Vehicles...

We had a little red sports car in the late 80’s. We only owned the car for a short time. It was a Z28 Camero. We sold it when Kris was old enough to drive. I was afraid she would get hurt in a little red fast sports car. We bought a big ole ’89 Chevy conversion van. Just the kind of vehicle every kid needs when they are learning to drive.

This was quiet the upscale van in its day. It had a TV and a VCR player in it. Oh, not the nice pull down TV’s they have now. No, this was a big ole block of a TV that sat in an oak cabinet with a roll down top like a bread box or a roll top desk top. I remember it also had captain chairs that swiveled and an electric fold out bed. Yes, just what ever teenage kid needs when they are learning to drive.

Anyway, we lived just 2 blocks from a strip mall that had a movie theater. As I remember we all used to go to the movies often. But this day, a Saturday, I went to the movies by myself. I do not remember why Mike did not go along with me. We were not mad or fighting so it must have been a chick flick he did not want to see. This was in the afternoon, I do remember that.

We always parked the van sort of behind the theater. There was a very large parking lot out front but there was also a parking area behind the theater that was shaded by the buildings and that is where we always parked. That day, I pulled up and parked where we always did and went inside the cool theater for probably 2 relaxing hours.

When I came out to get into the van it was not where I thought I had parked it. There was another car parked there. I looked around in another row or two, thinking maybe I had parked it in another spot. I did not see the van and I thought Mike must have needed to go somewhere and came up and got it. So I walked the 2 blocks home.

When I did get within sight of the drive way I did not see the van. I thought Mike must still be gone in it somewhere. When I got inside the house, there Mike sat watching TV. The conversation after that went something like this.

Me: Where’s the van?
Mike: What do you mean, where’s the van? You have it.
Me: No, when I came out of the theater it was not there. I thought you came and got it.
Mike: No, I did not take it. Are you sure it was not there.
Me: I don’t think so. Maybe I just overlooked it.

So this time, as best I remember, the whole family treks back up to the theater to look for the van I had misplaced. We had another car sitting at the house but we did not drive up there. No, we all walked back to the theater.

When we get there we did see the broken glass on the ground, right in the spot where I thought I had parked the van. Come to find out some kids had busted the window and stole the van. The police said they usually only drive it within a 2 or 3 mile radius and sure enough we found it. It was across the street in another strip mall parking lot. They took the TV and VCR player and did a little damage to it but it was not bad and the insurance company fixed it back good as new.


This morning when I remembered this incident there were a couple of things that struck me as odd. First, I was at the movies by myself in the middle of the afternoon. This just blows my mind. I can not believe this happened very often. The other thing was I thought Mike came and got the van and I had to walk home and I was not even upset about that. I was in my 30’s and I guess walking 2 blocks, was no big deal to me back then. Let this happen today and I would call someone to come pick me up!