A Fluosilicate of Aluminum to Remember

to·paz [toh-paz]
noun
1. a mineral, a fluosilicate of aluminum, usually occurring in prismatic orthorhombic crystals of various colors, and used as a gem.

Have I ever told you about my first car? It was a gem, and I mean, a real gem. It was a Topaz, to be exact. A Mercury Topaz that was the envy of all who laid eyes on it. When you think, "First car, I wonder what it could be," you may consider a Mustang or even an old-school VW Beetle, but I set my sights on something that was a little more functional than that.

Consider with me the hot summer days of Fresno. In the middle of the afternoon, after your car has been sitting in the sun and ripening all of those spilled drinks, that you desire to roll your windows down and freshen the car hits with the immediacy of one needing to release an evil spirit. Well, not so in this Topaz. I mean, you could roll down the back windows, but they only went halfway due to the child protection locks. The front would roll down, but not go back up. So, if you wanted to get out of the car and guide the window up straight, you could hazard rolling the window down. Why not just turn on the AC? That's a great question. It didn't work. Next question.

What about the look of the car? So it had some mechanical issues...did it still work well on the exterior? Sure! If you consider peeling paint to be gorgeous on a car. Better yet, let me tell you about the functional parts. One of the seat belts didn't work; the lights would turn on, but not off unless you knew the correct angle of depression; the wipers worked when it wasn't raining; the turn signal hung limply and you had to hold it up or down with all of your might to get a blinking light; and, the e-brake was slightly touchy when set in place. But, other than that, it was a beautiful gem that got me from point A to point B.

What was your first car? Did it work? Has it forever more changed your life?