In loving memory

Saoirse 1998-2008

It's been a very rough nine days. And sometimes, it doesn't seem like it really happened. But I hope she knows that even though I was careless, and occasionally complained about her size or the way she consumed gasoline, I loved her. I loved her very much, I still do. She was my first, my favorite, my Saoirse (freedom).
But let me start at the beginning.
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, I was leaving the bank and about to go to the mall. I turned right out of the parking lot and drove down Granda Avenue, away from Second Street in Long Beach. I stopped at the stop sign, the intersection was Granada Avenue and The Toledo. I had a stop sign, but no one else did. I waited for a few cars to pass, and when I thought it was clear, I proceeded into the intersection.
Now, you should know, there's another street involved in this situation, Livingston, it runs diagonally, intersecting with the Toledo. There's no stop sign going from Livingston to The Toledo, so needless to say, when most cars turn on to the Toledo from Livingston, they don't really slow down. And that's when it happened. My nose was in the intersection and all of a sudden a Jeep Cherokee from probably 1994 was in front of me. And I hit him. He sustained a dent to the back passenger-side door, but my poor baby was in far worse shape.
Her whole frame was bent. The bumper was pressed up against the tire, all the headlights were strewn about the street along with the license plate. But one of the most heart breaking things I saw, was the small silver Mustang that usually stands proudly on the grill was face down, right in the middle of all the debris.
I didn't need anyone to tell me she was beyond repair. I knew the moment I hit that I was responsible for the death of the 1998 Ford Mustang given to me by my parents. She had been part of our family for about 10 years, first being driven by my dad, then my two older sisters. And though I constantly hinted at the fact that I wanted a new car, something faster, smaller and more efficient, it doesn't change how much I loved and appreciated the one I had. Sure she had a few cosmetic defects, but I bet your face isn't perfect either.
I won't list all the memories I have with my car, but I did learn how to drive on her. And we've shared many bonding experiences making the drive from Long Beach to the Bay Area several times a year.
She was also the ultimate tension tamer for me. No tea can compare to the drives down PCH at night, windows down and music up.
It's the end of an era, and I'm sad to see it end, but the time she was mine was the best time of my life thus far. I only wish she could have gone in a more dignified way.
Everyone, a moment of silence for Saoirse, my 1998 Ford Mustang.