Teenage Dreams

My husband Dave bought a geo prizm to use as a work car. I used to have a geo prizm which my dad bought for me when I got my license. It was a horrible idea to give me a car.At first they weren't going to give me a car even though they said they would. I'm embarrassed to say this but I cried for like days until I could get my way. It was pretty lame of me but I guess that's what you get when you tell a teenager that "I'll buy you a car if you get your license". I'm pretty sure they thought I would never get it since it took three times for me to pass the test. Even then the man that approved my test turned to me and said "you definitely need some more practice but here you go. Make sure you practice for a month before you drive alone." Of course I didn't listen, what me? I'm much to stubborn so in that first month I got into three accidents. One after going to Dairy Queen with my best friend Brittney and we hit a car so hard that we spun around in circles and all I can remember is blizzards on every inch of the car and us, sadly none left in our cups. Thus, teaching me the lesson you really should be careful what you ask for while also being careful what you say/promise.

I had my geo prizm forever. It was blue and my dad had the same exact one that he used for his work car also. One day while driving home stopped at a light I looked across the street to see my dad also waiting for the green in his light blue geo prizm. As the light turned we laughed and waved as our twin vehicles flew past. I loved that car. I got into so much trouble in that car which I think made it even better. One day when my friends and I were backing out of our parking spot in the high school lot I hit the most popular girl in school, who to my even bigger nightmare was with all of her amazing beautiful popular girl friends.
"OMG YOU HIT HEATHER" one of my guy friends yelled from the back, absolutely mortified slouching down in the seat because it was his next door neighbor and his total crush. It didn't help that heather had an amazing car, one that her parents who were former successful dancers could afford (oh yea heather was also a ballerina). Here we sat, three trashy angsty white kids in a car that has already been in three accidents. I thought about alot in that ten seconds before I got out of the car. Most of my thoughts centered around I should just take off really fast right now, and my highschool career is officially over I might as well transfer to another school now. When I got out of the car and approached the most intimidating group of girls Heather gracefully and beautifully walks over to me and confesses that "Its all my fault, I'm a horrible driver, lets not trade insurances okay? You have the most beautiful eyes, like, are they contacts?"

What I can remember the most about my car is that it symbolized freedom. I could get the fuck out of dodge. I listened to punk rock, smoked cigarettes in my car, dyed my hair crazy colors, swore like a sailor, wore holey clothes. I could go to my favorite coffee shop in the city, skip school, go to ska and punk shows with friends. It was a time when I had a great attitude that you can really only justifiably have when your that age, Fuck the world, Live fast and die young.

I'm 30 now, I would say that I'm pretty different compaired to who I was then. That's a good thing. Maturity, while it seems lame (it kinda is) it makes you into a better person trust me. A nicer more peaceful and loving person. The other day my car had to go into the shop for a few days and I had to borrow the geo prizm. Daves geo prizm is a lot different then mine was, its a newer model (mine was shaped like a box) it doesn't have nearly as many dents and bumps. Its missing all the sweet stickers. It still had the same feel so I plugged in my old punk rock from when I was younger and blasted it until my ears hurt with all the windows open. My hair started to flow through the passing waves as I weaved in and out of traffic singing to the top of my lungs and flicking off people who pissed me off yelling "Fuck you!" on a warm sunny day. Its fun being a grown up.