"I always wanted to own a 560" (#60; Topic D)

Before I could lock my car after parking it at my usual space in our retirement community, I encountered a young lady walking her dog. Without looking at me, she said something which I did not catch. Then, looking at me, she said: "I always wanted to own a 560." Somewhat surprised, I replied: "This is only a 450." She then said: "I know; I have walked by your car many times. They are the same." The exterior of these two models is indeed the same; they differ only in engine size. She seemed young to be living in this retirement community; so, I asked: "Do you live here?" She was visiting her mother and walking her mother's dog; she drives a BMW, "a poor man's Mercedes." Not so, I protested; BMW is one of the best driving cars. She then asked about my car's model year and mileage. Though a 1974 model, it has less than 100,000 miles on it, as I was out of the country most of the time. I then said that I almost donated the car to a hospital, in which I had a heart procedure in 2004. Almost, because, when the hospital's vice president came to our house (that was before we moved to the retirement community) to arrange for collection, I could not produce the car's title; I was instructed to have a duplicate. The second time, I had the duplicate title, but the vp could not make it. The third time, I saw the car from a distance, when it was parked in a repair shop's drive-way, with its license plate removed. The car's silhouette struck me as simple and elegant; I realized that I really like the car. I had the car repaired and brought it with me when my wife and I moved to the retirement community.
Posted at 10:03 pm, Tuesday, January 31, 2006