Peter Wynn
Aug 26, 2017 · 2 min read

ATTACHMENTS.

When I visited my parents, today, my father suggested to me that I bring my car around to his place and he would clean it for me, rather than taking it to the car wash, as I usually do. As much as I appreciated the offer, I felt a little put out when he suggested that I let the car go for three weeks without a wash. See, for me, my car is more than just a means to get from A to B and this, I believe, is a way that can set neurotypicals apart from us autistic folk.

To some young men, a car can be something on which to put an exhaust that makes it rumble or a stereo system that can be heard at the end of the street, but to me, one of the criteria for selecting a car was that it either be made in Japan or at least by a Japanese company and that the Japanese content be maintained.

In my youth, I was never really into car aggrandisement (yes, I wanted it to have a good sound system), but hot exhausts were not something I really went for.

Something that may seem unusual to some is that I have a name for my car, in my case, Shigemi, and I chose that name, a Japanese name, as I have an affinity with Japan and wanted a car from or by a company from there, to reflect this. I am aware that some people who drive Japanese cars have no interest in Japan and some who are interested in Japan do not drive Japanese cars, but I may be an exception.

I am also able to view my car as some may view a baby or child and easier to understand than a baby or child as cars don’t scream and a light comes on, on the dashboard if there is a problem, whereas a child crying can be for any number of reasons and it’s hard to know which. Also, I have, when in public places, found the noise of a child crying quite irritating and I have covered my ears thinking, “Shut that kid up.”

I also experience separation anxiety if I have to be away from my car for too long as I feel a kind of bond or affinity that very few can understand.

As much as I appreciated my father’s offer to clean the car, he also didn’t quite see that I appreciate something of the ritual of having it washed, such as having the wheels done first, the rinsing, the application of soap, rinsing off, the application of wax and rinsing off. Some people choose to wash their cars in a different order and that’s their choice.

I think I will accept his offer but my attachment to my car will not change in any way, shape or form, I might even be able to get him to see my attachment to it.

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Peter Wynn

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Diagnosed with autism at 35. Explained a lifetime of difference.