Ode to My Scooter

About a year and a half ago, my car broke down.... again. I was frustrated and my insurance had just increased because I had moved into the perimeter of the city.
I decided I had had enough. I now lived less than two miles from work and it really made no sense to keep driving a car. I knew that riding a bike wasn't going to work for me. I had tried it once and my life had started flashing before my eyes before I even got half way.
I decided that my best option was to sell the car as is, and get a scooter. So I went and purchased the first brand new vehicle I have ever owned.... a 2006 Kymco Agility 50cc scooter. It's red, it's shiny, and it only costs me $85 a month to finance. Because I don't have to have insurance on my scooter, it was already saving me $65 a month because my insurance was so high. Then, of course, there is the money that I save on gas. My beloved Pontiac, Lola, was costing me about $60 in gas a month. Thats a fill up of $30 every two weeks, on a good week. I'm estimating quite low of course. My scooter, Bartholomew, costs about $2.90 to fill up every ten days. Thats about $9 a month. And my scooter gets 80 miles per gallon.
I had purchased my scooter in September. As fall deepened into winter, it got a lot colder in Atlanta. But as I was never on my scooter for more than 15 minutes at a time, it seemed okay. Then it got wonderfully warm and soon I was scooting around town in the summer wearing strappy dresses and heels.... which, I confess, do look a bit silly when wearing a helmet. But I loved it. I loved that getting places seemed to go such much quicker. I loved how much easier it was to handle my finances, and how I was able to take the money that I was saving and put in to paying off my other debts faster. I loved never having to pay for parking.
And then this winter began. It's harder now. I have to ride at night and it's been really cold. When it rains, I'm so chilly and I really miss my car. Sometimes I almost think about caving. Then I remember that my scooter paid for itself in 9 months. I remember that fuel prices are only rising. I remember that insurance companies overcharge. I remember that zipping down North Avenue with my hair blowing behind me makes me feel like I'm in a movie. I remember that everyone I talk to about scooters gets all excited when I tell them how much I love mine. And most of all, I remember that winter is nearly over.

Written 02/01/08