kind of nice, actually. I have a tendency to think of cars as updated horses. I always think about life in the 19th century as being in some ways an ideal time in our history, a time when people got around on horseback or in horse-drawn buggies, wagons, coaches, etc. I know from literature that before automobiles were invented people spoke of "driving" their horse-drawn vehicles, and, yes, they were called "vehicles" even when they were pulled by horses. Things like this are interesting to me, I hope I'm not boring you. Just to summarize, with the help of two friends, a wonderful couple that I love, I was able to get a copy of my title from the old car which I will need for insurance, I was able to get the old license plate from the towing company, and I was able to apply for a credit card at my bank. I had heard it was not permissible to rent a car with a debit card, still unsure whether that's the bank's policy or the rental agency's policy, but either way, it's terrible, especially when they add a $200 deposit. Give me a break. Which is kind of what I meant by "saved me from renting" a car. I have heard it is better, security-wise to use a credit card than a debit card, so I am now in store for a new learning experience, for which I am always kind of interested in doing. I was also able to go to the gym and ride the bike for a while while because, because, because, because, because...I had a CAR. And now I am excited to go to work in the morning in my own car, the last day of a three-day week and before three days off for me while my certified teacher friends deal with parent-teacher conferences. I feel so much better about life today, thanks to the Lord and my wonderful friends who are always there for me--including all of YOU!