Key
To My Escape
Nobody
thought I would actually do it. I was
15 when I decided that this was my plan.
I'd just bought my very first car -
a 1969 Volkswagen Bus for $2,800- and
was saving up every dollar I earned
to fix him up. The interior seats were
a mustard yellow vinyl that reminded
me of baby puke, but stickier in the
summer heat with no A/C.
The
flooring was tattered and torn from
26 years of good times. The interior
cabinetry- an original Westfalia conversion-
was in surprisingly good shape, save
for a few peeled back corners of the
vinyl corner trim that had aged from
white to creme-colored. I knew that
this vehicle was the key to my escape,
and I cherished every rusted inch of
it. I borrowed some money from my parents
to get the body sanded and repainted
right away. The patchy, multiple shades
of white paint that were on it were
okay, but this bus had only moved to
Michigan two years earlier, and I knew
it needed a fresh coat of protection
from the harsh, salty roads.
I
knew exactly what I wanted: brilliant,
Cobalt Blue, with glittery heavy metal
flake on the bottom, with snow white
on top. As it turns out, I couldn't
afford heavy metal flake, but I think
he turned out gorgeous nevertheless.
Over that first year we were together,
I painstakingly removed all the wood
paneling that graced the ceiling and
walls of this camper. I salvaged the
pieces I could, cut new ones where I
couldn't, and then stained them all
a warm cherry color, replete with 7
coats of clear varnish. My driveway
and I saw a lot of each other that summer.
I
bought a rusted out parts Bus to scab
materials from. An older woman helped
me to sew all new curtains, which I
then tie-dyed shades of Cerulean Blue,
Lime Green, and a hint of Purple. My
own mother helped me to rip out all
that nasty yellow vinyl and sew brand
new upholstery for the rear seats and
fold-out bed cushions. I picked a dark
blue fabric with a black chevron pattern,
to match the new paint job and help
hide stains. I cherish this Bus...the
key to my escape.
Kelly
SchWeger
