MY STORY BEGINS when I moved to Richmond, Virgina, to earn my degree from dental school. I was driving borrowed family cars to use; essentially whatever was available from a motley collection. One was an ancient Mercedes-Benz 220. I was fairly knowledgeable about cars and had already had a lively and intimate history when I met Marybeth. I knew she was special, and she seemed to be interested in me too, but various distractions prevented us from getting serious with each other—by the fall of that year, things had changed, and we were practically living together. The feeling surprised me a little, but I had no doubt she was the one.
Marybeth and I had had multiple adventures with the Mercedes, including just keeping it running. As
