It's a sad day for me. I'm saying goodbye to an old friend. After years of sitting in the driveway, collecting dust and lizards, the old Gray Lady is being towed away. Any other man but my husband would have ditched that truck long ago. Mine knew what she meant to me.
She started out as one of my husband's company vehicles. A gray, 1999 GMC Yukon. She rode like a dream. I am something of a car freak, and I know just enough to be picky. This big bomber didn't do well on gas mileage but you felt like you were sitting in your lounge chair as you cruised down the road. She was stable and hugged the road. I loved riding in that "truck."
When Andy got a new car, he bought her for me. The timing was perfect because I needed something big to haul bales of hay and feed for my horse. I thought it was funny to see the looks on people's faces when I opened the back doors and hay flew out. Our son always used her when his band went on the road. Although she never once broke down for me, there are many pictures of his band sitting by the side of the road, either changing a tire or waiting for AAA.
I said she never broke down for me - she actually saved my life on several occasions. Once was when a woman pulled in front of me and I had no time to stop. I slammed into her car but my airbag didn't even deploy. The woman had to be taken away in an ambulance. Then there was the time I was driving down the highway with my two little grandchildren in the back. I kept hearing someone honking and when I turned, there was a driver signaling to me I had a flat tire! I immediately pulled over and went to the nearest gas station. The tire was flat, but she stayed the course and we were fine. One time, when my daughter was a teenager, we took off on an adventure to the Smoky Mountains. I'll never forget taking a side road my daughter convinced me would be fun. All I can say is, if it hadn't been for that truck, they may never have found us. I kicked her into 4WD and had to back down a treacherous dirt road. She saved us - again.
The most poignant memories I have of the Gray Lady are the times we spent with the horses. Before we moved Poco, she was with the rest of the herd. One by one, the mares were giving birth. When it was close to Poco's time, Andy and I even slept in the Yukon on the property so we would be there if she needed us. We were in the middle of a field, and the horses couldn't figure out what we were doing there. They would rock the truck and nibble on the side mirrors. Poco eventually gave birth one day - without our help. My friend and I were shopping when we got the call to hurry back. When we got there, Poco was standing next to her darling foal. She was so proud to show us her baby.
Little by little, the Gray Lady required more and more to keep her running. When it looked like she needed a new transmission, Andy said "enough." So she sat in our driveway. Every time he mentioned selling her, or worse, junking her, I would burst into tears. I mean, she was my comfort through so many trials, including the day I had to say goodbye to my horse.
Well, I'm saying goodbye to her today. Andy is giving her to a service manager who works for him. He's going to fix her up for his son, a young man who has gotten a little sideways and needs help getting straightened out. I'm okay with this. More than okay. Maybe she'll save another life. Farewell, old friend.
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