A letter to Scooterlou

Dear Scooterlou,

It’s been a good nearly two years together.  We’ve been through a lot of good times, a couple of bad times, and one really nasty time (I’m pretty sure I shielded you from the road that one time we were in an accident together), and rode 1,730ish miles together (give or take).  You’ve taken good care of me, and I’m pretty sure I’ve taken good care of you – aside from covering you in stickers, anyway.  And that nasty spill on College Ave.  You’re my first scooter, and I love you to death.

But… y’see, I think I’ve outgrown you.

I know, I know, you’ll say “but come on, you haven’t gotten any taller!  I’m short and dainty and perfect for you!”  But over the past twoish years, I’ve been learning about what I really need in a scooter.  I need something that, while being a 49cc scooter, can go up hills without sounding like it’s having an asthma attack.  Something that can go from zero to useful in a short amount of time at a stop light.  Something that doesn’t piss off the drivers behind me because I’m slowly making my way up to 35 miles an hour after turning onto a new road.  I also want something a little bigger, something a little taller, something a little zippier, something a little more reliable.  (And I’m not saying you’re not reliable!  I am, however, saying that you have been in the shop a couple times over the past two years, and I’ve heard Honda Metropolitans have certain things that get problematic as they age.)

I’m getting a Buddy tomorrow, Scooterlou.  And you’re going to end up finding a new home.

I know Scott will find you a good home, hopefully someone who will take good care of you.  Maybe you’ll be someone else’s first scooter, like you were my first scooter.  Someone might learn to ride on you, like I did, and get comfortable on the road, and eventually feel like they’re an amazing scooterist, thanks to you.  Or maybe a Metropolitan enthusiast will snatch you up and add them to their army of Honda Metros that they have in their garage in a rainbow of colors.  Maybe someone whose family member was bit by the scootering bug will bring you home, so they can scooter too – much like how we ended up with Scooterbern.  I don’t like thinking about Scooterbern too much, though, considering the last time I saw him after he got sold he had been in a tiny wreck and I had to try not to cry.

I don’t want to think about you getting in a wreck.  It was bad enough the one time we got in that wreck and I came home from the ER, doped up on pain meds, afraid you were a twisted wreck of red plastic.  I don’t want to think about someone buying you and not taking care of you.

Maybe someone like me will buy you – someone overly worried about everything, someone who will take extra good care of you – cover you up in the winter, decorate you with a garland for Christmas, crochet a scooter basket cover for you, make a Facebook page for you.  Someone who will sing songs to you while you putter up a hill at 20 miles an hour.  Someone who will cover you in stickers again, and try to strap a speaker to you, and will pull you into the living room when there’s a tornado warning.  You’ll help someone find their independence, their freedom, like you helped me.

See? Scooter in the living room.

And who knows?  Maybe I’ll even see you sometimes.  Maybe your new owner will join Hoosier Ride, and we’ll get to ride together.  Maybe I’ll end up friends with them.  That would be nice, wouldn’t it?  You can ride with my new scooter, my seafoam Buddy who I’ll name after you a little bit.  Mia Lou, and it’ll be fun.  I’ll try not to leave you in the dust.

But for right now, I’m going to fill up a bucket with some water and car soap, and go give you one last bath before I hand you over to Scott tomorrow.  I’m going to clean out your trunk, and make sure all the sticker residue is gone.  I’ll make sure you’re all polished and shiny.  And I’ll try not to cry while I do it all.

I love you, Scooterlou.  Thank you for helping me transform from an anxious, shy, dependent little nerd into a somewhat more self-assured, independent, scooter-riding nerd.

-Beth

edit 11/21/14: I HAVE MY SCOOTERLOU BACK

Edit 8/14/18: Ended up selling Scooterlou again back in 2015, but I apparently have a trend of selling scooters and then getting them back, hah.