'I don’t even have to be alone in the car to enjoy the solace it gives me'
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I'm no petrol head. In fact, I’m at my happiest out in the wilds, far from traffic, with miles of sky overhead and a pair of nutty dogs lolloping beside me. Given the choice, I will walk or run or cycle rather than drive. That said, I have a soft spot for my car.
I am not proud to admit that I have spent several minutes just sitting in it after I have driven home from work (it’s a 20-mile commute, so walking, running or cycling isn’t a very practical option). I know that as soon as I get out and open the front door, I’m exposing myself to study (or lack of), dinner (or lack of), and dirty laundry (certainly no lack of); not to mention a couple of stroppy teenagers, and said pair of nutty dogs. So, I cling to my moments of peace, occasionally even listening to a song on Spotify on my phone’s tinny speakers. It’s just enough to gather my dwindling resources before facing into the evening.
It’s not that my car is even nice. It’s a 10-year-old Corolla with a distinguishing dent in the bumper and enough dog hair on the seats to stuff a small mattress. I can’t even say it’s got character: it must be the most common model and colour of car in the county; so much so that, if it were not for the distinguishing dent on the bumper, I probably would have been arrested at this stage for trying to break into similar cars parked near it.
I don’t even have to be alone in the car to enjoy the solace it gives me. I can have the entire brood belted up inside it, and I still get some peace. Even the most apoplectic teenager knows not to start an actual physical fight while Mum is driving; and pleas to go to the disco/get them new trainers/have the rest of the siblings adopted don’t have quite the same effect when Mum has to keep her eyes on the road.
I may never get around to escaping to that yoga retreat on a Greek island, but as long as I have my wheels, I can keep my sanity. Well, that is until one of them decides to start driving it…
Aoife O'Carroll is a separated mum living in Co. Kerry with her two boys aged 17 and 14, and a girl aged 10.
