Coffee Break?

She arrived just over a week ago and we expected to bring her home around the middle of August.  During dinner Thursday evening we got the call and heard the magic words…”When can you come pick her up?”  And the next 24hrs. were a frenzy…okay…it seemed like they were.

“She” is our brand new (in more ways than one) Smart car, reserved over a year ago.  At the time of reservation we didn’t know how soon to expect delivery though aware it would take some months.  The company…SmartUSA…were really great about keeping us informed, up to date with progress etc. and their most recent timetable for delivery was a 90-day window, sometime between August-October.  We understood…reluctantly…and just hoped it would be the sooner of that ninety day period than the later.  And then, a few weeks ago, correspondence from what will be our dealership…the car was ‘on the water’!  Yaaaaaaaaayyy!  Couple of weeks or so later…it’s now in port.  So I’m thinking around the middle of August we’ll get the call…she’s ready.  To get that call Thursday evening was more fun, more exciting than winning the lotto…well, okay…a barrel of monkeys.

Yes…we wanted to run get her first thing Friday but that was out of the question.  I had my session at “cardiac college”, my other half had work and it was just too short notice, seemed like, to cancel one and get her assistant manager to fill in for the other.  We had to arrange a car rental.   Knowing we’d either have to go to Maryland or PA dealership, I’d suggested we simply rent a car for the one way trip.  We had friends who volunteered to take us either place but then, if they would be on their own driving back that didn’t seem right and we knew one of us would choose to ride back with her.  At the same time, we both wanted to ride back together in the new ‘baby’.  Rental at the time seemed the only option.  Hah!  Easier said than done.  We checked the various car rental companies and found most closed at noon on Saturdays…that wouldn’t work for us because we couldn’t get up to Annapolis before 4p.m.  Ooops…All Change!  How about Friday…the dealership would be open until 8pm Friday, car rental agencies later also;  I could keep my appt. and S/O could maybe make alternative arrangements at work.  Sounded like a plan but could do nothing to solidify it til Friday morning.

On my way to Beebe I called my other half…she had called the dealership and we were good to go for later in the day.  That was the good news.  The bad news was she had found no-one would rent us a car for the one-way, short duration rental.  My groan followed by silence forced her to give away the surprise she had decided on…a limo!  LOLOL!  Cool!  It was coming for us at 12:30.  So I rushed through my cardiac rehab session…telling them ahead of time my BP was probably going to be as scattered as I was about that time (it was)…on my home by 11:40 and munching on the sandwich waiting for me at home by noon.  The limo arrived early and when the driver/owner asked what model car we were going to get first thing he said when we told him was…”I know this is presumptuous of me but can I drive it round the parking lot when we get there?  I love those cars but never driven one!”   Anyway, we had a luxurious, stressfree ride to Annapolis, arriving to see our little beauty sitting by the showroom entrance.  Hard to miss…apart from the unique design she is bright yellow with black.  The limo driver was actually first to drive her, then S/O, paperwork completed, last minute tips and advice then off we headed homeward.

The most peculiar thing…the Smart car is only 8 and 1/2 feet long (actually shorter than a Mini though certainly taller) but riding in it sure doesn’t give you the sense of driving in a small car.  I drive a Corolla and my sense of size and space was actually greater in the Smart.  Mind you, when we’d get out and gaze fondly at her we had to laugh like maniacs…she is dinky.  We took a pic of her next to the limo we took up there…hahahahaha!  Had that limo had side sliding doors we could easily have loaded the Smart inside (with lots of room to spare) and carried her home!  Coming off the Bay Bridge there was just one ‘moment’ when we were between a big panel truck and an eighteen wheeler and felt like we were the mustard in the middle of the sandwich (or could be) and yet it was nothing like either of us thought it might be.  We started out from the dealership with three quarters of a tank gas.  Arrived home near Long Neck, DE and the needle hadn’t even moved.  Now THAT is worthy of ROFLMAO…really.  It took us almost twice as long to get home as it is to drive up to Annapolis. Almost four hours on the return. First, of course, there is no smoking in the new car but, since we are quitting anyway, that wasn’t much of a hardship at all.  Next rule…NO eating.  Can’t have it smelling of greasy burgers, fries or tacos.  This meant we made stops and making stops meant making new “friends”…:).  And we never had to field…or hear…one negative or mocking comment.  I have to say that was a big part of the fun…not prone to inflated ego yesterday we just let it rip for a day.  We were waved at, grinned at, given umpteen “thumbs up”.  If there was any disappointment it was this (and minor)…there are three models of Smart…the Pure, Pure Passion and the Pure Cabriolet.  We opted for the Passion and the extra ‘niceties’ then added a few more but the Passion has a moonroof which we have sorely missed since the demise of our Fore-Runner.  Only problem is this one doesn’t open.  Not a big deal and maybe just as well…and at least we can still see the moon and stars above us on night drives.

 I did stop and pick up a few odds and ends of groceries at Trader Joe’s which amounted to two bags filled.  Didn’t think we had room to load them in the car….nah, of course we did.  Geez, we had two bags of groceries and a  beach bag in back with room to spare for at least another two grocery bags…who needs more? 

Anyway, far as we know, there is one other yellow Smart in the Rehoboth area and a black Smart in Lewes.  Should you see us driving by looking like we are having way too much fun, wave!  We are thrilled to wave back!