Sunglasses at Night
SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT – April 24, 2024 – Richmond, Virginia, USA
Car shopping terrified Tayla. She liked looking at internet pictures and videos of cars but felt overwhelmed by the idea of committing huge money to any specific model. Then there was the hassle of getting financing, licenses, and insurance. It was all too much, but she could not escape her need for a car. She toyed with a completely internet-based purchase which included someone dropping the car off at her apartment. She did not go through with it because friends said she needed to sit in a car and drive it around before buying.
Tayla showed up alone at a new car lot after walking most of the way to get there. She was wary of salesmen, so she stayed on the edges of the lot hoping not to be noticed. She did not stay hidden long. As she peered through a car’s window to get a look at the seats, a voice behind her said with a slight French accent, “How would you like to get inside?”
Tayla quickly turned to find a smiling young man standing there. He looked about her age and was sharply dressed in slacks and a golf shirt. She stammered with an explanation. “I’m just kinda looking. I’ve seen videos of this model but it’s not the same as seeing it up close.”
“Yeah, I get it. With a car, you need to touch it for yourself,” the salesman answered. “Feel free to touch any of them you like. I’m Dorian, by the way. I can open their doors if you want to get inside.”
Tayla liked how well he understood. He was not intimidating. She let him open one of the car’s doors and she sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel.
Dorian was in no hurry and hardly seemed interested in all the cars parked around him. He asked if Tayla lived nearby and they discovered they liked all the same things. He and Tayla watched the same shows and listened to the same music. When Tayla mentioned obscure bands, Dorian had heard of them.
“To be honest, I don’t like the idea of owning a car,” Tayla said, feeling like she could confide in Dorian. “It seems like something old people do. Something kind of selfish and bad for the environment.”
“Yeah, I know,” Dorian admitted.
“But I got this new job at a museum and I have to go in every day. I’d take public transit if I could, but the buses don’t go to the right places. And I’m afraid I’ll get hit if I ride a bike when I’m coming home at night.”
“Sometimes you don’t have a choice. You gotta have a car,” Dorian said with a sympathetic shrug.
“If I do, I don’t want it to be anything flashy. I don’t want to stick out so people associate me with the car. Like it’s part of my personality or something.”
Dorian laughed in a perfect way. “You’re saying you don’t want a bright red Ferrari so that people think you’re rich and impulsive?”
Tayla laughed, too, and shook her head. “I barely want people to notice I’m on the road.”
“Right. You’re just going back and forth to work. Something small. Maybe a light gray color. Something that blends in well.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“And you obviously want something earth friendly and sustainable. Like an electric.”
“Yeah. If I have to choose something.”
Dorian nodded to show they thought the same way. Then he casually motioned for Tayla to follow him over to the lot’s electric cars. He stopped in front of a small, gray one and sized it up.
“It looks nice, but not like you’re showing off. People are going to see you and not the car.”
Dorian opened the driver’s door. Tayla walked around it with mild skepticism. Dorian demonstrated how she would plug the car into a charging outlet.
“My apartment complex has free charging stations and solar panels on the roof,” Tayla admitted.
“Oh wow, that’s perfect. You’ll drive around for free on sun power.”
Tayla finally slipped into the driver’s seat and Dorian said in a flirty voice, “I know you don’t want to be noticed, but I gotta say you look good in there.”
Tayla smiled and blushed and pretended to turn the steering wheel. She sneaked glances at Dorian. He was undeniably cute and intensely wanted to make her happy.
“I know you’re worried about safety,” Dorian added. “We can give you a special package that comes with upgraded sensors, driver assist, and ultra LED lighting.”
“It sounds pretty good,” Tayla replied.
After a test drive, the next hour passed in a blur. Tayla found herself agreeing to every one of Dorian’s suggestions. He made everything so easy. By signing a few things, the car was financed and licensed. She had told herself she was only going to the lot to look. She ended up driving the gray electric car home.
Since Tayla had done very little driving during the past four years, she clung timidly to the steering wheel and hugged the right side of her lane on the street. She made sure to use her blinker for every turn and stayed just under the speed limit. If she was sharing the road, she wanted her fellow drivers to view her as a pleasure. She returned home safely and found an open parking spot in front of a charging station. As she plugged in her car, she was happy her biggest worry was gone. Her day turned out surprisingly well.
Tayla left the car in its charging stall until it was time for her to report to work at noon on Monday. On her way to the museum, she continued her courteous driving. At every stoplight, she avoided the temptation to look at her phone. She did not want to get distracted and have someone honk at her when the light turned green. She found a parking spot far from the museum’s entrance. She did not mind walking a little farther so that other people could park closer.
Tayla’s eight-hour shift dragged on. It was hard to stay positive and helpful with every museum visitor and she felt exhausted when she returned to her car after sundown. The car’s gray color made it hard to spot in the darkness. Tayla buckled up apprehensively for the night drive. She turned on the car and its headlights automatically illuminated. She looked straight ahead and realized she could see much better than she anticipated. She navigated the parking lot and turned onto the road that would take her home.
