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Working Life - Masako's New York

It's (not) just a car ...

By Masako Yamada


たかが車、されど車

雅子さんが車を購入したのは、昨年5月のこと。しかし、初めて洗車したのはつい最近のことでした。そしてそのとき、車体にいくつもの傷を発見します。どうやら知らず知らずのうちに車を傷つけてしまっていたようなのです。そこで雅子さんは考えました、「この傷はオールバニーの雪深さに関係がある」と…。

一念発起して洗車したはいいが、新たなへこみ(助手席のドア)を発見
A little over a week ago, I decided to have my car washed for the first time since I bought it last May. My car is supposed to be a very dark green, but it looked almost white because of the salt that had accumulated on it. We've had a lot of snow this year, and the roads were heavily salted after each storm. A lot of that salt ended up on my car. After the thick coat of salt was rinsed off, I saw several dents on the side of the car. I hadn't noticed those dents before. My Toyota Corolla had acquired some new battle scars this winter.

Albany is in a part of the country where people regularly discuss what kind of snow tires to buy. One of my colleagues couldn't make it home one day because his car tires skidded while trying to go uphill. Another colleague slipped into another family's property and had to be towed out. It isn't uncommon for people to run into parked cars and then (unethically) drive away.

That is not to say that I believe somebody else drove into my car and fled the scene. I suspect that I nicked the car without even noticing. The snowbanks around here are several feet high, so it's hard to see what's around the corner. I know I hit a guardrail underneath a snowbank once, so it's likely that I damaged my car then. Or maybe I dented it when I tried to dig my car out of a huge snowdrift by throwing myself against the body. There aren't many other ways I can explain how the side of my car got dented.

I've been driving in Albany for almost half a year, so my car has become an integral part of my life. I still wouldn't claim that I'm a good driver, but I've certainly become used to driving. It's been taking me a lot longer to get used to dealing with car problems.

I've taken two out-of-state business trips this year, leaving my car parked in the airport parking lot. A few weeks ago, I walked back to my car at midnight, only to find that it was dead. It didn't make any sound when I tried to start the engine. The lights didn't turn on, and not even the power locks worked. After a few days of sitting in the snow, the car battery had discharged.

I trudged back inside the airport and phoned the emergency hotline for help. Fortunately, a repair truck arrived in minutes to jump-start my car. Apparently, this happens quite frequently at the Albany Airport, and they didn't charge me anything for the service. I was glad that the problem was solved quickly, but it gave me a fright: What if my battery had died at the side of a desolate road and not in an airport parking lot?

A short time after this incident, I walked to the parking lot after work one day, when a kind bystander told me that I should have my front tire checked. Sure enough, there was a small leak that I simply wasn't experienced enough to notice. And a few days later, I couldn't open the lock of the driver's side of the car because it had frozen, so I had to open the passenger door and climb into the driver's seat.

My officemate and I have been trading car horror stories, and she told me that her car has been dented about six times by other people. One of those dents was apparently caused by a BB gun. My officemate has a very, very nice car so those dents undoubtedly bothered her, but then she sighed philosophically: "Well, it's just a car."

This is true when it comes to dents and other cosmetic issues, but cars are in fact delicate and dangerous machines. I'm starting to see that there's a lot more to being a good driver and good car owner than driving within the speed limit and staying within the lanes. I'm thankful that I've been learning some good lessons before somebody really gets hurt.



Shukan ST: March 28, 2003

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