The Process of Discovery

Dearest Rachel –

For all that I will tell you about the characteristics that Daniel shares with you, this time it may be something that he shares with me that makes the story. He may be generally inert on his own, but once nudged to do something, he can pursue the matter without further influence.

Granted, this may be a case of where he doesn’t actually do much but look things up; with the process of getting his drivers’ license, it was Logan who kept making the reservations with the DMV, while I basically stayed out of it all, apart from driving the boys there. To be sure, Logan had an equally vested interest in getting his license renewed – and his address changed on it – so he wasn’t pushing Daniel to do so out of pure altruism, but at least the thing got done with minimal nagging on my part.

Here, however, all I asked him to do was to investigate the thing he wanted out of a car, now that he had been legally reinstated to be able to drive one. Honestly, I’ve been told both ways as to whether he could get a car with or without a valid drivers’ license (purchasing isn’t technically the same as driving one, but as a rule, what does one do with a car but drive it?), but it was one more reason to insist that he have the documentation squared away.

You’ve heard from me many times that your car, while still perfectly functional, doesn’t suit him. Oh, he can and does use it – and he may have grown somewhat comfortable doing so, honey – but it isn’t “his,” and since he has the wherewithal to do something about that, I think it’s high time that he does. There are more than a few cars out there that would literally be more “his” style, and I think he ought to have one of them. Meanwhile, I’d like to get yours put into storage and preserved, before time and use completely ruin it – not that it matters to you, but it may still matter to me.

Besides, it so happens that we’d be doing good within the family to do so. With his cousin Will working as a salesman at a local dealership, we could help raise his profile with his bosses by letting him make a sale to us. If nothing else, this means that we don’t have to settle for a Ford; on the other hand, it does restrict us to Nissans (and maybe Infinitis, but it’s not like Daniel is the type to want to drive a luxury brand).

The thing is, the things Daniel does want are fairly superficial. Like you, he has his color; in his case, an electric blue, which he describes in computer RGB terms as “0000FF.” Credit to him for being specific, I suppose, but it’s surprisingly restrictive; it’s an eye-catching color that isn’t used on as many models as you’d expect. He’d also want a car with a sunroof, since yours has one. Not sure that he actually uses it, but he’s gotten used to having it, and can’t imagine being without one.

But these are appearance things, and I wanted him to look into what he might want a little further ‘under the hood,’ and so, I asked him to do similar research as to what I did when looking to replace the TaurusX. He’d actually need to do more than what I did, too, since he’d need to figure out what it was he really wanted; at least I knew I wanted something that would hold the six of us in a single vehicle for those times when we could actually get together. With Daniel, he literally has no idea what he’s wanting out of a car besides electric blue and a sunroof. I told him to look into what other options he might find desirable, thereby narrowing the model down that he would be seeking.

And yesterday, when I got home from the office, he was doing just that; inquiring about things like drivetrain (he’d recalled driving to Judson in the snow, and finding that not enjoyable, so he wanted something with all-wheel rather than front-wheel drive) and seating (I forget the specific names, but he mentioned getting into Logan’s car and feeling like he was sinking into the floor; he wanted something higher up, and with more support). He was agape at the various little things he’d never considered a car having, like heated seats and steering wheel (which are both features in my new vehicle – and fairly standard items, these days – but absent in yours), along with Bluetooth CarPlay and other gee-whiz features that are almost standard at this point, but that he’d never before considered.

He’s discovering more of what he really wants, beyond a simple paint job and roof window, and I appreciate that.

Granted, those are still high on his priority list, and they may be dealbreakers for certain models that don’t have both. I’m not sure that he’s settled on any one item – and considering that our schedule may not permit us to drop in at the dealership this week (and he’d need to free up some cash before then, in any event), that’s perfectly okay. But at least he’s going through the process of discovery, both about the cars available and what it is he really wants from one. So I’m pleased, and I hope that you would be, too.

Still, we need to get on with this, for Daniel’s sake and Will’s (I’d add yours in there too, but I suppose it doesn’t matter to you anymore as to what happens to that old car. For now, though, it still matters to me). But in the meantime, keep an eye on all of us, and wish us well. We’re going to need it.