Oh no, Doc is without a ute for the first time in his driving life.
Doc’s a mechanic by trade and a rev-head by culture. I was going to say bogan but too many people think that’s an insult. Bugger it – he’s a bogan.
All his life – or at least since he was a teenager – he’s been into cars. He has almost as many cars as I have shoes!
He has a work ute – or at least he used to have a work ute until the company decided to take it off him. I can’t go into what happened there because that’s all with the lawyers.
Then there’s the commodore. That used to belong to the 17 year old, but has been repossessed by Doc for unpaid bills. Remember what happened when we returned from the Cape? Well, in addition to the mess, there was some accumulated debt which, again, is a story in itself. Joel’s commodore is now for sale to try to recoup some of that debt.
Of course, there’s the ‘cruiser. Who can go 4WDing without a Toyota???
Finally, Doc’s own ute. An old Hilux with great personality which he picked it up for $500 – all he had to do was fix the gearbox to make it go.
And they’re just the cars that work. He also has a tractor and a Chev truck – both gunna projects, and which need their own parts cars to support them. It takes a lot of nagging on my part to stop our place looking like a car yard.
But that’s what happens when you move in with a bloke. And Doc is a bloke.
The type who can mend anything with cable ties and duct tape – or pantyhose and fencing wire if we’re on the farm. If something has to be collected or carried, Doc’s in there with his ute. He’s moved me twice and my kids once.
And he’s a regular roadie for my son’s band.
So you can imagine how much he loves his utes. Not just their practical nature, he loves how they look and feel. He loves driving them
So the Hilux was perfect for him. An old fashioned ute that chugged along. But that was the problem. Being an old fashioned ute it’s a single cab, which is completely impractical when you have a 5 year old who has a car seat and isn’t allowed to sit in the front of a car.
We could use my car with the 5 year old, but I have a convertible, not very practical either. Or there’s the commodore, but that is on the market to recoup debt. And after the trip to the Cape the ‘cruiser doesn’t have a back seat either.
So the Hilux had to go.
And now Doc’s been un-uted. Say that fast and tell me if you think he still feels like a man!
