Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a factory in Germany. This factory made Volkswagen cars. One day (it was a Wednesday), a VW Beetle came to life. He was surrounded by other Beetles, but he liked listening to the Porsches, which were also being built in the same factory. They would talk about how sleek they looked, and all their features, and how fast they would go on the autobahn. The Beetle wished he could be a Porsche, but he was just a Bug.

After a little while, the Beetle was put on a big ship, with lots of other cars. There were lots of Volkswagens, but again, he listened to the more expensive cars. In addition to Porsches, he was on the same ship with Mercedes Benzes and BMWs. Of course, they all bragged back and forth about how wonderful they were, with their fancy stereo systems, leather upholstery, and electronic gadgets. The Beetle listened, but never joined in. After all, he was just a Bug.

After a while, the big ship landed in America. The Beetle was put on a truck, and ended up in a parking lot with many other cars. In addition to Volkswagens, there was a whole section of Mercedes Benzes, and another of Porsches. Although he was surrounded by other Beetles, he still didn't feel worthy. Why would anyone buy him, rather than one of the better looking, fancier cars? After all, he was just a Bug.

For many days the Beetle sat, watching the fancy cars get taken to new homes. Still he sat. Finally, a man and his teenage son came into the lot. They looked at several different cars, of different models. The father said something about having to get back to the hospital fairly soon. Did this mean he was a doctor? Was it possible that a doctor would actually want to buy a Beetle? Then the Kid hopped into the Beetle's driver seat, grabbed the steering wheel, and got a big smile on his face.

"I want this one!" he said.

The Doctor and the salesman went into the office to discuss the sale. The Kid stayed with the Beetle, looking at the engine, checking the luggage compartment, and adjusting the seat. After a few minutes, the Doctor came out, tossed the keys to the Kid, and said "Well, let's get it home."

The Doctor drove his car home (a fancy Jaguar) and the Kid drove the Beetle. They drove up to a very nice house, with a three-car garage. The Beetle had never seen as much grass as was in the front lawn. The Kid pulled into one of the spaces in the garage. One of the other spots was occupied by a brand new Cadillac. The Beetle figured that the third space was for the Doctor's Jaguar. Perhaps the Cadillac belonged to Mrs. Doctor? That night, the Jaguar and the Cadillac talked to the Beetle. The Jaguar bragged about having his own reserved parking space at the hospital. The Cadillac bragged about going to special restaurants, where valets came and parked it very carefully, so it didn't get scratched. The Beetle didn't say a word. After all, he was just a Bug.

The next morning, the Kid took the Beetle to a friend's house, and went inside for a little while. Then the Kid and the friend both came back out, carrying a large picnic basket, got in the Beetle, and went to another friend's house. The Kid honked the horn, and another friend came out carrying a football, a Frisbee, a baseball and bat, and a lot of other sports equipment. The picnic basket and the sports stuff got thrown into the luggage compartment behind the back seat, and one of the Kid's friends climbed into the back seat, with the other friend getting in the front seat. The Kid then drove the Beetle to the beach, and the three boys pulled everything out of the Beetle, and went running down the shore. A few hours later, the three boys came back. While getting themselves and their things back into the Beetle, they managed to get sand everywhere. It didn't itch, but the Beetle knew the fancy cars never had to put up with sand inside them.

The next morning, the Kid came out to the garage and got into the Beetle. He drove for about forty-five minutes to a college and parked the Beetle in one of the parking lots. There were pickup trucks, Mustangs, Chevrolets, and all kinds of other cars. The Beetle felt like he wasn't as good as the others, so he kept quiet while the rest of them chatted back and forth. After a couple of hours, the Kid came back, carrying a stack of books, lab supplies, and miscellaneous stuff and drove the Beetle back home.

