At the Car Wash

I am really happy that I have an almost four-year-old to remind me of the simple pleasures in life.

Last Sunday after the skateboarding contest Warren and I were on a hunt for a change machine so I could give my nephew $20 in quarters for his 10th birthday. (The only words I hear out of his mouth in public are, “Can I have a quarter?”)

“Let’s find a car wash,” I said as we sat outside the Kroger in Germantown. (I had gone in to get a twenty out of the ATM and then exchange it for ones. No, they wouldn't give me quarters.)

“Does Germantown even have car washes?” Warren asked.

“Hmmm…” I said. I couldn’t actually think of one in the vicinity.

“What about by Leslie’s house?” he asked since that was our final destination.

“Oh yeah, there’s a bunch on Summer Avenue.” Oh Summer Avenue, how I love you, let me count the ways...

As we made our way towards the car wash, Satchel had a bazillion questions. “Where’s the car wash? Are we almost to the car wash? Are we going to wash the car? Can I wash the car?” On and on he went.

When we finally made it to the car wash, I said, “I remember coming here with my mom when we were little. She would let me and Tracey wash the car.”

“I want to wash the car!” Satchel yelped from the backseat. (Jiro was sound asleep.)

“Okay, honey,” I said, knowing he’d enjoy it. “Let me get the quarters first.”

As I approached the change machine clutching my twenty one dollar bills, I stopped short. “This machine dispenses tokens,” it read. Dangit.

“Tokens,” I said as I got back in the car. “Freakin Summer Avenue!” I added exasperated.

Warren took off in search of another car wash. “Wait! I want to wash the car!” Satchel whined.

“We have to get quarters first,” I said.

It was only a few minutes before we spotted another car wash. Once again, I hopped out with my dollar bills. “Here, take this,” Warren said as he handed me an empty cup. “You can put the quarters in here.”

This time the sign read, “This machine dispenses tokens and quarters.”

Hmmm…Should I chance it? I went back to the car to consult Warren. He decided I should go for it and if it gave me tokens, we’d use them to let Satchel wash the car. I went back to the machine and attempted to stuff my dollar in.

Nothing.

I tried a different dollar.

Nothing. It wasn’t even spitting it out. “Freakin Summer Avenue!” I moaned under my breath. I got back in the car and announced that I was just going to give my nephew the ones.

“Do you have a card or something to put them in?” Warren asked.

“Uh…no,” I said.

“So you are just going to hand him some money?” he asked, unimpressed. “I’m sure he’ll think that’s really special.”

“He will like the money whether it is in a card or not. Trust me.”

“I’m going to the Dollar Store,” he said as he sped out of the parking lot.

“Wait! I want to wash the car!” Satchel cried.

“After we get the card, I promise."

As we drove to the dollar store, I noticed a laundramat. “There! The laundramat! They have to have quarters!” I exclaimed.

I ran inside with my styrofoam cup and fed each of my twenty one dollar bills into the machine (which, incidentally, accepted $5, $10, and$20 bills). The resulting stash of 80 quarters looked a lot less impressive than I imagined, but we had finally accomplished our mission.

By this point it was almost dark, but we had made Satchel a promise, so we went back to the original car wash. “Yay yay yay!” he sang from the backseat. Jiro must have known something exciting was coming because he woke up and joined in.

As we pulled into the bay, Satchel shrieked, “Ooh! Can I use the brush too?”

He and Warren got out of the car and Warren gave him a quick run down of what was going to happen. I sat in the car and held Jiro’s hand, because he seemed a little scared.

Warren turned on the spray gun and started hosing down the car while Satchel ran behind him. I banged on the window and said, “Let Satchel do it!” He reluctantly handed it over and Satchel started spraying water right at me and Jiro. He was laughing and having a great time.

Next Warren turned on the foam, which came out in pink and blue waves. He started rubbing it all over the car and again I banged on the window and instructed him to let Satchel do it. Of course more foam got on Satchel than on the car, but he was having a blast.

Jiro turned up his nose and made a funny face at me. He clearly could not understand why I was letting Satchel deface our vehicle.

Once the final rinse was complete, an ecstatic (and extremely damp) Satchel bounded into the car. “That was awesome!” he said. “Let’s do it again!”

I turned to Warren and said, “Let’s remember this when it’s 100 degrees outside.”

“Oh yeah, we can just totally hose them down.”

“All for $1.50.”

Maybe my nephew will even loan me some quarters.