Cars, Trucks & Automotive

I am not really a car buff. I tend to look at cars as an equipment to get me from point to A to point B safely and comfortably. I don’t mean I wouldn’t be interested in a Mercedes or a Ferrari, but aside from the fact that I can’t afford them, there are no roads where I live where I can push the pedal to the metal. (The real reason is I can’t afford them!) And so I drive a Toyota Corolla.

For a few a months after I acquired my silver gray 16-valve Corolla, I didn’t modify anything on it, leaving it looking almost exactly like all the other thousands of Corollas of the same color running the streets of my city. That changed in one evening in a multi-story parking lot in a mall.

After shopping, watching a movie, browsing through books in a bookstore, and dinner with a few beers, I was ready to go home. I ambled to my car with the new pair of jeans and a couple of books I purchased, but when I inserted the key, it wouldn’t go in. I tried reversing it although I knew that both sides have the same grooves. I did realize it must be the wrong car but by then a young lady was staring at me. Blood rushed to my face. I apologized profusely, telling her we have the same make, model, and color. She just smiled as I walked off.

Five cars away was another silver gray Toyota Corolla. This time, I took a close look at the license plates before attempting to open the door. When I drove off, the young lady was also preparing to go. I waved at her and pointed to my car. I don’t know if she smiled back, but she did honk.

A week later, I was at an automotive accessories shop. After looking around, I traded in the car’s standard issue wheels for a new set. Now I can tell my car apart from the thousands of its siblings even at a distance. Now I won’t be attempting to open other people’s cars. Now my Toyota Corolla is one in a million.