While complimenting a friend last week on her "new arrival" of sparkling white 1996 sport-utility vehicle, she mentioned that it happened to be "Name Your Vehicle Day." This was certainly news, although she couldn't have told it to a more appropriate cat than the Prowler, who happens to enjoy personifying vehicles and knows many others who share this sentiment.
This cat's former set of wheels was an old Dodge Colt with the youthful name of Baby. At one time, before the carburetor and engine-seal problems began, the car was indeed as peppy as a frolicking young horse. There was no option in choosing that car's gender, as only young male horses are called colts. The Prowler's current car is a girl, although the little compact sedan prefers to remain anonymous, lest anyone associate her with the Prowler.
Another good friend drives a red coupe named Macabre. The car is definitely a guy, he says, although this cat can't quite recall why. What's certain is that the name fits because the car has had nothing but one horrific problem after another. Not limited to internal ailments, Macabre has been vandalized on several occasions.
Anyone remember the line from the B-52's hit song Love Shack that goes "I got me a Chrysler, it's as big as a whale, and it's about to set sail"? That about describes the lumbering old 1970s boat driven by a friend who insists that, despite appearances, his car is a girl. When asked why, he grinned and replied "She's like a lady's purse. She's huge and you can stuff just about the whole world inside."
As for that white sport-utility vehicle--which the friend pronounced was a girl as well--the Prowler came up with three suggestions: Whitey, Claire ("clear" or "light" in French) and Blanca ("white" in Spanish).We'll see what name she chooses.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 9, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved