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A day trip in many cities involves taking in the cultural treasures of
a local museum or art gallery, or picking up seasonal produce or a
bunch of gladiolas at a local farmers market. A recent Friday found me
day-tripping to an RV dealership out on the west mesa.
My husband had taken our RV in for an oil change and called me from
the dealer’s showroom.
“You have to come out here and see this motor home,” he purred.
“What are you doing in the show room? You were only suppose to go out
for an oil change and to get the screen door latch fixed at the
service center,” I replied.
Having lived with this man for almost sixteen years, I have his modus
operandi down like Harry Calihan in a Dirty Harry movie. But still, as
a wife, I have to act surprised, stumped and bewildered just to keep
the dynamic in sync when my husband dreams up these off-the-wall
ideas. A successful marriage takes a team effort, this I know. My
husband doesn’t make big decisions on a whim; he’s been flying this
idea under his radar screen for months. I knew one of these days he
would crack. But why now? He spent six months in the dog house the
last time he pulled a stunt like this.
Always game for an adventure, I told him to get out of the showroom,
sit tight, and don’t sign anything. I was on my way. I had been to
this RV dealership before and knew I could take NM 528 to Coors all
the way to I-40 west. But I figured there had to be a back way, a
shorter quicker route to get there. Besides, I had always wanted to
explore more of Rio Rancho and get to know the short cuts around town.
I thought Unser would get me closer to the dealership, but soon it was
no longer Unser; the name changed and the street ended. Knowing I
wanted to head in a general south western direction, I turned right.
Next Paradise Hills, a name I recognized. Then I came upon the Ventana
Ranch subdivision, another familiar name. I think we even have some
friends who live there.
After one more left turn and a right, I was into the great wide-open.
My adventurous spirit was growing more skeptical by the mile. It made
me wonder whether I should have stopped at the last Shamrock and
bought a gas station sandwich and some peanut butter crackers for the
ride.
I continued to follow my nose and came upon the shooting range I had
heard about, then the Tempur-Pedic Mattress Factory. How can anyone
miss that logo with a naked man’s behind as big as a single engine
Piper Cub from the Double Eagle airport next door? I would rather be
exposed to the cute Coppertone baby rather than the oversized buns on
that building.
When I arrived at the dealership, my husband greeted me in his best
persuasive candor with “there is one out back that is perfect for us.”
I spent the next hour placating my significant other and the all
too-helpful salesman.
On my return trip I zigged when I should have zagged and ended up at
Cottonwood Mall before I realized this was not where I wanted to go. I
did learn some short cuts and saw the incredible growth everyone is
talking about.
As for my husband, he went out to get a $37 oil change and came back
with a 37 foot port-o-potty on wheels, and that’s going to cost him
more than financial pain, just wait and see.
Quote of the Week: "Go ahead, make my day" - Dirty Harry.
Jennifer Huard’s column appears each Thursday. She welcomes your
emails at jhuard@abqjournal.com
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