The year was 1998 and I was a forgetful little thirteen year old boy who walked to Edison Middle School every morning. On my journey to school each day I saw the same boring things, but one day I noticed something completely different and utterly life-changing. There was a beautiful, new Lexus LS400 parked outside of the “Fabulous Wallcoverings” store and I was instantly mesmerized by it. Suddenly this little eighth grader who couldn’t remember his timetables remembered every single detail of the car—the prominent Lexus logo on the wheels, the wooden steering wheel, the subwoofer behind the rear seats, the absence of a radio antenna. In my little mind, this car was the perfect car and I decided that I needed it in my life as soon as it was legally possible.
For my 18th birthday I leased myself a new Nissan Altima 2.5S and kept it for a few years, but I still had the ’98 Lexus on my mind and I felt like I was cheating on it. A few years into the lease I decided to return the car early and pay thousands of dollars worth of penalties so to be able to pursue my dream car. After a brief search, I picked up my ’98 Lexus LS400 on Saturday, May 6th 2006 and drove it home with a smile plastered on my face like a kid with a new toy.
I had the car for three years and shared a lot of great moments with her. I read books in her backseat, I bought her new shoes, I took her to different states and I took her through some rough conditions, and through it all she stuck with me and never gave me a single problem. She was so great that even after her older, more attractive sister took her place, I kept her around because I was emotionally attached.
After sitting in the driveway being used minimally for a year, I decided to sell her to a great family who will never love her as much as I did, but will appreciate her greatly. Thinking back on her history I realized that the desire for this car was birthed in me when I was a wee little child and eight years later it became mine, but now it’s gone….gone forever. I don’t know how long it will take for me to get over this! This is devastating.
….I’m over it. That was quick.