How Dennis got my dream car

On Friday afternoon I was driving to my favorite Half Price Bookstore in Westport when some weird smoke started coming out of my car.  Now I know what you are thinking.  Notice I said "now" because I didn't know then.  You are thinking "Richard's beautiful 96 Camry AKA the dream car is over heating.  He needs to pull that mug over before he does any serious damage to the engine." What I was actually thinking was "oh snap."  That is all.  I pulled over to a gas station to fill up my car because I was dangerously close to empty.  I thought maybe if I just let the car chill while I pump the gas it will be alright.  But as I was filling up the car was still smoking.  So I popped the hood and looked in.  Me looking under the hood of a car is the same as me trying to discern NaTaTa's feelings? I don't know what I'm looking at.  I noticed the part of the car closest to the front (later I would learn that this part is called the radiator or maybe adiator, I think its a soft R) had some serious steam coming out of a hole that I was pretty sure was not supposed to be there.  I was slowly coming to the realization that I might not be able to spend some time in the half price bookstore.  I turned the car back on and started heading towards my folks house.  

As I'm driving back to the house I noticed that the steam would really start picking up when I slowed the car down or when I was at a stop sign.  At one point so much steam was pumping into the car that I looked like a scene off of Cheech and Chong smoke Kansas City.  I had to roll down the windows to get some fresh air.  I pulled over again not because I realized that I was doing serious damage to the car but because I was embarrassed of all of the smoke.  I called my dad and my wife and told them the situation.  They both told me to stop driving the car right then.  For some reason I did not want to do that. 

 You see I bought that car my senior year of college.  My plan was to drive it till the wheels fell off.  I was hoping that this car would last me to my mid forties.  It was my first car that I had ever owned and it was really special to me.  I bought it with 60k miles on it.  On Friday it had 185k miles on it.  I drive alot.  

I drove as far as I could while still being able to see the road and then I had to pull over.  Once again I know what you are thinking and you are right...I'm stupit.  My wife called me and told me that she and my dad were on the way.  

The neighborhood that I had pulled over in was fairly nice.  I had barley popped the hood when a man walked up to me.  "What's the problem?"  "Uhhh I don't know,  It's all steamy."  "I'm a mechanic, mind if I take a look?"  "Knock yourself out my brotha."  

For some reason my wife had looked up what a 96 Camry with 185k miles on it would go for in the Kelly  Blue Book last week.  Let's just say if I have to pay $1000 for repairs then I might as well buy a new car. I was getting nervous that this stranger mechanic was going have bad news for me.  

"My name's Dennis."  "Wassup Dennis."  

Dennis and I talked for a few minutes.  He was walking home from his nephew's funeral.  His nephew had cancer since he was born.  He was six year old when he died last Saturday.  

Dennis went up the street to grab some water to pour in the adiator or something.  By the time he got back my dad and Natalie were there and he was getting the car cooled down.  We were about to call the tow truck when my dad noticed that Dennis was really eyeing the 96 AM (all of the other letters on the back have fallen off).  It was at that moment that my dad offered to sell my car to the guy walking on the street.  I would say that I was offended by this but I wasn't.  Maybe my man Dennis is a secret millionaire with a hankering for mid nineties classic vehicles.  I looked at Dennis and said "You interested in this car Dennis?"  "You see me walking don't you."  Dennis had a good point.  Within three minutes of that Dennis had offered $500 for my car and my dad accepted it.  

So that is the story on how I lost my dream car to a man wearing socks with his sandals named Dennis. I was really sad to see the Camry go.  It's been a great car for me and my fam.  We have had a lot of great trips in that thing.  I wish I could have buried it under the shade of the old elm in the backyard but I will have the faith that my man Dennis will take care of it.  

Today when I was at the dealership I got a call from Dennis.  He wanted to let me know how much a blessing that car was to him.  He wanted me to know that God put us both in the right place at the right time.  I am glad for that.  I hope he can drive it 120k more miles.