Will My Oldest Grandson Ever Drive? Rocky Mountain Region Member
Danielle Badler
On my visits, the boys would set up race tracks in their play room, and zoom their “cool” cars around the tracks. My daughter is relatively strict about TV viewing. But when it was time to watch a movie, they’d settle in for “Cars.”
His name is Hugo. I know. It’s a “different” name for an almost seven-year-old. When asked “why Hugo,” I used to answer that they live in LA. And people would say “oh” and nod sagely. But now I can’t say that. They moved – my daughter, son-in-law, three kids under seven and two dogs – to Vancouver, BC, where my son-in-law’s from. They moved last year, as Covid went from bad to worse to really bad. When Hugo arrived at my apartment, he immediately located in my guest room six TonI didn’t complain. It probably wouldn’t have ka Toy Porsches – my stash for Hugo and his made a difference, anyway. They need to younger brother - and asked if he could have lead their own lives. Right? Right? them. I asked how many. And he said all of them. And, of course, I gave them all to him. But the move means I hadn’t seen them in a year and a half. Until when Canada opened Driving back from the airport, into the garup and my daughter felt safe enough to age in my building, we immediately passed come visit with the oldest, Hugo, a few an apparition … my ’78 911 SC. I was about to weekends ago. tell a story to Hugo … but, to my everlasting I’ve been feeding Hugo car toys almost since he was born. I’ve been doing it out of some vague hope that he’ll reveal the “car gene.” If you’re reading this, you probably know all about the gene. It makes you drool for the specs of a Turbo S. Cite absolute lap times around the Nurburgring for Porsche products. Recite the differences between every GT3 and GT3 RS ever made, by rote. I also doubled down. I got them a family membership to the Petersen Automotive Museum. And, one visit, I went with them. It was terrific. I couldn’t stop regaling them with tales about the performance envelope of this car and that. Did they understand the significance? The significance of the visit to me? I don’t know. Maybe some day they will. VANCOUVER ISLAND — PORSCHER
joy, my daughter beat me to it, “Hugo, when Mapa got that car I was exactly your age!” She’s 39. Do the math. Hugo did a triple-take. Really? Yes, I said. When I went to pick up the car, your mother came along, and sat pretty in her special jump seat, a seat specially designed to fit her and her little sister. Your mother thought that was the greatest thing ever. And so did Hugo. So, yeah, I do think he has the gene. And that fact has me thinking, once again, about something I’ve mentioned in the past. It’s this. Will Hugo ever actually drive? A few years ago, I was pretty adamant that SEPTEMBER 2021 Page 25
