The Wine Widow on a Loss In The Family
“The micra has got to go” was the very surprising statement made by our youngest son. Previously he had said, in a variety of ways but with equal weight, “That car means more to me than any family pet.”
The Nissan micra, our second, has been in the family for over 14 years. It has never let us down but it has, for the past few years, accumulated enormous amounts of water in every footwell and a squeegee is needed on the inside of the windscreen at all times or the condensation builds to impenetrable levels. It has been slept in at countless teenage parties and festivals and therefore smells indescribable. Moss, grass and mushrooms are growing out of all trimmings and a sinister mould covers the back of the front seats and headrests. I have no idea what’s in the boot because it doesn’t open and the back seats no longer fold down. I know it’s full though.
I take it to a man in a booth at a shopping centre a few miles away with our elder two children following in another car. The man steps out of his booth and says “bloody hell, has Shrek been living in that?” As with any family member, we can make jokes but other people can’t and I give him a black look. After much tapping on his iPad he says he can offer me £180. I mutely nod. We take photographs because we all feel this is a little bit of a moment.
A woman walks out of Pets At Home nearby and glances at the car. “they really do buy any car.com” I say. “Oh I bet that car’s got a lot of memories” she says and I instantly warm to a stranger who gets this. “It really has” I say, remembering the time Will gave it two punctures on Christmas Eve.
Two days later, with a micra shaped hole haunting us outside the house, we have a car crisis because four people need to go in four different directions. The available car is making terrible grinding noises and everyone is late for everything. “Who knew” says Alf who is about to miss an appointment, “that the micra was the glue holding this family together.”
