I started to write this post several
weeks ago, but life got in the way. Also, I have been avoiding
writing this. A part of me is still in denial, and another part of
me has moved on.
Sadly, after almost 12 years of faithful
service it has come time to decommission my car. It was a
frustrating decision, but in the end it was best.
In the
end, it was if she knew her end was near. She refused to give up and
go quietly. I regret that her end came ingloriously on the back of a
flatbed being carried off to the used car lot. No blaze of fiery
glory; just a quiet ride to the end. My heart was heavy when I
handed over my keys and signed the final paperwork to officially turn
her over. I was hoping to be able to sell the car later, but
circumstances required that I expedite the decommissioning. I would
have loved to have had a last trip in her, but as the case with many
things we don't always get what we want.
She was a good car, she always brought
me home. She took me cross country more than once. We went through
the hills of California, the deserts of Arizona, the plains of Texas,
the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, and the swamps of the South.
Through the snow, through the rain, through the desert heat, the
sunniest of days, and the darkest of nights, she remained steady.
She saw me through happy times and sad times. Many times I sat in
her embrace and wept tears of heartbreak; many more times I wept
tears of triumph. She became a place of refuge when life became
hard. There are many memories some good, some bad, but mostly good.
The hum of her engine and the feel of
her clutch comforted me. Every time I sat in her and held her wheel
and shifter, it felt as though I became one with her. I knew her
limits and how far I could push them, and push them I did. I knew by
feel where every control was located. I could tell how fast she was
going just by the hum of the engine and the vibration of the frame.
Sadly The Black Dragon is
no more. She has been decommissioned.
*cue:
End credits to Star
Trek III*
Lifetime
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