That evening, the Kid came out to the Beetle, hopped in, and drove off. He stopped in front of another house, parked, and knocked on the front door. A pretty young girl, about the same age as the Kid, came out, and they both got in the car. They drove to a drive-in movie and drove in, hanging the speaker box on the Beetle's door. The Kid did leave for a few minutes, coming back with a big tub of popcorn and two sodas. The Beetle listened as the Kid and the Girl talked before the movies started. The Kid was going to be starting college the next week, studying pre-med. The Girl was going to be studying architecture. Pretty soon the movie started. The Beetle smiled to himself, as the Kid and the Girl cuddled and giggled at the show.

Starting the next week, the Beetle started taking the Kid to college, waiting in the parking lot while the Kid was in school, then taking the Kid back home. On weekends, the Kid and the Girl would go out to the movies, or to dinner, or just to the park or beach. During breaks, like summer or spring break, the Kid and a couple of his friends would take the Beetle to places like Mexico or Arizona, just tootling down the road and having fun. The months and years passed. The Kid drove the Beetle to school, until he graduated. Then he started something called medical school. A couple of years later, instead of parking in a school parking lot, the Beetle was parking in a hospital parking lot. He was spending a lot of time there, while the Kid finished medical school, and started his internship.

When the Kid finished his internship, he and the Girl got married, and moved a few miles to another city. The Kid, who had now become the Doctor, and the Girl soon had a baby. This meant that the Girl was now a Mother. Soon afterwards, they bought a station wagon. The Doctor still took the Beetle to the hospital where he worked. This meant that the Beetle spent a lot of time in the reserved parking lot, surrounded by Mercedes Benzes, Jaguars, Saabs, BMWs, and other ritzy cars. They would brag about where their owners would go on vacation every year. The Beetle didn't feel quite as bad as he had in the past while listening to the others.

More years passed. The Baby grew into a Boy. The Boy grew into a Kid, and at the appropriate time, he learned to drive the Beetle. He and his friends would have fun going to the park, beach and movies.

Finally a dramatic change happened!

The Doctor and his wife drove off one day in her car, and then she came back alone. Later, the Doctor came back with a NEW JAGUAR!!!

Oh no, did this mean that the Beetle was going to disappear? He had seen lots of other cars disappear. Every couple of years, the Doctor's parents had replaced their cars with new ones. Even the Doctor and his wife had periodically replaced the station wagon with a newer one. Was it now the Beetle's turn? What would happen to him? One day, he had seen a big truck driving past, filled with the flattened remains of cars. Was that his fate? Well, maybe that wasn't going to happen to him.

Shortly after the new Jaguar appeared, the Beetle was taken to the mechanic. He got new tires, a tune-up, some minor front end work down, and he even got thoroughly cleaned, inside and out. Maybe they wouldn't have all that work done on him if they were going to get rid of him. Still, he was pretty worried. He now got left at home, while the Doctor drove the Jaguar to work. Still, the Doctor would smile at the Beetle, and pat him on the hood as he walked past in the morning.

A couple of weeks later, something VERY different happened. The Kid pulled the Beetle out of the garage, and started bringing boxes out of the house, carefully fitting them in the back seat. Then he brought out stereo components and a computer, and put them in the front seat and in his trunk. Boy, the Beetle had never felt so full, even with three or four teenage boys in him. Then the Kid put the Beetle back in the garage.

Early the next morning, the Kid came out to the Beetle in the garage, accompanied by his parents. The Doctor and his wife had tears in their eyes, and they hugged the Kid, and told him to call often and be good and brush his teeth and all those things that parents tell their children. The Kid promised to do so, and said he'd call as soon as he got to something called the dormitory.

Then he got in the Beetle, started the engine, and started driving down the road. As the Kid drove the Beetle down the road, he started talking to himself. He was so excited! He was going to a new college, several hours from home. He told the Beetle how happy he was that the Doctor had given him the Beetle to take with him. As they went down the road, the Beetle reflected on his life. He thought back to how he had envied the fancier cars. Funny, he hadn't seen any of the ones he had first known for a long time, or even ones from the same time. It seemed they had all been replaced every few years. But not the Beetle. He had been loved.

As he looked back on his life, he felt quite satisfied with it. As should we all!