Friday, May 31

Today could have taken the form of a holiday or a work day since some people had returned to work after yesterday’s common holiday and some people had planned for a four day weekend. We both sat and worked till 12:00, and then did more work later.

However we worked at home at our own pace and so got the best of both worlds.

The car had started making funny noises and Irma finally had time to take it to the local car mechanic. He listened to her and told her that, in his opinion the car had reached the end of its useful life; or if it hadn’t then it very soon would. He prophesied increasing expense for diminishing returns, and suggested that we should now seriously consider getting a new one.

Follow your dream, he said, when Irma asked what sort of car he would advise. Not just a car mechanic: a car philosopher, too.

We drove to Herttoniemi to wander among the cars in the block of car showrooms that sit there, one after the other. We saw some we liked, and took photographs, and then paused to go to Marimekko to buy a gift for a party tomorrow.

We returned to K-caari to look at a Peugeot we had seen: a nice SUV to replace the one we have had for the last thirteen years. Then we walked straight into The Peugeot Dilemma.

We saw a second Peugeot in the corner of the showroom, at more or less the same price. It had driven only 32000 kilometres, although it had been manufactured in 2013. The insurance and running costs appeared almost identical.

I thought to myself at the time that you never usually get such a clear choice. Did we want a sensible SUV or a fantastically frivolous sports car? We got in and out of them and bought the sports car: an RCZ that felt embarrassing to imagine we owned. However, we now longer have to carry children to hobbies, or take their friends hom and, as Irma said, everyone should own one sports car in their life.

We go down and empty our faithful old Nissan X-Trail and I take a picture of it before we say goodbye to it and trade it in. Auo chose it when she and Irma went shopping and to look at possible new cars. They came back with groceries and an X-Trail.

Irma still remembers this vividly. We console ourselves with the certain knowledge that, this time, Auo would have certainly have voted for the RCZ; without a shadow of a doubt or a moment’s hesitation.

We will drive off in our new sports car and head for Kulosaari reko where we will buy bread, eggs, fish and vegetables, giggling every time we turn round and spot our car parked a few metres away.