The first car

While reading Joanna Kakassis's nolstalgic piece, The Battered Old Car That Drove My Father's American Dream, I started thinking about my own dad's first car, a used Lincoln Towncar that he bought for $500 which looked something like this:

It was such an old car that some windows wouldn't roll down, and the AC didn't work. He knew this and still bought it with his own money. No help from his parents or grandparents. Just his own money saved up over many long days.

Now, fast forward 15 years.

I don't have a car that I can call my own yet. On a persistent but non-frequent basis, I'd nag my parents to get me a car. I'll bring up my one friend who drives a new Mazda or another friend, who hasn't even graduated high school, who owns 2 BMWs (and not some 3 or 5 series!) or the girl in my class who drives a new Audi.

When I first brought up the "i-want-a-car" topic and "so-and-so-has-this-and-that", I haven't even started college. The annoyance only got greater when I did start college, for a reason that only close friends would know. As a result, I nagged them for years with a mind trapped in the Wexford-bubble.

But thinking back to how my dad first started and to see where he is now, I know I'll be living a great life.

Dad, thanks for putting up with my shit. I'll try to be less of a brat.

Happy Father's Day!