Today the key wouldn't turn in the lock of the car. We were stuck. Luckily this was not a big deal, I got a ride to our other car and came back for Hub and Boy. Hub is with the locksmith at the car right now.
It got me thinking: When Hub first took the job two hours away it was summer. School was out for me. Hub would take the car with him to Suburban Major Research U, and Boy and I would use the stroller, bike trailer, public transpo, or bum a ride. Occasionally Boy and I would spend the 4 hours dropping Daddy off so we could bring the car back home with us.
We eventually got another car, and Hub takes the safe one and I take the fuel efficient one. We in principle could get by on one car, but now its very cold, and I really want to have a car to get the Boy around. If one of them breaks down, its very inconvenient, and needs to be dealt with immediately. I know for most Americans this typical and unquestioned. But we bought a house very close to my work with the idea that we would be freed from the car "slavery". Alas, no.
I can relate to this in my own two body problem way. Most of the time we're in 402town. 402 drives his small, older, fuel-efficient car to work. I could get by without, but I have my car and so I head to the grocery and Starbucks. I couldn't get anywhere on public transport here, but staying home would be generally OK. There are times, however, when it would really suck.
ReplyDeleteThen we go back to G'ville every few weeks and take my newer, bigger car. While there, 402 stays at home and I'm taking the car to work every day. Sometimes I need to be in G'ville 2 weeks in a row, and to spare Bambina the doubled up trips we all go down together, I work a few days, 402 returns to teach his classes and leaves us behind (no car, we stay at home in G'ville all day), and then comes back to G'ville so I can work a few more day and we can all return home to 402town. It's hard being in G'ville without a car, but it's also hard making that trip alone with B and then navigating work/sitters without backup at home. We've gone so far as discussing getting a third car, so we could leave the old one in G'ville, but a new one for 402 and transport back and forth, and then use my middle-aged one for driving around 402town. Sigh.