Video vamp

It's the mid-eighties, 1980s.  My aunt, Anita, drives a 1978, Chevy Camaro.  It's brown interior feels bumpy on my legs, and the exterior shines in the sun.  We have the windows down and the stereo up.  She has on some dark sunglasses with wire rims.  And strangely, a denim jacket, but it's hot out.

This is not her car, but one I found on the internet.  The picture is a close match.  Cool, right?

Def Leppard blares out of the speakers.  I love Anita's music.  Riding in the car with her, radio cranked, makes me feel like the cool kid, the coolest kid.  She looks over at me and smiles.  I soar.  "Hey, Em.  Wanna get a soda?" she asks like it's nothing, but it's everything.  I never get soda, and we never crank the radio in the car.  There is usually a baby sleeping.

We jump out at the station in town.  She let's me put the coins in the Coke machine without even asking if I want to.  She knows I want to.  The cold can falls, I retrieve it and hand it to Anita.  She hands me more coins and I push them in and select the button for my soda.  It clangs down inside the machine, and I wrap my hand around the treasured treat.

We both pop the can tabs and sit on the front bumper to enjoy the fizzy sweetness.  We must sit there forever, talking about nothing, but filling the time with conversation.

My aunt, Anita, turns 50 years old tomorrow.  I don't know how that's possible because this memory seems like yesterday, and besides a different hair-cut, she hasn't changed a bit.  I affectionately called her my video vamp once, I may not have really known what that was.  :) I love her to pieces.  Happy Birthday, Nita!!