My entry entitled “A Fantastic Time in Byron, Part 2″ is still half-written, and is going to remain that way at least until this post is finished, since l’affaire Ribena is a much more pressing issue for me at the moment.

After some deliberation on whether I needed a car in Perth or not, I finally decided to go out and have a test drive or two a couple weeks ago. I figured that a car would give me much more freedom than I currently have to explore the city of Perth and its surrounds, since I may not be here forever and I’d like to see what I can while I’m here rather than just sitting around the house all weekend!

I wanted a small car that had good fuel economy, since I only needed it for puttering around town and wanted to save as much on skyrocketing fuel prices as possible. I ended up narrowing it down to a few choices–mainly, the Honda Jazz and the Toyota Yaris. I found a demo Honda Jazz on some online listings that had a good price and a very low number of kilometers, so when Chris offered to drive Henry and me around in his new Civic Type R during our lunch break and Henry suggested that we drive to the dealership so I could test drive the Jazz, I jumped at the chance. When we got there, they told us that that car had already been sold but that I could have a new car for that used price. I was dumbfounded that the “bargaining” would be that easy, but it turns out I just got there at the right time, meaning it was right at the end of the “end of financial year” clearance.

We all went for a test drive in the new Jazz, which was great. It drove smoothly and the engine was so much quiter than my Accord at home. Also, according to the guys in the back, it was very roomy. After we got back to the dealership, the salesman demonstrated all the ways the seats can be moved around (which was quite a lot) and I noticed that even my bike would fit into it–and it’s a tiny hatchback! All of that combined with my great experience with Hondas had me sold.

Flash forward to two weeks later–last Tuesday. It had taken the dealership what seemed to me to be an interminable time to get the car ready, but apparently they were very backlogged with the end-of-year sales and just couldn’t get it to me sooner. At least it gave me time to get my loan and insurance sorted out. It was a very rainy afternoon when we arrived at the dealership to pick up the car, with me clutching more money in checks than I’d ever held before. The salesman took me on a quick drive to the service centre to get me acquainted with everything, and then I was on my way.

I was so excited to get my little Jazz, which as you can see from the pictures is…purple. The dealership called it “misty violet” or “blackcurrant”; I hooked on to “blackcurrant” just to make it sound a little less goofy. But hey, all of the guys that saw my car agreed that it was not an obnoxious purple at all…most actually found it quite nice. I know I was turned off by the thought of a purple car but it really grew on me. I liked it even more once James came up with a name for the car…Ribena. For those of you in the US that haven’t had it before, Ribena is a purple-coloured blackcurrant juice drink sold in the UK, Australia, and NZ. It was such a cute name to go with a cute little car. People at work even wanted me to get personalized plates that said RIBENA.

Then, Thursday night happened. Paul wanted to go get a few things for his room, so I offered to drive him to IKEA. I can’t say I ever pass up a chance to go to this massive warehouse of a store, and I certainly would have found a reason to go driving that night even if Paul didn’t need a laundry basket. It was a rainy night, although it was only drizzling for most of the ride. Just before the IKEA exit, traffic started building up as more cars pulled into the left lane so they, too, could take care of their housewares needs. On top of this, there was a fender bender on the shoulder, which was a perfect opportunity for some people to rubberneck. I did not, but I had to quickly brake as the cars in front of me came to a halt. I stopped in time and had some space between me and the car in front; this gave me time to look in the rear view mirror and start screaming as I saw the car behind me’s lights coming up way too fast. Fortunately, Paul didn’t know what was about to happen, so he didn’t tense up as I probably did. The inevitable smash came, which pushed Paul, Ribena, and me into the car in front. I don’t remember anything after that–it’s just a complete blank. I know I was screaming and I know I somehow got out of the car, although I don’t have any idea if I checked for cars before getting out on the shoulder or what. I just remember being on the side of the road completely freaking out while Paul and the lady in front tried to calm me down. At least everyone got out of their cars in one piece.

Ribena, on the other hand, was in shambles. The back was obviously smashed inwards where the car behind had hit; in front, the hood would not close and the grill was damaged, implying to me that something could have been smashed internally as well. When the tow truck driver arrived, he confirmed the worst–I could not drive Ribena home. She would have to be towed away, possibly for me to never see again. He wasn’t sure about the extent of the damage but said that at least the radiator was damaged and leaking. I was devastated. It was only the third time I’d even driven her! Both of the other cars in the incident could be driven away.

I’m just so happy that Paul was there with me to help out. I’m unhappy that he had to experience the accident with me, but I’m very very happy he managed to get out of the car and that he helped to calm me down. I finally managed to get all of the information from everybody, after a few frantic phone calls to the other Paul, who was also a great help. Chris from work was fantastic and immediately came over to pick us up when the tow truck driver dropped us at IKEA.

I said before that everyone walked away from the accident. I don’t know about the other two drivers, but I know that Paul is physically fine; I, on the other hand, am not quite so. The ankle of the foot that was on the brake is possibly sprained and a bit difficult to walk on (but the x-rays the next day confirmed there was no break, hairline or otherwise), and I have a pretty bad case of whiplash. I’ve spent most of the weekend in bed because it’s just uncomfortable to not be lying down. I’ve ventured out a few times–to the Wallabies game that I’d already bought tickets to (and the Wallabies won, beating the Springboks–the world champions!) and out to the front yard to take some pictures of flowers–but that’s about all. It’s going to be rough having to sit in a computer chair for 8 hours a day, since sitting up for even a short period of time gives me pangs all up and down my back, as well as a prickly sensation every once in a while.

Friday was a really long day, what with having to go to the doctor, get x-rays, file a police report, file a claim with the insurance, go to the pharmacy, etc, etc, etc. I was feeling absolutely run ragged when I arrived home around 4pm. I noticed something tipped over on the doorstep (there were gale-force winds that day) when the taxi driver pulled up, and to my surprise, it was a vase full of orchids and a box of chocolates, from James. I can’t describe how much that gesture meant to me. It really brightened up my day to see such beautiful flowers waiting for me. Now I can just hope that I don’t manage to kill them before the remaining blooms open up! The flowers also inspired me to go out yesterday morning and take pictures of the purple African daisies growing along the sidewalk in front of our house. It was good to do this because it got me out of the house so I could enjoy the day without actually having to go very far or move my body around too much. Plus I got some pretty decent pictures!

So, life doesn’t seem to get any easier. Hopefully it goes up from here though! I haven’t heard about what will happen to Ribena yet–whether she can be repaired or will be written off–but I hope I do soon as I am going to England for training in just under 3 weeks’ time. I just don’t want to be mired in paperwork from half a world away!