…in my spiffy convertible PT Cruiser. This was a total accident, one that I blame completely on Hertz and Sirius satellite radio. See, I flew up to San Jose to visit my aunt who lives in Watsonville (about an hour and a half south of San Jose). I had reserved a rental car from Hertz online before leaving home, so really all I had to do was go up to the counter, show them my reservation number and get the keys to a cheapo compact car. No big deal, you’re thinking. Ah, that was my thinking as well until I was standing at the counter while they pulled up my information. Casually leaning against the counter I turned partway around, hearing a faint siren sound calling me, and ran smack dab into a big advertisement for “Sirius Satellite Radio – now available from Hertz!” Yikes! Technology I have never experienced! A chill ran down (or was it up?) my spine.
“How much extra is the satellite radio?” I asked.
“Only three dollars a day!” said the helpful Hertz guy who suddenly had all the time in the world to help me.
“Can I get it in the car I’m renting?” I shouted at his disappearing back as he headed off to find me a car with satellite radio.
Faced with such enthusiasm, what could I do but say thanks when he came hustling back with another set of keys. “The car we had for you didn’t have it, so we’re giving you a PT Cruiser.”
How thoughtful of them! A PT Cruiser totally trumps a Ford Focus or a Chevrolet Cavalier, I thought. So I signed my agreement, grabbed the keys (that had a very cute PT Cruiser logo embedded RIGHT ON the key!), and headed off to find my car. Imagine my surprise when I reached space 66 and found – a PT Cruiser two-door convertible. Uh-oh! I am on a trip to visit my 80-year-old aunt and her 86-year-old husband in a two-door that will barely hold my one small suitcase. Hmmm, what to do, what to do. I decided to keep the car. The line at the Hertz counter was pretty long, and I decided that we probably wouldn’t be driving THAT far, so it would be okay.
I drove down to Watsonville enjoying the satellite radio no end (I quickly found the love songs channel. That’s right, nothing but love songs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ah, the joy!). Arriving in Watsonville, I went over to my aunt’s and we (all three of us) decided to go out to a late lunch. When we got out to the car, I popped the trunk and tried to fit the walker in it. Hahahahahahahahaha! No way was that trunk going to hold a walker. On to Plan B. My aunt folded herself into the small backseat and we then crammed the walker into the back with her. She was barely able to get the seatbelt on afterwards (probably overkill as it wasn’t like she was going anywhere back there). Still, we made it to the restaurant and back with no mishaps. Not as bad as the time my sister and I went up there and tried to get poor Harry in the front seat and accidentally shoved the seat FORWARD with him in it, nearly compressing him into the dashboard – honestly, why they are still willing to get in a car with either one of us is a mystery.) Today it was just my aunt and me tooling around town (with the top up as the weather is rainy and cold – oh well, so much for the convertible part of the car).
I’m heading home tomorrow so will get another hour and a half of nothing but love songs and then my PT Cruiser convertible adventure will be over.
But the damage has been done. I am now in lust with satellite radio.