November 06, 2005

Ross went car shopping. I didn't know he was going, I hadn't even accepted my car was dead, much less moved on to thinking about what to do about it. As far as I knew, once I stopped being in denial about my car, we would then debate our options, whether that be a new car, just sticking with the Ghia (even though it shouldn't be driven in winter because it leaks when it rains), or just getting a skateboard.

Whatever we decided, I thought we'd figure it out together, once we knew what we could afford and not until I was done catatonically rolling around on the floor whimpering over my dead car. But Ross, he had other plans, big plans, unthinkably sweet make your wife pee her pants with joy kind of plans. And so today, when he woke me, he was beaming. "Look out the window," he told me, "at your new car!"

"My new car?!" I yelped, still half asleep and suddenly feeling like I was on a game show.

"Yes, your new car," he said, pointing to the window.

My brain spun, trying to figure out how to deal with that information. No one has ever surprised me with a car before and there was no record in my brain's empirical database on "surprises: new car, dealing with." I stared at Ross a moment, then cautiously crept over to the window, as if the car might suddnely spring up to the bedroom window and yell "boo!" The car didn't leap to the window and scare me, but it might as well have, what with all the screaming that followed.

Sitting outside the bedroom window was a shiney, bright red Mini Cooper. With racing stripes and a sunroof. I just stood at the window yowling with disbelief and joy, while I spastically hopped about, doing the 'I'm so happy my body doesn't know what to do with itself' dance, which ended with me tackling Ross and smothering him with kisses.

But once the squealing was done, I had to do the unthinkable and be realistic. Ross hasn't bought the Mini yet. We have it for a few days to test drive and decide if we really want it, and that's where the nasty reality thing comes in. The Mini comes with a big price tag, $23,000 to be exact. I like the Mini and I love that Ross wants to do this for me, but I don't want a $450 monthly car payment and I don't want us to be in that much debt.

Suffice it to say Ross did not like that and argued vehemently. We can afford the payments and the car is worth the price, he said, and, more than anything else, he really wants to do this for me. It was one of the strangest argument I've ever had, protesting and turning down something I desperately want and one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me. I felt like a cad doing it, but I want what's right for us and it's not the right time for us to be making that kind of expenditure.

Things got heated between us, so we decided to compromise. I'll give the car a chance and not make a decision until I've driven it for a few days and, if at that point, I still don't want to spend the money on it, Ross won't fight it. Of course, Ross thinks that once I drive the car a bit, I won't be able to turn it down, and I know that nothing will make me want to spend $23k (at least not at this point in our lives), but we have a few days before that fight, uh, discussion takes place.

But in the meantime, I have a little red Mini Cooper, if only for a few days, and I plan to enjoy it for all its worth. And, even more importantly, I have the world's sweetest husband, and I get to keep him forever.

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