Everyone looks forward to buying their first car. I was no exception. I finished my last college exam and began to search for a car that evening. I decided to look for a second-hand vehicle because I thought that was all I could comfortably afford.

I worked part-time from the time I turned 16. Now I was 21. I had saved some of my money although I treated myself to some of the clothes, I thought I really needed.

First, I looked in the used car lots for possibilities. There were several models that seemed appealing. That night my mother was entertaining the women’s church group. She would not mind if I was not there. In fact, she was to be married in a couple months and the ladies were having a surprise shower for her. They made arrangements with me.

There was a modest Chevy that interested me. It was not a flashy car, but the mileage was good, the tires were good, and I thought it would do. I asked the salesman if I could take it out for a ride. He put a dealer plate on it and handed me the keys.

I headed out Willow Road. It was a quiet road with little traffic. When I came to the end of the road, I turned right heading back into town. A car going very fast came around a corner and literally shoved me and the vehicle into a telephone pole. I saw the crash about to happen and held on to the steering wheel very tightly.

Once I hit, I checked my teeth because I hit the steering wheel. They were intact. Someone saw what happened and called the ambulance and the police. Soon there were people swarming all around.

The car was a mess. I broke the steering wheel. I thought that I was OK, but just as a precaution they loaded me into an ambulance and we were on our way to the hospital. I remember the man who rode with me asked me if I was in shock. I asked him what I would feel like if I was. He said I would probably feel cold. I assumed I was not in shock since I was warm enough.

When we arrived at the hospital, they took all of my vitals, then asked me for information. Who should they call? I gave my mother’s phone number knowing that I was going to upset all of the plans that had been made. When I was sure the nurse had my mom on the phone, I yelled from the gurney, “I am alright.” I did not want her to wonder what was going on. She told them she would be right down. We lived about five miles away.

I was thoroughly checked over and released to my mother. By the time I left the hospital I had two black eyes and a very swollen nose. My arm hurt, but it was not cut. Mom took me home. When we arrived, the ladies were there and they had gotten all of their packages in without my mother even knowing it.

I went right to my room and stayed there.

The next day my grandfather took me for a doctor’s appointment. The doctor told me I was lucky. I was fine. He told me to carry something heavy to keep that arm from freezing up. We had an old flatiron that filled the bill.

That afternoon I got a call from my boyfriend who lived in Russell. His sister heard something on the radio that alerted her there might be a problem. As usual they slaughtered my last name so he was not sure. He was relieved to find out that I was ok. We were to go to the school prom later that week.

Well, I went to the prom. I even had a punch party before the dance. My date brought me blue carnations to match my black-and-blue eyes. A friend had also had an accident of another sort. She was on crutches. They dubbed us “Crash and Crutch” for the evening. We had an uneventful evening.

The next week it was back to car hunting. This time I decided I had enough money to buy a new car. I bought a classy Dodge with a maroon stripe. It was considered a sport model.

That car served me well. I still had it when I married. We even had it eleven years later. In the end I sold it for a good price to a man who had a similar model and needed parts. I am not sure if he fixed up his model or the one I parted with.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.