Sunday, April 11, 2010

22. The girl with the clicking car

Undergraduate days are frugal days and possessing a car in the 1960s was a big thing as most Singapore undergraduates then and now cannot afford ownership of a car. Not in Perth. A$3,000 will buy you a moving car and many undergraduates drive.

But this small car was clicking every time the girl shifted gears to drive. "Click," she shifted to gear 1. "Click," she shifted to gear 2 and so forth for the rest of the journey to see the principal vet.

"Are you sure your car is safe to drive?" I asked the girl. "Will it crash?"

"The mechanic says there should be no problem," she clicked again. "The mechanic needs to dismantle the gear box to solve the problem." The girl has no priority for a clickety car and was too busy.

I have my doubts about the safety of a clicking car. Must do some research. Will not the clicking cause friction. Friction causes sparks. Sparks cause the car to catch fire? I mean, if a dog is coughing, will persistent coughing lead to some serious illness? Does this not apply to a car too? Prevention is better than cure.

I did not mention this to the girl's mother in Singapore. Otherwise, the mother would worry more.

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