[MrsCarEnthusiast]

Link to Part 1 Thread (Being married to a Team-BHPian)

Yet another year of marital bless passed by, as I witnessed my husband equally divide his love between our two-year-old baby boy and our Honda City (almost of the same age, slightly older). Mr Carenthusiast continues to pass on his snippets of knowledge about automobiles to my son and me. What I had learnt after the age of 30, my baby had already learnt before his second birthday. So now my boy can identify and name headlights, foglights, brakelights and even the red immobilizer indicator light. To provide an outlet for the inexhaustible energy of the little Schumacher, we have already made him a proud owner of an array of toy vehicles, including a colourful jeep, a Lamborghini, an autorickshaw, a tractor, a vintage-style automobile and a train.













Junior recently got the licence to ride his panda car.



Among the dozen board books that I got for my baby racer, his favorite ones include one on cars and another one called “Little drivers”. To add to the collection, my hubby bought the “Autocar India” magazine, which my boy now knows by heart, page by page.



To please dad and son, during Onam, I designed the “pookalam” (floral rangoli) as a car.



And every fortnight the little Schumacher watches, submerged in fascination, as his dad bathes our Honda City and mops it clean using delicate microfibre towels ( which once upon a time, not long ago, were used to wipe him clean).

My husband hopes that junior will inherit one of his unique talents- the ability to sense the slightest illness that affects the car. For instance, one day, he sensed that something was wrong with a tyre. He took it to one mechanic who inspected the tyre, and said that it was perfectly fine. But hubby knows when the darling City is sick. He took it to another car mechanic. This guy seemed more experienced; he spent almost half an hour pouring soap-water solution over the tyre inch-by-inch while turning it…and Eureka! At one spot the air bubbles leaked out! The mechanic had successfully found the spot where a large thorn was stuck, and gently plucked it out. It was enthralling to learn that doctors aren’t the only ones who diagnose ailments and perform delicate surgeries.

But no matter how careful Mr.Carenthusiast is, a few tiny scratches are inevitable. One such scratch at the rear end, disrupted my husband's sleep for nights. He was determined to fix it himself- first tried a paint and brush, scraped it if off multiple times; then tried spray paint, but still didn't achieve the impeccable finish that he yearned for. I had always been looking for an opportunity to spice up the boring white colour of the Honda city; so I ordered stickers and voila! He too was satisfied with the results.



And I ordered extra stickers just to make it a bit more snazzy.



At the time when we had bought the car, white was the most beautiful option out of the five colours available in Honda. But next year, they released the exotic “Obsidian blue pearl” Honda City; so now he sighs every time he sees one on the road. He says that buying a car is like getting married- in the initial days, the thrill of a new bride is exhilarating, but then the novelty wears off; soon you start wishing that you had waited a little longer, and then gradually you just accept and make peace with what you have; and be content with staring at the youngest, latest models.

Meanwhile, one day I was cleaning my old book shelf, and in one of the pieces of papers that my son had scribbled, I chanced upon a song that I had downloaded 15 years ago:

“I'm sitting at the wheel - I got a green light
I'm not afraid of nothing
'cause heart and soul I'm built for life
So let the engines roar - Push the pedal down
I want the white lines on my highway
To lead me out of town
I'm rolling on and on and on - Who knows where I'm goin'
Life is an open road
It's the best story never told
It's an endless sky, it's the deepest sea
Life is an open road to me
Life is an open road to me”

(Life is an open road by Bryan Adams)

I showed it to my husband, and he said that this was the perfect invigorating song to play on a solo road trip. But alas, the nagging wife and the whiny son prevent the trip from happening. He says that he can't even spend time cleaning the car, without a few sarcastic remarks from family members, including me, and even his own mother.

He says that some day he’ll write a thread titled “The trials and tribulations of a Car Enthusiast.” That will surely be an engaging read. But until then, I humbly urge all petrolheads to go read one of the most adored blockbuster teamBHP posts of all time (just in case you haven't read it yet ): https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intro...ml#post5456383 (Being married to a Team-BHPian)

[Sheel]

Mod Note : Thread Approved.

Thanks for sharing .

[ssateesh]

What a pleasant surprise and a pleasure to read ! Keep going

[Samba]

Part 1 had a mystery to solve (finding out who Mr.CarEnthusiast was), while part 2 is pretty much straight forward and a nice read.
Lets see what part 3 has in store for us!

You must be the first Bhpian to get 500+ 'Thanks' from zero post count!
This reminds me of Virat Kohli, who got his first T20 international wicket on his zeroth delivery! That was a wide ball and the batsman got stumped!
Here all your blockbusters are under the 'shifting gears' section, which does not add to the post count!

[Prof87]

Came across this thread and found a part 1 link and couldnt stop smiling while going through the entire intro post. It was fun to read with all the curios responses.
I have a 3yr old son who recognizes Innova, Ertiga and Nexon (which we are awaiting delivery). Whenever we head out, he keeps asking the names of each and every car that passes by and I patiently answer his question with a smile.

[VinsWagen]

What an enjoyable read!

I wholeheartedly acknowledge any accusations of gender stereotyping and readily admit to the same. However, I can't help but notice that a female author brings a refreshing touch, and offers unique perspectives, a different gaze, tenderness, and grace not often found in male writing. A very welcome infusion to our male-dominated motor forum.

[itspatra]

Originally Posted by MrsCarEnthusiast

He says that buying a car is like getting married

This is probably the most petrolhead explanation of Marriage. I am sorry I am gonna steal this line.

[sdasgupta]

Wow, another great post !
Very refreshing and humorous.
Looking forward to the next update.

[subie_socal]

Haha, wishing you two happy miles ahead. I wish my partner to be also in this forum (that is, if I find the right person and get married ��)

[MrsCarEnthusiast]

:-D same here... Junior sights every petrol pump, every car, every auto, tempo, traveller bus, truck, and his favorite is the KSRTC bus (which every Malayali will agree, is the mightiest automobile on Kerala roads, for which everyone else makes way)

[ergon_9700]

Originally Posted by MrsCarEnthusiast

:-D same here... Junior sights every petrol pump, every car, every auto, tempo, traveller bus, truck, and his favorite is the KSRTC bus (which every Malayali will agree, is the mightiest automobile on Kerala roads, for which everyone else makes way)

As a Malayali regarding KSRTC Buses I will say "Chechi paranjathu Sathyam aanu" (Translation: Sister what you said is the truth)

[Mystic]

I can relate to your thoughts with respect to my wife. I live and breathe cars for the past 6 decades. My wife has no clue about automobiles. I take meticulous care of all my cars by doing the cleaning as much as possible with my own hands. Nothing is more satisfying than doing this job. Sometimes my wife says that car is my first wife and she is my second wife. I respond to her that I maintain all my cars to a perfection and on a lighter note I tell her that this is the care I have extended to my 2nd wife such that she is 50 kgs on the 1st day of marriage and she is also 50 kgs after 3+ decades of marriage in spite of having an adult son who is a Professor.

Coming to my siblings, I have 3 sisters and I am the only son. All my 3 sisters and my mother drive cars. In our extended family, we have a few grand mothers also drive cars. I have never seen my brother in laws driving when my sisters are also travelling in the same car. It is always my sisters driving. I consider myself a great automobile enthusiast with my personal room in teen age filled with car photos from automobile magazines stuck to every inch of the wall. My elder sisters were more knowledgeable and sometimes challenge me to identify the car by looking at the back lights in car magazines. May be this interest in automobiles in our family is because we spent our childhood abroad with so many car models around us. The below photo shows my 3 sisters and mother in the balcony posing with my father’s Government car taken in early 1970s.