His Car - This was an English Comp. assignment that I really enjoyed writing. It's supposed to be a "profile of a place." Enjoy :) - Miscellaneous

Just a typical white Ford Taurus, right? Well, sure, to you. But to me, that dirty, "old person's" car holds memories of good times and comfort far beyond any place I have ever been.

Transportation during my senior year in high school was usually provided by the driver of this precious car, Josh. Many things about his Taurus changed over the course of the year but it was always a place where I felt at home. It all started in September of 2001 when I needed a ride back to school from "See You at the Pole." It took only moments just to mold into the passenger seat as he drove seated next to me.

As time passed the back seat grew cluttered with homework papers and his soccer gear. The stench of his soccer cleats motivated him to get an air freshener, which he stuck in a pocket on the driver's side door. After that, every time I sat down and pulled the door closed I could smell the sweet, almost humorous scent of Fruity Pebbles.

The interior was a sort of navy blue. The seats were padded and very comfortable. Early mornings or late nights always invited me to lean the back of the seat down and elevate my feet on the dashboard.

Usually the first noise I heard after the engine hummed was a loud blast from his well-developed stereo system. I would turn it down immediately, but as we drove on I turned it up little by little, bobbing my head with the rap beat of T-Bone or obnoxiously singing along with the famous country singer, Tim McGraw. Throughout the year the music slowly changed to sound tracks and classic country songs like "A Boy Named Sue."

Even after a heated argument between Josh and me, a short drive with only the sound of the music blaring and our own thoughts was comforting and, in the end, brought reconciliation. We spent many hours in his car. We worked through misunderstandings, learned new songs, reminisced, discussed, and laughed until our sides hurt, and then laughed some more.

The small details were what made this car so memorable. Across the dashboard was my name, "Linds," cut out of red, Christmas wrapping paper, and taped next to the speedometer. The change compartment underneath the air conditioning controls always held my two favorite colognes, Hugo and Ralph Lauren Romance. The horn was quiet, high-pitched, and used often, only causing me to laugh. On the back window were randomly placed, faint, white circles of pain, which had never come off after someone wished him good luck before a soccer tournament. On the front bumper was a long, black mark from a minor accident. He spent hours laboring over it, finally fixing it and making it look brand new. These simple details changed over time but were always what made this car so unique and comfortable.

I will always remember the times we would run to the car, slam shut the doors, turn on the heat, and wait for the car to warm up from the frigid weather. before long, one or both of us would grow too hot and crack open our windows. In the warm weather the windows were usually kept all the way down, whipping my hair in every direction. The hot weather required the air-conditioning turned on high.

This white Ford Taurus was everything but typical. Though the fruity air freshener no longer gives off scent, the cologne bottles were brought into the house, and the soccer gear changed to baseball gear, then to nothing, the memories still linger close. I will never forget how I felt every day that I slid into the front seat of that Taurus. It felt like coming home after a long, hard day at school. Usually, I preferred it to going home. With my best friend next to me and country music bumping the seats, I realized this white Ford Taurs was where I loved to be.

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