Voices from the Back of the Car

When I met my husband that got me into my current business, I ran my families limousine business. I did all the books, answered phones, washed and cleaned the cars and drove the monster cars. We ran a very nice business. We specialized in smaller limousines that were more personal and romantic. The limousines you see today are nothing but party barges that have lost all the romance. I'm glad to see that people are hiring drivers for their mobile partying rather than driving drunk. However, I'm also glad that I'm not the one driving them around. Drunks can be so annoying and you find yourself driving from one 24 hour store to the next just so they can all use the restroom, unless your driving one of those ugly buses that have a restroom on board. No romance there. "Let's take a toilet with us!"

So now I spend my driving time behind the wheel of a hearse. I have yet to have even just one passenger call up to the front and tell me that they need to use the toilet. My passengers are much quieter and let me listen to whatever I want on the radio. To date, I have had no complaints from any passengers about my driving. Although I'm sure that I've ruined a few days of others on the road that are in a hurry to get to tennis class or wherever they are going.

On occasion though, I will pick up a job driving a private limousine for some people that I know. Since I've driven for them many times, I know them and some of their needs throughout the night. It's always fun to listen to them discussing business and personal issues and getting a peek into a life that I'd otherwise never get to see. They in turn can relax with their friends and enjoy a cocktail or two and not worry about where they are or how to get there. They simply tell me where they want to go and when they need to be there and leave the rest up to me.

On Friday night, I took the limousine owners wife and some of her friends out on the town. Their destination was a trendy fondue place about an hours drive from where they live. Along the way I got hear all about the fabulous vacations that they've all taken and how one of them has just sold their house but doesn't have a new one yet. So they are shacking up in a small 3 bedroom/two bath cottage on the lake. It's so small and all their furniture is in storage. I heard stories of the horse camps that they were all sending their daughters to over the summer and how the construction in town has made it difficult for them to get to the golf club for dinner. And how it's worse in the daytime traffic to take the kids to private school or tennis. It's better than "real housewives" on Bravo. It's Real Housewives of Michigan!

As with reality tv, it's nice to watch and hear all of this. But at the end of the day, I like my life. I enjoy my small home with my husband and dog. Sometimes seeing people with nothing will help you to appreciate what you have. In this case, seeing people with "everything" helps me to appreciate everything that I have and more.