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*