Chapter 1, Part 3 - The Drive Down

Some people who winter in Florida fly there and leave a car at their condo year-round for their use when they get there. Others take the train so they do not have the arduous task of driving over 1,000 miles; they can relax and sleep en route instead. Mom and Dad drive. I’ve often wondered why they drive when they can fly or take the train. I think it’s because: A: It’s the cheapest way to get there, and B: It’s the cheapest way to get there. Not that Mom and Dad are cheap, but they do like to save money if they can.

Mom says they drive because they are in charge – they can stop when they want, eat when they are hungry, and argue in private. Dad says it’s because they are still active enough to drive. “After all, we are considered young retirees. We’re only in our early sixties and are still capable of driving to Florida. Not like those old folks who have to fly or take the train,” he explains.

Now, I’m not so sure Dad driving is a good thing. And not because of why you might think. He is not one of those little old people driving 45 on a 65 mile-per-hour highway. Dad shouldn’t be driving because of the opposite reason – he is a speed demon on the road. He says he drives fast (85 on those same 65 mile-per-hour highways) because he wants to ‘make time.’ The truth is that he doesn’t really want to ‘make time’ so much as he needs to. The main reason being because he has to make up for time he loses when he gets lost. And he does get lost. Every year.

Now, you might ask how he can get lost when it’s pretty much a straight drive to Florida down Interstate 95. And believe me, I’ve asked that same question many times myself. But somehow he manages to get lost every year. Although to his credit, it’s always in a different place.