I think it’s pretty common knowledge that the folks paying the highest car insurance rates are teenagers and senior citizens. The former for inexperience and a false sense of their own immortality, and the latter for declining reaction times, poor eye sight and perhaps faulty decision making.
These two ends of the spectrum both came into my life these past few days.
Calvin is under the impression that because he is almost 18 years old that he is invincible. He has never gotten a ticket, he has never seen a drunk driver, he has never died, so of course those things will never happen to him. He also feels that because he doesn’t drink or do drugs that he should have no curfew. (I’m still trying to understand the logic behind his reasoning.) He has an old Lincoln Continental that Mr. Pete bought him for $300 and fixed up. It is in Mr. Pete’s name, but Calvin has full use of it. Usually he is pretty good with it. He drives to swim practice, to school and to work. But our big problem has been on Saturday evenings. On Saturday he gets out of work at 7:00 and then goes out with his “girlfriend.” Usually “going out” means to eat and then to her house with her family. That’s actually okay with me except her family has this tendancy to start movies at 11:00 or later. Which means Calvin doesn’t get home until 1:00 or later.
I have asked him to be home by 12:30 a.m. I have asked him to call me if he is going to be late. I have asked him to keep his cell phone on so that at least I could call him if he is going to be late. He has failed to comply with all of those things and this has happened consistently despite our pleading, nagging, reasoning and threats. He’s going to be a legal adult in July, so we were trying to be respectful of his independence but he was having absolutely no respect for our authority at all. Once I even called this girl’s father and explained to him that Calvin has only been driving for about ten months or so, and that I would really appreciate it if he would send him home by 11:30 p.m. He said he would and I think he actually did once. But only once. Last Saturday, Calvin did not come home until 3:00 a.m. and Mr. Pete and I were both furious. Pete went out and pulled the coil on the car. It no longer starts.
On the other end of the generational spectrum, my mom’s plates expired in February. That was right after she was hospitalized for pneumonia, and C. diff, and her cancer became reactive. She simply didn’t have the time or energy to renew them. Pete tried to do that for her on Saturday, but she couldn’t find the title and the powers that be wouldn’t let him do it without the title. Today was a beautiful spring day, and my mother decided she would just take care of it herself. Later in the morning Mr. Pete gets a call at work from a police officer that she had been involved in a car accident.
Thankfully neither my mother or the other gentleman involved were injured. Both cars had to be towed, but at least they literally walked away from the crash. Mom was pretty shaken up but at least she is okay. And now she is without a car too. And part of me is glad. She’s my mom and although she has always been responsible and has a very good driving record, from time to time you wonder how long she should continue to drive. This is her first mishap in a very long time. Perhaps now is the time. At any rate, I told Mr. Pete let’s not be in too big of a rush to get her car back on the road.
In the meantime, I have my strapping 17-year-old son whom I have to drive around at least temporarily just on general principles, and my mother will need some rides to meet all of her activities and responsibilities. Suddenly I’m doubling my road time!! I’m just thankful that they’re both okay.
Please browse my eBay items!
Visit my new Amazon Store!
