Brand Loyalty

Devotion Defies Logic

After my car’s meltdown in North Carolina, the brakes and transmission got fixed, and today, I’m back home in Connecticut. Along the way were over $3,000 in repairs, a vow to never buy a Subaru again, a grueling near-12 hour drive, and Sam, my husband, who flew down in support to accompany me on the return slog.

My focus today is on that last thing, Sam’s act of generosity, even though venting about the absurd and/or aggravating aspects might make for more amusing storytelling. But one aside, which is not so much an aside but a part of my central theme: when you are looking at cars as you drive up I-95 from North Carolina to Connecticut with an eye to replacing your clusterfuck of a vehicle, Toyota Rav-4s and Honda CR-Vs seem to be the most popular cars. You might be tantalized by the Lexuses and the Teslas you can’t afford, but somewhere around New Jersey, you settle on the brand within reach that best aligns with you: a Subaru. An Outback this time, as opposed to the Forester you are now cursing, but no other automobile in the world screams get me home in time for Jeopardy! more loudly than a Subaru.

But the main subject of this post is Sam, the man I married, the man who caught an early morning flight from New Haven to Philly, from Philly to Raleigh-Durham, then got into an Uber that smelled like the driver’s spicy lunch to Chapel Hill to help me out of this jam. Over the 36 hours he was there, we got to do some nice stuff, like take our daughter Rachael out to dinner twice and walk Charlie the dog through the pines, but mostly, it was dealing with car followed by a day of hellacious driving.

What I am writing about is how Sam did something that, truth be told, he kinda hated to do. Leaving work at a stressful time, missing his beloved Saturday pick-up soccer game…that’s sacrifice. Of course, I would do the same for Sam, had he been mired in an unlucky situation, though I am not at all sure I would exhibit the same kind of grace.

On top of all of this, or rather, because of it, Sam understands how counterintuitive allegiance plays into choosing a new car. It’s not about acquired wisdom but Brand Loyalty, which is steadfast and unreasonable; it’s what (and who) you love both because of and despite. Here’s an example: two people who never, ever stop going back and choosing each other.