My parents owned a dark red Falcon station wagon. It was the car I learned to drive on. While I still had my learner's permit, my mom, some cousins, and I went to LaSallette Shrine in MA to see the Christmas lights. It was the longest drive I'd done after dark. On the way home I kept telling mom the brakes didn't feel right, but she thought I was just nervous about driving--until she pulled out of the driveway in the morning and decided the car needed to go to the garage immediately. As she thought about the night before she admitted she should have taken me seriously and not let me drive, especially with younger children in the car. In those days, I doubt we had seat belts in the back seats, though I think she and I had them in the front.