It’s sad I know but despite being 58 yrars old I bought this key ring months ago, for the key that would belong to the car I was going to buy one day.

But I held back. We were in the middle of nowhere, didn’t need two cars, and if I was honest I would have crapped myself driving out on the single track from our rented property. So I left the driving to RD, not because I can’t drive the van, but because I didn’t have the confidence to reverse it out of any spaces when I couldn’t see out of the back window. I know ladies I’ve let the side down, but it is what it is.

I was also considering the extra cost of a car when we didn’t really need one at that time. Car insurance in Ireland is expensive (and sorry to Irish readers but Jesus! I thought the French drive like madmen!) and I reasoned that why pay insurance when the car would not be Utilised. But before I knew it we were four months into this year, in our new house (albeit not owning it) and I realised that I had not driven for over seven months! It had to stop, I had to get mobile and embrace my new life. I needed my own car.

Now I was being tight, I want to settle into Ireland and we need to find work, so I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a car. In fact I wanted something that would just keep me mobile for the first year or so. A little run around, or a little ‘shitter’ as some would call it, and then I truly believe my dad stepped in….

The 28th of April is my late dad’s birthday. Paddy had ideas I believe about my car, I think he was looking down in me wondering what the feck I was doing (did you see I went a little bit Irish there) sitting on my arse letting RD do all the driving and slowly using my confidence, and independence. Me, the most confident and independent little bitch he had ever laid eyes on. It had to stop. So on his birthday up popped a little advert on Facebook for a Toyota Yaris, small car, two lady owners, at snip of just under six hundred euro, cheap insurance.

Something told me to enquire about this car, it had only been up for sale for two hours. I did, and that evening we drove down to Donegal Town to view it. Now here in lies the rub….When we arrived at the home of the man selling it there stood a little Irish man called Paddy. I took a double take as he looked just like my dad, with white hair and the full lower lip as denotes my family heritage. Not only that every time he was thinking about something or having a draw on his cigarette he would stick his bottom lip out, just like my dad.

We bought the car, and when he gave us our change he then handed me another ten euro back and told me to treat myself! it was so bizarre.

I hadn’t said anything to RD about my thoughts on how alike the man looked to my dad, but when we got home and I jokingly remarked how my dad had sent the car to me, RD turned to me and said ‘I didn’t want to upset you but that man really looked like your dad, even the way he held and smoked his cigarette.’

It wasn’t just me then! Perhaps ….

Rosie