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“If you think that was thoughtful, wait until you see what I have for you next.” He pulled me over to the far end of the garage. We approached a car under a beige tarp that had been sitting in the same spot for months. Chase looked nervous as he rubbed his hands together and looked at me.
“I know I haven’t been around much lately,” he began. “I have been working on this project for five months, and I’ve been putting the finishing touches on it the past couple of weeks. Now that it’s done I want to show you.”
“Oh, cool. How come you haven’t let me help you with it?”
“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I made you work on your own Christmas present?”
My eyebrows pushed together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
He tugged at the bottom of the tarp, and slowly uncovered the vehicle hidden beneath it.
My hands flew up to my mouth in complete and utter shock. I could not take my eyes off of it. I stepped closer to get a better look, as if it was not real – as if the ghost of my father himself was standing before me.
Chase stood quietly, holding the tarp the way a nervous child holds his blanket.
“Where did this come from? How did you get this?”
He let the tarp fall to the floor, and took my hands into his. “After your accident, the car was being taken to the junk yard. I did not have the heart to let them throw away your car. So, I had it towed here. My dad helped me find all the parts we needed to rebuild it. I worked on it a little each day. Even Tanner worked on it at times. I wanted to have it ready sooner, but everything with my dad started happening. I had to work on it a little extra these past few weeks so that it would be ready in time for Christmas.”
I could feel the tears spilling down my face, but I could not stop them – nor did I care. I kept staring at my Chevelle in disbelief.
“Are those happy tears?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Or are you mad?”
“I’m not mad. I am just… stunned. I don’t have the words. It’s… my car.”
“Let’s sit inside.” He walked around to the driver’s side to open the door and stood, waiting.
I walked slowly around the wide front end, remembering all the work my father had to do to get the hood perfectly smooth. Smooth as butter, he would say. I reached out and ran my fingers along the glossy red paint, admiring the black twin stripes – they were just as straight now as they were back then. I never got to see how mangled it was after the accident, but now, I couldn’t tell that it was even in an accident.
I sat in the driver’s seat.
Chase gestured to the visor overhead. “I stole a picture of your dad from one of those albums you threw away. This way you can always have him with you.”
I flipped it down to see a picture of my father sanding the passenger door of my car in our old garage, with my twelve-year old self grinning from ear to ear in the back seat. I kissed my fingers and touched them to his face in the photo. “He used to smile like that all the time when I was little.”
Chase wiped my tears with his thumb and cradled my face in the palm of his hand. “All I wanted was for you to have a piece of him back.”
“I cannot thank you enough for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to me. You have no idea how much you mean to me. I’m so incredibly lucky to have you.”
“So, do you think you’re up for a ride?”
“It has gas?” I sat straight up in my seat.
He grinned, reaching into his pocket. “You think I’d give you a car without gas?” He dangled the key before me.
I hesitated before putting the key into the ignition, remembering what happened the last time I started this car.
“Don’t think about it. This is your new life. Most of the parts of this car are new, too. Everything is different now for you.”
I nodded and took a deep breath as I pressed down on the clutch, and turned the key. It roared to a start and rumbled beneath me. I began laughing, as the tears continued to roll down my cheeks. I yanked my seatbelt on and revved the engine.
Chase jogged to the garage door opener.
“It sounds amazing! I can’t believe you did this!” I shouted when he returned.
He swung himself into the passenger seat and clicked his seatbelt into place. “Let’s go!”
In one swift motion, the car thundered out of the garage as my hands and feet worked together to shift seamlessly in and out of gears. With our windows rolled down, the cold winter air whipped against my tear-stained face, as my hair was being blown all around. I could see Chase watching me, his eyes intent on taking in every move I made. My eyes remained fixed ahead. I took the backroads so I would not have to slow down or stop at streetlights. I did not want to race, or to be reckless. All I wanted was open road – to feel wild and free.
