Some of us aren't big-truck people
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
I needed a rental car last week, and I needed it fast.
The rental place my insurance company recommended had only two options: truck or SUV.
I figured the kids would have more fun in the truck, so I opted for that. They deserve some fun.
The kids love it.
Me? Not so much.
It's not a little pickup truck. It's a monster with a quad-cab that would seat six people fairly comfortably, a big step up from my little Toyota Yaris that would only squish five.
It's one of those things you have to climb into.
Or, if you're 4 years old, it's the type of vehicle you have to jump out of.
It's so big that I instinctively duck every time I have to go into a low parking garage, as if that will bring the truck's height down.
It makes such wide turns that I've taken to finding the most remote areas of parking lots to try to find three empty spaces in a row so I can aim for the middle one without worrying about anything on the sides.
It sticks out at least two feet from the stalls at the office.
Getting in and out of any tight space requires a lot of back-and-forth and generally nets me some frightened stares from anyone standing nearby, as well as frantic reversals by the unfortunate souls driving right behind me.
My son tried to console my saying, "It's not as nimble as your car, Mom."
As far as making me feel better, it worked. I was impressed he used the word nimble.
Maybe I'm just self-conscious, but I swear people are wondering who in their right mind would get something that impractical just to haul two kids around.
The kids don't care.
My daughter keeps asking to go into the truck, and she doesn't care where it's going. She just wants to ride.
Well, this truck isn't going anywhere it doesn't have to.
If there was any doubt in my mind that this wasn't the right truck for me, it was erased instantly upon the first trip to the gas station.
It cost $80 to fill it up!
The kids get one final ride home from school, then I'm calling the rental company to see if anyone turned in anything smaller.
Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
