Station Wagon

Nothing like riding in a station wagon to make one ponder about the ways in which family affects their everyday lives. Even if the family you were born into never owned one , there was still a chance you knew someone who did. Granted, it may have been a fictional character , but that still counts as family. To me the station wagon is a symbol of Americana. With this car comes the idealized version of the past. There is a famous Norman Rockwell painting entitled "Family Trip." It is split into two panels. The top half is the family driving ( in a station wagon) to their vacation destination. You can see the kids laughing and playing, and the parents are excited as well. Then you look at the bottom panel. It shows the family driving back from the trip. EVERYBODY is exhausted. They appear as if they had way too much vacation. The top half is how I feel right now. I'm sure eventually I'll be among the characters on the bottom half. At this moment though, I am filled with intrigue and wonder. A new adventure awaits us.That is exciting. We have not talked about the drawbacks to this quest yet. I suppose that is so no negative thoughts can enter our subconscious minds and halt this. Then again, if no one mentioned any of the details maybe it is because we all believe we will fail. No, I can't think like this. I must drown myself out. I reach for the radio. We're all squeezed into the front. Rosie is driving, Olivia has passenger seat window, and I , lucky me, get control of the radio. I push a button. The first thing I hear is a twangy guitar and a southern accent. "I didn't know you were a fan of country." Rosie says. "I didn't either." I say. Rosie cranks the volume. The man on the radio sings about heartbreak and drunken nights. Rosie sings along. "Come on, join in." She urges. "I can't." I say. "Sure you can." "He's shy. " Olivia says, saving me. "Shy huh? Alright, I won't pry any more." Rosie continues singing. The song concludes with the man recognizing the fact that he'll never be alone as long as he has a bottle of Jack. Can't say I agree, but it was a catchy jingle. After the song there is a block of commercials. Rosie turns down the radio. "Are you two hungry?" She asks. "I could eat." I respond. "There's a diner I like to go to on my way back. I'll take you there and we can discuss our plan."