So many of you know that Aaron and I had a second car, a 1994 Buick Century. Originally, it was my sister’s first car and when she got a new car, she passed it on to us. This past summer we had a lot of problems with it. We hemmed and hawed about whether or not it was worth it to have it fixed. Ultimately we decided that we still needed a second car, so we put a good chunk of cash into getting it repaired. We got it back and then a month or so later the rear wheels locked. For me, that was the proverbial straw that broke this camel’s back. We agreed not to put another dime into it and that the best way to rid of it was to donate it to charity. So we researched charities, cancelled the plates and insurance and arranged for a pick up truck to come and take it away.

A couple of weeks later the pick up truck guy comes to take the car. I tell him it’s not drivable, the wheels are locked and I’m not sure how extensive the problem is. He says, “No problem,” and pulls out the biggest sledgehammer I have ever seen. He hammers the center of each of the rear wheels a couple of times, starts it up and then proceeds to drive it up onto the back of his flatbed truck, without the slightest problem. I wanted to say stop, wait, you can’t have it if it works…but it was a done deal at that point, so I just let it go. Meanwhile I was mentally kicking myself for not looking into what was wrong with the car. And yes, I know, chances are pretty good that something else would have gone wrong with the car soon…but I still felt betrayed by the Buick. So, it’s gone now…that car is dead to me. Here’s hoping the Honda hangs in there a little while longer.