Service Engine Soon

She is a faithful girl born in Dearborn, Michigan, who I affectionately call Veronica, and has been with me for over 10 years, despite the abuse I inflict on her.  I wake her up on cold mornings and demand she get moving immediately, I don’t bathe her very often, and I make her carry my crap everywhere we go.  I make her run around in all sorts of weather, leave her in strange places for hours on end, and make her listen to me try to sing along with the music (I change pitch at will, and often make up my own words to songs when I can’t understand the real lyrics).  She complains, but I just turn up the music louder so I can’t hear her whining. I am not a complete monster, though.  I feed her often (she has a voracious appetite), give her plenty of fluids, buy new shoes for her from time to time, and take her for a check-up every year.  Despite her age, she is still in good shape, despite her creaking and groaning, and I love her.

She kept hinting to me that she wasn’t feeling well, and every once in awhile, she blew a fuse.  I placated her, and gave her a new bauble, and that shut her up for awhile, but I knew deep in my heart that something was wrong.  I would always leave some spare change in the cup holder for her, stick on a new tattoo on her rear end and spritz her with some spice scented perfume every now and then, plus there was the occasional snack I would let slip between the seats for her to enjoy.  But I knew our relationship was strained.  The tension was mounting.  She was very bossy every time we went for a ride, always “recalculating”, but never just let me go MY way! 

Recently, she showed me that she was not to be neglected any more.  She broke the news to me as I was trying to turn left in front of a gasoline tanker that was traveling faster than I expected.  Like the cold slap in the face of a “Dear John” letter, she told me it was over!  I had experienced with the dreaded “Check Engine Soon” light before, but never with such drama.  Like the others who were with me before (Bu, Sunshine, Grey, Spookie, and Blackie), our relationship seemed to have reached the end.  I begged with her, and swore at her, and finally at the last moment, she lurched forward, and saved my life.  Maybe she still did love me? 

I took her outburst and immediately headed for some long-overdue therapy.  The “doctor” heard the symptoms, took some tests, and told me what I had known all along.  It was her, not me that had flaws… 10 of them to be exact!  He referred me to a specialist, and naturally, this would not be covered by her insurance.  Fortunately, she only had a few screws loose, and before long, she was back in my arms.

We had a long talk that night, and I promised her I would be more attentive to her needs.  I will try to be more responsive to her minor complaints.  Better yet, I have vowed to be thoughtful enough to know what she needs BEFORE she needs it, and tend to those needs promptly.  She is mine, for better or worse, in good times and bad, till death do us part.    

How do you manage your relationships?  Are you attentive to the little hints and your intuition or do you wait for the buzzers and flashing warning lights?  Take it from me (and Ben Franklin), “a stitch in time, saves nine”.  So listen carefully to your partner, and take preemptive action as necessary.  Work together, communicate often, and treat each other with kindness.  Meanwhile, check back later when I blog about properly maintaining your automobile.