Page 40 - MM_Sep Oct 2021

She Was Meant To Be
I WANTED TO SHARE WITH MY FELLOW MMOC MEMBERS
how my car came to be a member of our family. First some important family history; when I was little I can remember my mum having part time jobs to provide us with luxuries. There wasn’t much money available but she did an amazing job of budgeting. My mum would have a pot of money for Christmas, one for clothes, one for holidays and one for a car for my dad when a new old car was required. It had to be ‘old bangers’
as that was all we could afford although I do remember my parents paying the grand sum of £50 for a car that was such a lot of money. I can still remember two number plates, we had an old black car which I think was a Hillman Minx with the registration of RUL 796 and a Ford Corsair with registration FMG 385B. Mum bought all our cars.
Onto the present day; I had been thinking for a few years that I would like to buy myself a Morris Minor for my 60th birthday. My mother sadly passed in August 2019, 11 months before my 60th in July 2020. I decided that I would buy a Moggy out of the small amount of money I’d been left from my mum’s estate and felt that it would be a fitting tribute for my 60th as she had bought all of dad’s cars and I was sure she would be so pleased to buy me a car as well.
My husband and I decided to start looking around to see what sort of Moggies were available. We went to ‘just look’
at a Morris Minor in Stoke-on-Trent owned by a truly lovely lady called Fiona. Fiona told us her grandmother was adopted when small but, through research, she was able to find her great grandmother. Her Great Grandmother was called Mary-Ellen so Fiona had named the Moggy Mary-Ellen. Needless to say
I had fallen in love with Mary-Ellen and could not go home without her. Fiona didn’t want to part with her but needed money for her daughter’s university fund. Unfortunately I could not afford the asking price but put in an offer. Fiona said, she had been offered the asking price by two young lads but
did not let them buy the car as she was waiting for someone to come along and love Mary-Ellen just as much as she did. She said that I was that person and accepted my reduced offer.
I decided to change the car’s name slightly to Mary-Elena. The reason for the name change was because in the August of 2019 a very dear friend of my son committed suicide that left him devastated - her name was Elena. My son was so touched when I told him that my Moggy’s name was Mary-Elena, it
helped him a little through a difficult time. Also during the
last years of my mum’s life she had a very special friend called Mary. Mary would drive mum places, look after her and keep her company. As I live in Birmingham and mum lived in South London, my sister and I were eternally grateful for the help, love and friendship she gave to mum when we could physically not be with her. So with the car being called Mary-Ellen I don’t think I really had a choice but to buy her and rename her as Mary-Elena! It was also fitting to keep the name as near to her previous name in respect of Fiona’s Great Grandmother. Mary- Elena was meant to be my car. From my mum saving up money that allowed me to buy her, Fiona waiting for me to come along to the car already having the correct name. I think Mary-Elena actually chose me.
Mary-Elena has had lots of work done to her. We even, after 17 years, managed to clear out the garage for her to have her own inside home. She has her name on her boot and can’t wait to meet other Moggies, as soon as she came to her new home Covid-19 happened which stopped her from socialising. She booked a place at the Kelmarsh picnic A wonderful friend
of mine, Anne-Marie bought Mary-Elena her own 1950s/60s picnic hamper that is waiting to be used. Mary-Elena is a bit nervous about going to Kelmarsh, she hasn’t even been allowed to go to any branch meetings. She says be nice and look after her mum who is also very nervous. l
Sue Harper
40 | MINOR MATTERS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Members’ Cars