Remembering our old volkswagen
I was walking towards my home tonight when I saw a Volkswagen parked in front of our gate. I wondered if it was our old car. Of course it can’t be since we already sold it last year but still I wondered… and as I was nearing I could see that it was yellow… darker than the shade of our old car and a 1500. Ours was a 1972 1600 Beetle! It was not our car but I suddenly missed it. We had it for 32 years and it was part of the family too… even my toddler nieces and nephews draws a VW-beetle when you ask them to draw a car.
I remember the first time we rode in it. Papa was really happy! He fetched us and we proceeded to fetch my mother. It was running very well when we went to get mama but when she got inside the car… it would not start anymore. We commented that our car was probably female and she got jealous of mama!
That car saw the birth of my 2 younger siblings and the family had great times going to Parks and Wildlife, Luneta and Tagaytay on weekends. It was in our 1972 Beetle where my father started telling me stories! I usually went with him when he fetched my mother on her night duty and he would tell me stories along the way…stories from his childhood, his experiences when he was overseas and the books he read. It was the same when he was selling real estate when I was in college and he would ask me to accompany him on his trips, he still told me stories and this time I had stories to tell too!
I remembered how it played an important part in saving the life of my brother. He was stabbed and his friend brought him to the hospital and called my parents. It was late and they drove to the hospital fast. When they got there, they noted that he was just lying there and the doctors were not paying much attention to him. Then they saw one of the attendants talking on the phone. Both of my parents worked in the hospital before and they felt that the man was already talking to a funeral parlor, probably hoping for a commission if my brother dies. My mom immediately talked to the doctor and said that she worked in the nearby hospital and would like to transfer him there. They were able to transfer him on time. The surgeons in her hospital worked fast on my brother. Even if there were so many stab wounds with one almost hitting the heart, he survived thanks to the doctors, my parents and also to our car!
Though I would say that our car was goodlooking, it was not perfect! Sometimes it would stop in the middle of the street. It happened a few times with my father and he would immediately tell me to go out and push! Ahh, I think sometimes my father forgot that I was a girl... but of course he had no choice since I could not start the car if he pushed. When my father was gone and it was my younger brother driving , it would also sometime stop and he would ask me to motion other cars to avoid us while he open the hood of the engine and suck gasoline from one of the tubes there for it to be revived (now… I don’t really know if it was necessary or my brother was just acting weird…but it actually worked!)
I think the scariest yet funny experience we had with our car was when it stopped in the middle of an intersection of a busy street with my mom, my 2 siblings and I plus my nieces and nephew. It was late and there was no more truck ban… my brother fixed something below the car then went back front and asked my sister and I to push, the stoplight has already turned green and we were still not moving and there were these big trucks honking and passing us by! Oh I was scared and was in a hurry…there were some guys in the sidewalk but they were not helping...they were just looking while we were pushing. Finally when the car moved and my sister and I were left in the middle of the street, some of those spectators actually clapped and shouted…they were mocking us, I think. So what did I do??? I made a dramatic bow…waved at them and took the hand of my sister while we run towards the car telling my brother to drive fast!!!
Ahh.. those were weird times but I would always smile when I look back at it. I did not want to part with that car, even if we don’t use it often anymore, I like seeing it around. But it was not really safe and it was eating space… and I was outnumbered!
I miss that car. Maybe someday I’ll be able to see it again! I hope the owners are good mechanics and they would take well care of it. Or maybe, it will have a life of its own and run away from her new owner and come visit me…
I think that would be cool!
I remember the first time we rode in it. Papa was really happy! He fetched us and we proceeded to fetch my mother. It was running very well when we went to get mama but when she got inside the car… it would not start anymore. We commented that our car was probably female and she got jealous of mama!
That car saw the birth of my 2 younger siblings and the family had great times going to Parks and Wildlife, Luneta and Tagaytay on weekends. It was in our 1972 Beetle where my father started telling me stories! I usually went with him when he fetched my mother on her night duty and he would tell me stories along the way…stories from his childhood, his experiences when he was overseas and the books he read. It was the same when he was selling real estate when I was in college and he would ask me to accompany him on his trips, he still told me stories and this time I had stories to tell too!
I remembered how it played an important part in saving the life of my brother. He was stabbed and his friend brought him to the hospital and called my parents. It was late and they drove to the hospital fast. When they got there, they noted that he was just lying there and the doctors were not paying much attention to him. Then they saw one of the attendants talking on the phone. Both of my parents worked in the hospital before and they felt that the man was already talking to a funeral parlor, probably hoping for a commission if my brother dies. My mom immediately talked to the doctor and said that she worked in the nearby hospital and would like to transfer him there. They were able to transfer him on time. The surgeons in her hospital worked fast on my brother. Even if there were so many stab wounds with one almost hitting the heart, he survived thanks to the doctors, my parents and also to our car!
Though I would say that our car was goodlooking, it was not perfect! Sometimes it would stop in the middle of the street. It happened a few times with my father and he would immediately tell me to go out and push! Ahh, I think sometimes my father forgot that I was a girl... but of course he had no choice since I could not start the car if he pushed. When my father was gone and it was my younger brother driving , it would also sometime stop and he would ask me to motion other cars to avoid us while he open the hood of the engine and suck gasoline from one of the tubes there for it to be revived (now… I don’t really know if it was necessary or my brother was just acting weird…but it actually worked!)
I think the scariest yet funny experience we had with our car was when it stopped in the middle of an intersection of a busy street with my mom, my 2 siblings and I plus my nieces and nephew. It was late and there was no more truck ban… my brother fixed something below the car then went back front and asked my sister and I to push, the stoplight has already turned green and we were still not moving and there were these big trucks honking and passing us by! Oh I was scared and was in a hurry…there were some guys in the sidewalk but they were not helping...they were just looking while we were pushing. Finally when the car moved and my sister and I were left in the middle of the street, some of those spectators actually clapped and shouted…they were mocking us, I think. So what did I do??? I made a dramatic bow…waved at them and took the hand of my sister while we run towards the car telling my brother to drive fast!!!
Ahh.. those were weird times but I would always smile when I look back at it. I did not want to part with that car, even if we don’t use it often anymore, I like seeing it around. But it was not really safe and it was eating space… and I was outnumbered!
I miss that car. Maybe someday I’ll be able to see it again! I hope the owners are good mechanics and they would take well care of it. Or maybe, it will have a life of its own and run away from her new owner and come visit me…
I think that would be cool!
posted by elizabeth | 11:03 PM
3 Comments:
This particular blog post brought back some fond memories of my "pagong". The first car I have ever driven was a volkswagen. It was blue, had a stereo, but no aircon. It was ancient but it was certainly reliable. I loved that car.
Well, well, that car brings back so many memories, that was the first car i had.
saksi sya sa pagbibinata ko.
There is one peculiar thing about this car, he always overheats specially when you are driving long distance. So you need to stop, at least every two hours, kasi mainit sa Pinas.
Thinking about it now, i guess this could well apply to our lives. Once in a while we need to stop, cool up and go on again.
Thank you for the link.
Have a great day.
Off topic. I think you need to activate your spam control in your control panel.
I think many who had a pagong car or a kotseng kalbo as the kids used to say when they see our car pass by, love their cars.
Sa totoo lang miss ko na yung kotseng yon!
Fr stephen thanks for the visit... and Rolly sinunod ko na yong sabi mo... naglagay na ako ng word verifier...
God bless you both and may our Journey through life be meaningful kahit wala na tayong Volks na sasakyan :-)
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