My Turn: Nostalgia over a first car

There's something nostalgic about summertime. These hot, sunny days bring me back in time. It makes me think of sandy beaches, hanging out with friends, and buying my first car.

That sense of freedom I felt sitting behind the wheel made me feel on top of the world. I could come and go as I pleased, discover new destinations, and blast my favorite cassettes.

The summer of '89 was fast approaching, and I had recently finished college and moved back home. I was sharing a room with my sister again and feeling a bit like a stranger in my parents' house. The freedom I had in college was restricted, and I desperately wanted something of my own.

My grandmother had given me $5,000 toward a used car, and I had some money in the bank. I knew I wanted a sporty-looking car and even researched buying something foreign. But a good friend had just purchased a brand new Honda Prelude, and I loved the way it looked. I decided that was the car for me.

My father knew a lot about cars and wanted me to buy one from someone who mainly drove on highways rather than on local roads. We lived in Staten Island at the time, and he said that the stop-and-go traffic that we were accustomed to put a lot of wear on the engine. Therefore, my search covered a good section of New Jersey.

Weeks had passed, and I was beginning to think that I would never find my car. It was a relief to narrow my search, but I could feel my anxiety rising. I thought that I might have to start looking at other models since I wasn't finding many Preludes in my price range.

I worked in Manhattan then, so on Tuesdays I would pick up a New Jersey newspaper at a nearby newsstand. One day during lunch, I bought the paper and saw an ad for an '84 Honda Prelude. When I got back to the office, I was so excited. I told my co-worker that a Prelude was for sale in the paper. She said, "Why don't you call them, now?" It was the middle of the afternoon when I left my name and telephone number on the answering machine.

That night, I received a phone call from a man who said that the car belonged to his wife. He told me that he had received a lot of calls about the car, but since I called first, he would let me see it before the others. I was thrilled. I took down his address and ran into the living room to tell my father. He said the town of Holmdel was pretty far, but that we could take a ride out to see it the next day.

We headed out to see the Prelude the following afternoon. I felt so excited -- and so nervous. I didn't know what we were going to find. My father said that if I liked it, we would have to bring it to a mechanic and get it checked out. Then I thought, what if I really liked it, and my father said I couldn't have it? I would be crushed.

As we pulled up in front of the house, I saw a beautiful blue Honda Prelude parked in the driveway. It was love at first sight. I adored everything about it -- the dark color, the red pinstripes, the soft blue patterned interior and the headlights that popped up like eyelids. I had to have it.

My father worked as an auto insurance adjuster, so he asked the owner a ton of questions. As he was looking under the hood, I stood there and prayed that he didn't find anything wrong. Then, we took it for a test drive. After what seemed like an eternity, he said that the car seemed to be in good shape. When we returned, my father told the owner that he wanted his mechanic to look at it. We then left a deposit, and my father drove it home.

The next day, we brought it to his mechanic, and that afternoon he told me everything was fine with my beautiful Prelude. I was thrilled. The first thing I did was show off my new car to all my friends. One of them threw a bunch of coins in the back seat for good luck, and we were on our way.

I had such fun driving that car. I'll always recall going into New York City for the first time, getting lost in Westchester while visiting my college roommate, and heading to the Hamptons for a weekend. I guess it makes sense that I became very attached to my Prelude over the years. I never gave it a name or a gender for that matter. It was just my little sports car, and I always felt safe driving it.

Now whenever summer arrives or I see an old Prelude, I just smile inside. I'll always have wonderful memories of my first car and the joys it gave me -- the freedom to hit the road whenever I wanted, experience new places and the opportunity to connect with my father. But best of all, that little car was mine.

Daria Hong, Garden City

Feeling crabby in the summer

Summer is my least favorite season. I drag through it, counting the days until those refreshing fall breezes appear. There is a lot of attention paid to folks who suffer from winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder [a form of depression often associated with shorter daylight hours], but I know plenty of people who dread the summer months.

I'm a real crab in summer. Even as a child, I hated the season. I was always sweating in our unair-conditioned house. There was nothing to do. Oh sure, there were some pleasures: Popsicles, running under a sprinkler, lots of time to play and read. But by summer's end, I was bored to tears, neighborhood kids were quarreling with each other, and I was always hot, hot, hot.

I hate the hot weather. I'm always too hot, my face is flushed, bugs are rampant. Fans and air conditioners make one more comfortable, but their noise drones on and on and makes it hard to hear.

I live near the beach, but I never could sit out in the sun for long. It was fun to take the kids for a swim and enjoy ducking the waves. But then you had all the sand and seaweed tracking in the house all summer making everything feel gritty well into the fall.

I'm one of those people who hibernates in the summer, staying indoors much of the time trying to keep cool. There's not much to do if you're not the outdoorsy type. Well, there are a few things, like my writing and quilting classes. The plus side is that I see more of my family and beloved grandchildren during the vacation months. This summer will bring a long-planned family reunion with my large extended clan, and I'm really looking forward to that. We expect about 90 people to attend, and there will be many fun activities, reminiscences and even a Cabaret Night to showcase family talents. It's scheduled for a resort in hot Virginia, but I'm counting on the air conditioning and their several large pools to make it enjoyable.

I guess that explains why I'm not the Florida type, but love vacations to tree-shaded lakes in Maine. Only three more months to go until the temperatures fall into the 50s and 60s and brochures bring listings of so many interesting activities for the new season. It's my favorite time to travel, and I'm already making plans. But mostly I can't wait to get rid of the sluggishness I feel every summer and get that burst of energy and enthusiasm the cool weather always brings, as I hum the song "Autumn Leaves."

Alice Clegg Wolfteich,Atlantic Beach