I will openly admit to everyone I am NOT the world's greatest driver. I'm NOT "bad". I'm....just distracted a lot. A few weeks ago I went to meet a friend for lunch. As I turned on to Fruitland Drive in North Ogden the stack of DVD's I had to return to the Hartvigsen Family quickly slid from off the passenger seat. They became stuck between the door and the seat. My natural reaction was to immediately try and grab the DVD's. This horrid spot seems to capture many great treasures. Candy, change, pens, and the like, always seem to be stuck in this time warp void between the car seat and the door. These DVD's were NOT going to be the same.
I successfully retrieved them, but to my utter horror found myself hurtling toward a power line pole. I reacted quick and with a sharp turn of the wheel I thought I was in the free and clear...until I heard a loud crash and realized my poor passenger side mirror dangling from my car. I hopped out, looked around, and thankfully realized there was not a soul in sight to witness this utter embarrassment. My car survived without a scratch, other than my mirror which really had only lost the actual mirror part. The mirror body was fine and although not secured by screws it stayed on for the next couple weeks until we could get it fixed.
So today my Dad and I decided we would go and fix it. I often wonder if I got my good sense of deal-finding from him. He refuses to buy parts for the car that can be found at the junk yard. Good idea right?!? Well, I have never been to an actual junk yard and all I could think about was the Brave Little Toaster and the scary metal thing that kept trying to get him.
We arrived to our destination which ended up being less of a junk yard and more of a business that gets old cars and basically stages a junkyard. Don't get me wrong, it was huge and junk was everywhere, but we didn't have to sift through old mattresses or anything to find the match for my car. We just walked down the path.
The junkyard was located in the heart of Ogden by the train yard...kind of shady part of town and the management was no different. It would not have surprised me to find a secret mobster poker game going on there...if you know what I mean. My Dad and I paid our $1 fee to enter and set off to find my mirror. We located a perfect match and while he worked on detaching it I wandered around.
I met several interesting characters. An almost toothless half naked troll. For real though. I was messing around with this one car and as he walked by he gave me the creeps. One eye was closed more than the other, he had a bit of a limp, and mumbled nonsensical things under his breath clearly talking to himself. Not to mention his mechanic jumpsuit he had unzipped and pulled down to his waist and the greasy grayed mullet that dawned his head. I would not believe me had I not seen him myself...that is why I snapped a picture of him and his crazy wife with my phone.
As my junkyard experience continued I became very saddened as I looked around. Hundreds of cars not fulfilling their destinies. Most were missing lots of parts as people have come taking only select pieces. It was sad to see so many cars that you could tell had been in bad accidents and to think there were people that were attached to them...very unnerving.
As I continued to look around I realized I was standing in a graveyard of lost souls. car souls that is. Just think how many of those cars dreamed of finding their special family and how they would take them to soccer practices, and dance recitals, and be filled to the brim with stuff when one of the children went off to college.
So many dreams lost as they sat in this junkyard with creepy troll man and only the occasional passerby who remembers what they once were. Someone who remembers the lost dreams of the lost car souls....
Clearly I am not happy with so many lost dreams behind me...
