Bonnie and Chris

She's a full-figured goddess. Sleek curves with ample junk in the trunk, she's great to handle, perfect to spend time with and she gets me where I need to be. She has the loveliest cherry red complexion with a warm and comfortable interior, she's my baby, and I'm glad we're together.

I'm talking about my car of course. My 1992 Pontiac Bonneville, affectionately known as - what else? - Bonnie. We hooked up a year and a week ago and have been rolling pretty tight ever since. Aside from new brakes, new tires, a new battery and the usual oil change, I haven't had to do anything but drive, and in my job? As much as I travel? That's an added bonus.

I was car-less for a year after Champ (my '94 Mitsubishi Diamante) bit the big one and we never could get it fixed before some haters on my mom's block called my car in as abandoned and the city took it away. I still think it was the folks next door, who hate black people, but are surrounded by a block full of them. I could go into greater detail, but that's another story for another time.

So when I finished school last August and went looking for a car (I had started making arrangements to freelance for a couple of local newspapers), I came across a plain ad in the classified section of the very paper I would be stringing for. It was for a 1992 Bonneville, 140,000 miles, all paperwork, $1500 as is, call ***-****. I went to see the ride, and the Hitchens family, a great couple living in Old New Castle, told me that they had just purchased a Chevy Trailblazer and they had no more use for the Pontiac, which had all maintenance work done to it within six months. Basically, it was close to new as a '92 GM could get. For 1500 though? Hmmm...Mrs. Hitchens gave me the keys and told me to ride it out and see if I liked it.

45 miles later, I came back to the house and said that I would like to buy. They encouraged me to think it over a couple of days. I was able to do so and I picked Bonnie up for good on Thursday, August 28th. We've been together ever since. Trips up and down 95 to come home, riding around Southern Maryland for work...driving to DC and Baltimore for work, or just going to the Borders up in Waldorf to update my libraries. I didn't get a car until I was 23 years old, and now that I'm turning 27 soon, sure the thrill of "ha, I got a car" is LONG gone, having reliable transportation, even with gas prices being the way they are, will never get old. Getting up and going somewhere because you can, just you and your car and the road, thinking, driving, rapping, singing, more thinking, it's been a lifesaver for me a lot of times.

So here's a toast to me and my car on our one year anniversary. May many more follow....and hopefully we can find a good girl to share our special love with *wink*