Dear Tania Anne - Tribute to a True Friend
I woke up a tad early and can't get back to sleep whuk sakes! You know that I think of the weirdest things sometimes so get this; because my heart is pakaru (broken) for you, it reminds me that my car is pakaru (broken) at the moment too, so next minute I start comparing our Sisterhood to parts of a 'car'. Then, to make it worse, my minds told me to write to you about it. So, in no particular order, here goes...
- Four wheels kept us rolling with laughter;
- Doors that opened, closed, locked and opened again, much like what we chose to share or who we chose to let in;
- Windows that rolled down to let out hot air or steam, and allowed us to feel the wind in our hair;
- The horn or 'warning device' used to forewarn others that, "naaah, we are not having a good day"!;
- The motor, a V8, but stuck in a 1.3cc, just so we could get through life on all cylinders but the revs could still reach Red, if pushed;
- Comfy seats that cradled our kids or moko (grandchildren), whanau (family) and friends and the seat belts, just like us, kept them safe;
- The front screen protected us from any airborne creatures that decided they wanted to play 'chicken' with us, and it also helped us to see clearly;
- The wipers would wash away the shit left by any external influences although sometimes it took a while to get rid of the smudges left behind;
- We used the rear view mirrors to see the past to remind us about things;
- Smooth gear changes were like going through the motions Depending on the situation, 0 to 100 in 137 secs;
- The radiator reminded me of how you always kept your cool;
- (there are no dipsticks in this car);
- The breaks were just that, you would always stop and check your makeup, before someone got hurt!
- (this car made no skid marks);
- The fan, yep, I am totally a fan of yours;
- The lights are self-explanatory, we are both blind;
- Porirua City is our Hood;
- The boot well, it's big enough to be practical yet it's seductively shaped, that anyone who happened to be behind us, couldn’t help but look at it!;
- All tyres were well balanced and kept a firm grip on the road ahead but even when we had a flatty, you always had two Jacks around!;
- Oh yea, and that spare tyre seemed to have ended up around our waists;
- Patches of rust showed others that although you were a classic, you didn't want to be perfect;
- The KMs were a tad high but we always found creative ways to wind back the numbers when required, especially on a night out;
- Fumes from the exhaust pipe remind me of the fumes you had to put up with each time you chauffeured us drunken, fighting, staggering, wobbling, crying or spewing passengers, and at any time to any place. I bet you were exhausted after most trips and you must have heard heaps of gas bagging while driving everyone for all those years;
- The sounds! aahhhh, the sounds. Always up full blast and as if we knew all the words to all those songs...well you did anyway;
- Tuning and timing was envied and overall, the most Reliable, Solid and Loyal super Model that ran on the smell of an oily rag.
Yep Tania Anne, I not sure why I compared my thoughts of you and our Sisterhood to a car but I tell you what, you were the KEY to it all! Thanks, heaps, for the ride my Lovely.
Rest in Peace. Much love ake tonu atu, (for ever and ever). MMMWAH
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(Thursday: Tania and family are celebrating her 50th birthday by dinning at an expensive seafood restaurant. Within the next eight hours Tania will suffer two massive strokes, be rushed to hospital and then die in the Intensive Care Unit).
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