Cars and Girls - Part Two - BMW Convertible

If you're depressed buy some chocolate. Really depressed? Go buy yourself some new shoes or a top. Was buying a new car an indicator of the depth of my depression?

The arrival of the "new" car coincided with me spending a lot of time with Natalie. What can I say about Natalie? Blonde, gorgeous. A smile that lit up the room. She spoke with a South London accent, but then so does my mum, so that didn't put me off too much. I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but I certainly remember the moment when I knew I wanted to spend more time with her. A group of us (including her boyfriend) had gone "ghost-hunting" at Pevensey Castle. She silently grabbed my hand while nobody was looking and pulled me towards the pub. We snuck off for a quiet drink together and I was hooked.

It was the boyfriend who effectively green-lighted us going out together. He told me and my friend Julian, "Natalie hasn't got any friends. Give her a phone call to cheer her up". Of course, me and my friend were all too eager to hang around with Natalie. It was one of these outings, conveniently timed for when the boyfriend was at work, that prompted me to buy a car. The car that a chose was a 3-Series BMW convertible. I'd often seen it in the TV series Beverley Hills 90210 and that was the sort of lifestyle I wanted to associate myself with.

The first outing in the new car was a great success. After struggling to get the roof down following the German-written instructions me, Julian and Natalie set off for a cruise round town then up to Tunbridge Wells. Having a nice car meant that all my friends were keen to drive it. So Julian drove, I sat in the passenger seat, while Natalie sat in the back with an ice-cold can of Diamond White clutched in her frozen hand. Despite it being a chilly November day, we had the roof down. The cold didn't matter, of course, it was all about the image.

I didn't have to share Natalie for long (apart from with her boyfriend of course), Julian soon got a girlfriend (using my car to take her out on their first date). Our evenings out were all about the visuals. The windscreen of the car acting as our widescreen TV on the world. Sometimes we'd even put on special 3D glasses that I'd got with a rave video to enhance the image. This was also the occasion when I got to behave like a boy scout. No, not the good deeds that it entails, but the "Be Prepared" element. The boot of my car was well stocked with a crate of Diamond Whites, fireworks and even balloons. Aside from the dubious safety aspect, driving along at 100mph with one window open and some balloons let loose in the car provides for great comic effect.

It wasn't long before Natalie found my company preferable to that of her boyfriend Dave. I'd take her out, show her a good time keep her up late and generally mess up his romantic plans. One night it all came to a head when she replied after being asked about her boyfriend, "Dave, Dave who?". Then when we had a drink and she made the toast "To us". Naughty girl, and she knew it.

Unfortunately, I was fairly good friends with the boyfriend too. So eventually I agreed to not see Natalie for a while "To give their relationship a chance". So I stood aside. I found replacements for Natalie. Apart from the other girls, there was the Barbie doll that sat on my dashboard. She was renamed Natalie. We went everywhere. She didn't say much, but I was used to that.

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