Pearl

My older brother dubbed her 'Pearl'. I am sure when he first bought her she had a glossy shine. She must've been beautiful. He babied that car. He would speak to her before getting it, patting her hood, letting her know that he would fill her up again with premium gasoline. As time went on my brother's family grew and Pearl became obsolete, in a sense. She still remained close to his heart, and not wanting to part ways with her completely, he gave her to me. Poor Pearl.

Since that fateful day, I have done my best in destroying her; unintentionally I might add. After two accidents, she has a wonderful looking grill. Only the fog lights remain. Both of the doors on the drivers side do not work. It is quite the adventure every time I step in. I wonder what will happen next, not that there is any fault on her behalf. I mostly wonder what looks better as I get in the car; going around the car, opening the passenger door and reaching across to open the drivers side door, OR climbing across the seat. Did I fail to mention that she shakes when you reach high speeds? The hood also is a good reminder of my fantastic stewardship, as it bounces up and down whenever I am driving. She definitely gets noticed a lot more than before.

I love her though. I do. She is like me. Faithful, not the best looking, First On Race Day or Found On Roadside Dead, and loads of fun. At least that I what I like to think.

One of the funnest games Pearl and I play is "Escape and Elude." Fairly complicated, you try to escape and elude potential police officers who want to pull us over because of our headlights. At night everyone must be considered a cop. When driving we are on the constant watch for potential FUZZ. We look for empty driveways to pull into and turn off the lights. We hold our breath if we pass one. More often than not we ghostride through red lights. We have had some close calls, but with every successful escape we gain more confidence.

I have vowed to baby her a little more than I have in the past. I promise Pearl that I will change your oil personally and on time. I promise that very soon I will vacuum out your insides. I promise that I will come up with some kind of improvisational head lights. I promise that I will no longer get in any more accidents. I promise Pearl that I will always love and defend you.