Some of you might be wondering, “The U-Haul Game, what’s that?” It’s a game we made up when our kids were young to keep them entertained on road trips. When I was young the game was associated with the Volkswagen Beetle. The first person to say they’d seen a “Bug” got the point.
I saw this photograph of a U-Haul truck sometime back but didn't notice who to give credit for it. That reminded me to write down this short item.
Prior to
that game we had a similar one we played while on the way to Jones Beach on
Long Island. There’s a red brick obelisk that we’d look for as we approached
the beach. From our vantage point in the
back seat of my parent’s car we’d intently pay attention for a chance to be the
first to shout, “I see the tower”.
In the
movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, there was a medal of honor bestowed
upon the hero of the day, “Kings to you”.
There’s probably a variation of this game that goes back in time prior
to recorded history, parents figuring out how to keep their kids occupied. “I
see the volcano erupting”, might have been said by some kid buried under the
ash in Pompei.
Getting
back to the U-Haul game, at the time we started this nonsense I did locksmith
work for the U-Haul companies in and around the Houston area. I’d rekey the doors of one of their outlets
if a manager quit or got fired. If a customer lost the keys to a rental unit
I’d go out and make a replacement key.
When we,
as a family, went on road trips, spotting a U-Haul truck or van became
something of interest, even to our kids.
They might not have understood that U-Haul was partly responsible for
our being able to afford a road trip; but they knew there was something about
seeing a U-Haul on the road made me smile.
Being
retired, my locksmith days are long gone. Our kids have all grown up and so
Lucy and are empty nesters. For some reason, the game goes on. We’ll drive into Houston on I-45, paying
attention for road hazards or something that draws our interest, a beautiful
sunrise, mist hanging in the trees off to the side of the freeway; or a single
U-Haul coming from the other direction.
“U-Haul!”,
the words landed on my ears. I was
raising my hand to point out the prize; however, as is often the case, Lucy had
seen it first, so she got the point. Imagine
that, two old fogies getting excited about a silly U-Haul truck going down the freeway.