It did not take long for Tayla to conclude that night drivers were much ruder and more aggressive than day drivers. One pickup truck passed her and merged into her lane. Then it suddenly changed lanes again, slowed down and pulled right behind her. The driver flashed the pickup’s headlights off and on.
“What’s the problem? What am I doing?” Talya asked herself. She checked her speed. Fine. She had two hands on the wheel and was positioned in the middle of her lane. Whatever the pickup was doing was not a result of her bad driving.
Tayla continued to the next stoplight. A car facing her on the other side of the road began flashing its headlights just like the pickup. Tayla wondered if this was some sort of game night drivers played. She had not noticed the behavior before, but maybe that was because she had not been doing a lot of driving.
Before she reached home, Tayla saw three more drivers flashing headlights. Two people also yelled something in her direction. She did not feel welcomed on the road like she did earlier in the day.
The strange pattern of polite daytime drivers and rude night drivers continued each time Tayla drove back and forth to the museum. The rude drivers shouted and honked. Some of them sped past her like she carried a contagious disease. Others slowed down to get right behind her and flash their lights.
“Is there something weird about my car they don’t like?” Tayla asked herself. “What could it be? Are the safety lights making people angry?”
That night, after parking her car in a charging stall, Tayla bumped into a neighbor before reaching her apartment. “Can you help with something?” Tayla asked.
“Sure. What do you need?”
“This is going to sound strange, but will you watch my car as I’m driving toward you? I think it’s doing something funny.”
The neighbor looked surprised but agreed to help. He stood near the end of the complex’s dark parking structure as Tayla returned to her car and drove slowly toward him. He waved his arms and shouted.
“You’re blinding me! Your lights! It’s like I’m staring into the sun!”
Tayla stopped the car and got out. “Are they really that bright?”
“It’s like you’ve got two spotlights attached to the hood of your car. Take a look for yourself.”
Tayla walked in front of her car and had to shield her eyes. She was horrified. She wanted a car that would hardly be noticed but she was driving around a lighthouse on wheels. No wonder everyone she encountered at night seemed to hate her.
“I’m so sorry you had to see this,” Tayla said to her neighbor. “I didn’t know. The dealership said it was part of a safety package.”
“Safety for who?” the neighbor asked.
Tayla returned to the car dealership the next morning. She marched into the showroom office and found Dorian sipping coffee and chatting with other salesmen. He pretended not to recognize Tayla.
“You sold me a car last weekend,” Tayla said in her most serious voice.
Dorian acted like he suddenly remembered. “Oh, that’s right. You must be loving it.”
“No, I’m not loving it. I wanted something that wouldn’t stick out. The lights on this car are so bright, it’s like I’m driving the sun around. I’m blinding everyone. They hate me.”
“But you can see the road great, right?”
“Well sure. When I’m lighting it up like it’s the middle of the day.”
“So what’s the problem? The ultra LEDs with the safety package are there to help you see.”
“But what about everybody else?”
“Why are you so worried about them?”
“We’re sharing the same road. If I blind somebody, they might swerve into a pole or run into me. If everyone had lights like that, we’d have crashes everywhere.”
“Stop worrying about other people. Just worry about yourself.”
“That’s called being selfish.”
Dorian smirked. “Okay, whatever you say. So why are you here? What do you want me to do about it?”
“I want you to change the lights. I want normal lights that don’t blind people.”
“The lights are part of the package,” Dorian said elusively. “They would be expensive to change.”
“I don’t care.”
“You’re willing to pay for it?”
“I think the dealership should make it right.”
Dorian shook his head. “You bought the car the way it is. If you want to change it, you have to pay.”
All the numbers on the paperwork she signed ran through Tayla’s head. She was already obligated for more than she ever intended. At the time, Dorian made it sound so reasonable. “I can’t believe this. You’re really not going to help me?”
“Why don’t you ask everyone to wear sunglasses when you’re driving? That should fix the problem.” Dorian smirked again and sauntered toward the office’s coffee dispenser like he was done with the conversation.
Tayla looked at the other salesmen in the room. There was no chance any of them might be sympathetic. She spun around angrily and stomped to the door. What was she going to do that night when she drove home from work? Did she dare turn off her lights? She risked getting hit by someone who did not see her, but she also risked being hit by someone she blinded with her sunlights.
As Tayla slumped into her car, she suddenly had an idea. It was prompted by Dorian’s snarky comment about wearing sunglasses. On her way to the dealership, she passed a business that added tinted films to glass windows. She drove to the shop and found a man named Scott standing behind the customer service counter.
“I need to have something small tinted,” Tayla explained.
“How small?”
“My car’s headlamps.”
Scott smirked like she must be joking.
“I’m serious. They’re too bright and the dealer won’t fix them. Come take a look.”
Scott agreed to stand in front of Tayla’s car while she flipped on the lights. Even in the bright morning sunlight, he had to shield his eyes. “You’re right. Those are way too bright. Give me $20 and I’ll slap a film on them.”
Scott experimented with film transmission levels until he was convinced the headlight brightness was reasonable. Tayla drove off with a smile, calling the added tinting her headlight sunglasses. That night, her fellow drivers transformed. They became as polite and courteous as those she encountered during daylight hours. Her car continues to wear its sunglasses at night.
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