Is That Ladybird?

Oh, surely not! I can see my reflection in her hood! And the interior – even the trunk – is devoid of evidence of all the hauling she’s done the past few months. Yes, Ladybird got detailed yesterday.

Sometimes I forget how good I have it. (If I hadn’t spent all these years working my butt off to get it, I might feel a little guilty.) Occasionally, they remind us at work and remind us of a variety of little perks. One of them is a discount at a nearby auto detailer that is set up inside the massive parking garage across the street.

When I called last week, they told me I didn’t need an appointment -- just come in. But knowing how bad Ladybird was, I called again before going over there yesterday. It’s some business when the owner answers the phone. “How soon can you be here?” asked the deep male voice. (This guy must be one hell of a singer.) When I said how close I was, Rocky the Car Wash Man was quick to ask if I worked at my company. When I said I did, “You know you’re a VIP,” says Rocky.

I didn’t know what that meant until I went to pay my bill. Basically, he didn’t charge me for the interior. (I should have been charged double.) Nor was there an extra charge for swapping out my wheel covers. (I had to buy a new set because we lost one and of course the new set looks completely different than the old ones!) Then, I got handed a form for a $10 rebate because I’d had the full service that included wash, wax, polish, and sealant.

Rocky had called me personally a few hours after I dropped her off to report that there were some oxidized spots. (The car is 17 years old. It’s not garaged. And as much as the mother fights to take care of her, Ladybird was going to show some age eventually.) He was apologetic. But, they’d have her lookin’ good when I came by in the afternoon, he said.

Apologetic? When I showed up to retrieve the car I was stunned. There among the BMWs, Mercedes, Lexxus, the occasional Caddy, and a variety of import sports cars and SUVs sat my poor old T-bird. The crazy thing was, she didn’t really look out of place. There she was with her showroom shine and glistening tires.

While the mother managed to find fault with a few things (I’d have been shocked if she hadn’t), overall even she thought they did a great job. And they did.

As for Ladybird, she looks right at home now in her nice new driveway, her little mat tucked carefully below ...