The Red of the Demon Gate

I never thought I'd have someone object to the color of my car.

Two months after our wedding ceremony.
When we got married, my father told me, "I want you to live with your mother in the future," and as it happened, a desirable plot of land became available, and before we knew it, we decided to build a two-family house.
There was so much to think about—the house blueprints, the exterior, the kitchen, the wallpaper, the mortgage—and just when I had finally been freed from all those worries (the wedding), I had no time to catch my breath, and at that time, when my brain felt like it was about to deform along with my skull, my husband said quietly.

I want to trade in the car.
Either a MAZDA or a SUBARU.

This guy... with so much to think about, and in the middle of knowing how much money (the mortgage) it would cost, what is he saying!?
And what's with that mysterious manufacturer restriction!?

In the end, on the condition that my husband would handle everything related to the car and also properly think about the house, we decided to build the new two-family house and trade in the car at the same time.

At the time, I didn't know much about cars, but I had only one condition for the car.

I want to drive a red car.

A red Prius was parked in the parking lot of the apartment building where I used to live.
I fell in love with that Prius at first sight and thought, "Someday, I want to be a woman who drives a red car around."

After my husband test-drove various cars, our beloved car was decided to be a red CX-5, and after various procedures, all that was left was to pay for the car...
Finally, I would be able to become a woman who drives a red car around...

However.
Life stages moving at breakneck speed in less than a year: marriage, wedding ceremony, new detached house, new car purchase...
There was no way everything would go smoothly.

The car color, red!?
If you park that next to our car, it'll be ruined!!
We were so particular about the exterior of the house!!

My father's car is white.
In front of the house we were so particular about, two cars would be lined up in a red-and-white state.
Unexpectedly, my father objected to the color of our beloved car.

After some trouble, my husband told me, "I want you to keep (becoming a woman who drives a red car around) as a pleasure for the future," and I tearfully gave in to a dark gray CX-5.

My passion for red, which had lost its place, was sublimated into a new rice cooker, a new iron, and a new Jetstream multi-color ballpoint pen.
The red flame that had been burning inside me spread faintly, here and there, inside the house.

A few years later.
A miracle happens.
My father, who had only ever driven white cars, switched to a black car.

A few more years later.
It was time for us to replace our beloved car.
My father's car parked next to us is black.
The two-family house we live in has also been built for several years.

The time has come.

My dream of "wanting to be a woman who drives a red car around" was finally fulfilled.
A red MAZDA CX-5 became our new beloved car.

However, however...
Our car life after getting a red car was not smooth sailing.

I was violently rear-ended from the side in a supermarket parking lot.
I was hit and run without knowing it.
A stone flew up and scratched the windshield.
I also scraped the car. (Twice)

There were many troubles that never happened with my previous CX-5.
My beloved CX-5 is becoming tattered and covered in scratches.
My beloved CX-5 is becoming less stylish than the red and white cars that (were supposed to be) parked in front of our newly built detached house.

After several years of trouble, it has been decided that the red CX-5 will be replaced.
Without even having its honorable wounds repaired.
When we tried to get it repaired half-heartedly, the end of sales for the diesel model of the CX-5 (when our beloved car would sell for a high price and a new car of the old model could be bought cheaply) coincided with the vehicle inspection period, and it was decided that buying a new car would be much more economical.

When my husband asked me about the color of the new car, I (who repeatedly get into minor accidents) could not bring myself to say, "I want a red car," even if it meant paying an extra option fee.
When the fresh green leaves are shining, a navy CX-5 will arrive in our parking lot.

It was impossible for me to be a "cool woman driving around in a red car."
For me, the red of the car was the "color of the demon gate" that brought discord to the family and brought scratches to the car.

Once the navy car arrives, surely.
Family safety and traffic safety should be achieved.
As a housewife and mother of the family, that is much more important than the wish to "drive around in a red car."

And...
Nono Nonono, who has been teased mercilessly in the back alleys of note for about two years.
After the new car arrives at our home, the end of the relentless teasing will surely be welcomed safely as well.

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