"1981 Mercedes 380 Convertible w/hard soft top. Beautiful car. Only 54k miles."
It was 1981, mid life crisis. He bought her off the showroom floor. The marriage was a bit shaky, he'd get in and go for a cruise when things got rough. Garage kept, mint condition, always kept her squeaky clean. You never know when he might pick someone up and take them for a ride.
Top down, wind blowing through his long hippy hair. Doing 90 down the highway. What a way to clear his mind!
He'd get back, park her back in the garage. It was smooth sailing for a little while. When the Mrs. really got him wound, out she came again. The mileage tells he didn't go very far. Just far enough and long enough to put things into perspective, so he could cool off.
He was 40 then, now 71. The Mrs. has passed. What's an old man to do with a beauty like that, still clean, freshly waxed, parked in the garage. He knows his days are numbered. They never had children. What's the point of keeping it?
So there she is, Uncle Henry's classified.
Whew, I don't encourage fiction, so let's call this 'nonfiction imaginative recreation' and break out the congratulations for those insights and that thumbnail portrait of a midlife crisis.
ReplyDelete