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May 30, 2006
Wheel Love
Yes, I did experience love in one form or another before that day.
Many times.
But it was different kind of love.
I mean, I loved the little girl who chased me at nursery school. (Especially when she caught me and kissed me.)
I loved Kathy Campbell in grade one.
Rolleen in grade two.
Carin in grade three. (Actually I still love Carin.)
Geraldine in Grade four.
It goes on.
I loved my Afrikaans teacher Ms. Lombard in grade eight. I really loved her. I loved her to distraction. Until I failed a few tests and she told me I was a moron. Then I hated her. I really hated her. I hated her to distraction.
All of those loves were just the warm up for my first real love affair.
It all started at the basement window.
A group of us boys were playing cards in Mark's basement. We were all about fourteen or fifteen years old.
Glen was bored with the game and pulled himself up to the tiny window near the ceiling of the basement. The window was pretty high and he had jumped up to the window ledge and pulled himself up until his chin was resting on his knuckles so he could see out of the window.
"Oh my God," yelled Glen, dropping to the ground
"What?" we all yelled in unison.
"Up there," he pointed toward the window. "You've guys have got to take a look. She is gorgeous."
We all scrambled from the table knocking the cards to the floor as we jockeyed for position.
I managed to get under the window first and jumped up to grab the sill. I was too short and had to jump a few times before I could get a hold of the edge and pull myself up.
What I saw changed my life instantly.
She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Her shape was heavenly.
Her lines were smooth and silky.
Her body moved me.
She was a Lotus Élan. The most beautiful car I had ever seen.
My mind started clouding up and everything suddenly seemed to move in very slow motion. The voices of the other boys echoed around the room and sounded like voices from a dream
The car was gleaming in the sunlight.
I hung on to the ledge until my knuckles turned white and I couldn't hold on any longer.
I dropped back to the floor and swung my arms around like a windmill until the circulation returned, and jumped up again.
I did that five or six times.
Then we realized that it would be a lot easier and more fun to stop the voyeurism and go outside and see the car.
And so we did.
She was even better in person.
I had never experience love like this. It was blind, irrational, irresponsible, spontaneous, un-complicated love. And it was good.
For years women have tried to understand how men can love cars with such passion. I don't know the answer, but I'm still in love with the original Lotus Élan.
And I always will be.
Posted by trevor at May 30, 2006 07:58 PM
Comments
Is this it? 1965?
http://96trees.com/lotus/lotuselan.html
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Trevor replies: Yes, it is the 1965 S2. Wow, she's aged well.
Posted by: rachel at May 30, 2006 09:31 PM
women can love cars too .... i feel in love with a mustang when we drove route 66 last year !! we came home and brought one .... i just LURVE it !!!
Posted by: ~Kathryn at May 30, 2006 09:35 PM
And all this time I thought men had a love affair with the truck!
Ah, but what do I know...I am just an old gypsy woman
Posted by: madame babushka at May 30, 2006 11:20 PM
I saw a Lotus Elan just the other day. It was royal blue and, as it was with you and your buddies, a bunch of teenage boys was drooling over her. She was a beauty. I was waiting for you to say she was red.
Posted by: ardi at May 31, 2006 08:54 AM
HI! I am the owner of the Elan shown in the web page above. Yes it is still a beutiful car that makes modern vehicles seem rather fat. Wish I could say the same about my old girlfriends.
Posted by: Fred at June 6, 2006 07:28 PM