Here There and Everywhere

Seattle Sunset

“Quick! Look! Look at the sunset!” AdventureMan pulls over. “Don’t you want a photo for your blog?”

We’ve both still got colds and I am tired. At this point, I just want to get home. But . . . he is right, it is a glorious sunset.

Yes, that is me holding the camera.

When we got to the airport to pick up our Seattle rental, the helpful, courteous man behind the counter asked if we would like a small SUV.

“For the same price?” I asked. Part of me remembered by May rental when I ended up paying $70 every time I filled the tank.

“Same price, small Jeep” he said with a smile, and handed me the folder.

When we got to the rental cars, it was not a small Jeep. It was a Jeep that looked like a Hummer. AdventureMan loaded all the bags in (it’s Christmas, remember? We are loaded with bags.) We get in the car and AdventureMan starts driving out of the parking garage.

“I don’t think I like this car.” I say.

If you are married, especially if you have been married for a long time, you can keep reading. You are the kinds of people who understand how much a marriage has to survive to endure.

“It’s too big. I can’t drive this car.” I say.

“What do you want to do?” AdventureMan says patiently, but any wife who has been married a long time knows that whatever happens next has to be quick and relatively painless.

“I want to see if we can get something I can drive, too.” I say.

“You want us to go back and park and get another car?” he says, to clairify.

“Yes.” I say, knowing he is very tired and I am walking a fine line here, but I HATE this car, it feels cramped and you can’t see all around, it is sort of squashed feeling.

I quickly go to the Fast Counter, and the man, God bless him, has a Rav4, just one, and I can have it at the same price.

“You don’t want the luxury car?” he asks me as I am signing the papers.

“It was supposed to be a SMALL Jeep.” I countered. “That is not a small Jeep.”

“No,” the counter guy said “You almost got our top of the line Jeep for the economy car price.”

“I don’t care,” I reply (not as rudely as it sounds) “I don’t like it.”

I take the new keys back to AdventureMan, who gamely pulls the bags out of the big huge luxury Jeep and loads them into the more modest Rav4.

It was a smart decision. We both enjoyed the Rav4, being a little high up, having space, but still being small enough to fit into the narrow, short Seattle parking spaces. Anyway, that’s the Rav4 in the photo with the sunset.

December 16, 2008 - Posted by intlxpatr | Adventure, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Humor, Living Conditions, Marriage, Relationships, Seattle | Seattle sunset