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The Drive to Drive
PAST
Remember your first car? The one you learned to drive on, or the one your parents let you borrow? Or maybe the one you earned with your own money? For me that was a 1999 Toyota Tacoma. It was forest green and I named her Chela. I drove Chela from Texas—where I bought her—back to my home state of New Mexico, then out to California. She was with me for eleven years with over 100,000 miles. So many fond memories with her. When I see Tacoma’s of that era on the road, I get a little wistful, I admit.
PRESENT
I’m considering buying a new car for work, and so I’ve been test driving. It requires a lot of time and energy enduring the get-to-know-you tactics of the sales reps, followed by the rides with them (didn’t they used to let you go alone?), then the multiple, and often desperate closing techniques. I had been looking at SUV’s for family considerations, and then at the very end, I decided to go look at the new Tacoma’s. I sat in the driver’s seat, and the memory of Chela came rushing back. It felt good to reminisce, but I quickly scanned the cab. Where would the car seats go? The dash was way too close. And the MPG? Don’t get me started.
FUTURE
It’s 9:30 AM, typical June Tuesday morning, overcast and cool. I have a meeting in Los Angeles with my producer to look at my new pilot. They liked the last one. Hulu5 picked it up. I used to dread this commute. To be at an 11:30 am meeting meant having to leave San Diego no later than 7:00. I would drive home drowsy, sometimes have to stop in Orange County to take a nap. But this morning, my ride arrives, quiet and smooth. It’s my reserved InterSkate, a super comfortable pod, built for three—I had invited my sons to come along, but they’re surfing all day. It has Wi-Fi, and the windows are tinted. I’m planning to write all the way up to LA, then nap on the way back. I might take a peek at the human-driver cars in the far three lanes. The traffic in those ones still jam up, just like the old days. The InterSkate lanes move right along, each pod cruising one after the other, soaking up the sun. It’s quite relaxing.
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Photo credit: Robert Couse-Baker.
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