Introducing Super Steve/Jimmy

We have a car!

A 2-litre, dark-blue Toyota sedan. I tried naming him Jimmy. Atkins liked it, and it has stuck with him. It didn’t work for me, so I have re-named him Super Steve. A few of you may know why. Ask Steven at school if not. Steven – it is an honour to have our ship of the road named after you, because he is a noble creature, who has transformed our lives in the following ways.

• We are now not solely reliant on the public transport system, which generally takes the form of being squished into a van with 15 other people. I actually kind of love it, but it can be slow and sweaty.
• We can easily visit places that public transport doesn’t go to, or doesn’t go to easily. I have big plans for adventures across Zambia.....  
• If we run out of money, we could become taxi drivers. To do this, you just drive around honking your horn until somebody signals that they want your services. Legal, no. Entrepreneurial, yes. I reckon we might have a market edge because I am not aware of any other white female taxi drivers in Lusaka. Plus Atkins and I are both quite short, so there is always lots of leg room for passengers in the back

Super Steve’s/Jimmy’s features

• Four doors 
• A capacious boot 
• One air bag (see picture below) 
• One window that goes down and up at the press of a button 
• All seatbelts 
• Working boot and petrol-door release buttons
• Functioning windscreen wipers and headlights 
• Pristine upholstery 
• A cheerful, here-to-help disposition 

Some personal development goals of Super Steve/Jimmy

• Acquire a driver’s door handle that works from the outside. It’s hard to look cool when you are climbing into the driver’s seat from the passenger side.....
•  Work out why the engine light is always illuminated on the dashboard. Surely that’s just a superficial issue, right?
•  Have more than one window that goes down and up at the press of a button. It’s hot here, and after 10 minutes in a carpark, Super Steve/Jimmy is quite the sauna. 

Super Steve/Jimmy's "airbag"

Just to be clear, Super Steve/Jimmy drives like a dream and is a treasured addition to our household. Thank you Atkins and Simeon.