GROWING OLD TOGETHER

I went out to my car, ready to run some errands, when I noticed my Adele CD laying on my console. “No-No-No-No!” I cried as I picked it up and went back into the house. “Who drove my car last?” I asked looking at my son Alex and my husband Steven, both in the kitchen making lunch.

“I did.” Alex said. “I had to run out late last night because we didn't have anything good to eat.”

“We didn't have anything good to eat?” I questioned as I looked at the packages of cold cuts he was making his sandwich with, along with the bag of chips and jar of pickles that were sitting on the counter. “I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought all of that!”

“But you didn't buy donuts!” he said with a laugh as he pointed to the box on the counter.

Steven shrugged his shoulders. “We were both in the mood for a Boston cream.”

I could only shake my head because I had stopped trying to figure out their eating habits years ago.

Instead I held up my CD. “Why did you take this out of the player?”

“Oh,” Alex went back to making his sandwich. “I went to turn the radio on and I must have hit the wrong button because the CD popped out.” He looked over at me. “Why, is it scratched?”

“I won't know that for about a week.” I said with a sigh.

Steven and Alex both had confused looks on their faces.

“Once you take the CD out of the player it refuses to take a new one for at least six or seven car rides later.” I explained trying not to show just how annoyed I was. “It's one of the car's new idiosyncrasies I'm trying to get used to.”

I love my car. I've loved it since the day we drove it new off the lot. As the years have passed it's become temperamental, but that's no reason to give up on it.

“Remember last year when the air conditioning would only blow on high?” I reminded them.

“I thought we got that fixed?” Steven said as he put his sandwich on a plate and went to the table. Alex followed him carrying his lunch.

“Actually, I didn't bother fixing that one.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I kind of like it now, the car cools off a lot quicker.” I sat down with them placing my Adele CD carefully on a place mat. “”I've even gotten used to the driver's side door freezing shut in the winter. I just climb through the passenger side and by the time I get to work it's usually thawed out enough to open.”

“I thought I fixed that one.” Steven said. “Didn't I give you a de-icer spray?”

“You did.” I gave him a quick smile. “But I kept leaving it in the car, so it kind of defeated the purpose.”

Steven didn't say anything he just shook his head and took a bite of his sandwich.

“But the CD player is a whole different story!” I continued. “I've had to choose what I listen to very carefully because that CD will be playing on a loop for the next month before I risk making a change.”

Alex looked over at me, “Why don't you just fix the CD player?”

That made me pause for a moment. “Well, I hadn't really thought about it.” I admitted. I looked over at Steven for some back-up. “Don't you think having a car is like a marriage?”

Steven eyebrows went up. “How so?”

“Well, when it's new you love everything about it but, then as it ages little things can go wrong. You try to fix what you can but everything else is just an idiosyncrasy you learn to live with.”

Alex eyes got big as he looked at me, then at Steven.

Steven thought for a moment then nodded his head. “She's got a point.” He looked over at Alex, “If anyone else told me they listened to the same CD for a month I'd think they were nuts. But when your Mom tells me that, I think, that sounds about right.”

“See!” I looked over at Alex. “That's how you stay married for thirty years!”

“Thirty-one.” Steven corrected.

“Whatever!”