ONE MORE SUV: There’s a young guy who lives upstairs from me, a handsome dude who is in good shape. He seems like a true outdoorsman; you often see him heading out with his skis in the winter and with his mountain bike in the summer. He would be quite a fine catch for a young lady. And in fact, about a year ago he was frequently seen with a fine young lady. I would see her car parked in our backyard lot in the mornings. She must have been interested in the great outdoors too, judging by the stickers attached to her vehicle (e.g., Sierra Club). She also had her environmental sentiments, given the little “One Less SUV” sticker on her bumper. Before long, there was a similar sticker on the bumper of my neighbor’s Mazda 3. Ah yes, love was in the air.

But after a while, I saw neither her car nor her anymore. Oh well, romance is often a fleeting thing. But the anti-SUV sticker remained on my neighbor’s bumper. I had a quick chat with him not long ago, and he casually mentioned that he was selling his car. A few days later, the Mazda 3 was gone, replaced by a used Nissan Pathfinder (a fairly large-sized SUV; he probably got a great deal, with the price of gas now over $3). I guess this guy needs a woman who is willing to experience the great outdoors without worrying about fuel efficiency and global warming.

In my neighbor’s defense, the former owner of the Pathfinder may well have replaced it with a more fuel efficient vehicle; but his erstwhile girlfriend would probably say that by buying it he just kept a fuel hog on the road longer. It should have gone to the junkyard. Well, what can I say except that I hope he enjoys paying $50 a week for gas. And I wish him better luck with love next time.