The evening before yesterday, both of my headlights went out on my car. My car is a 2012 Malibu and it’s the first car I have owned. It’s been paid off for a couple of years now and my Mom drives it back-and-forth from her house to mine to assist with my care. As I have written before, I have stopped driving.
I texted Dan right after the Les Stanford Service Department opened up. After exchanging a few texts with Dan, it was arranged that my Mom would take my car there to get new headlights. We figured out that it has to be taken in to get new headlights because the entire bumper has to come off before the headlights can be replaced.
When my car was there, it also needed an oil change. My Mom told Dan that the chair topper was rusting the roof of my car. Dan said that he would have it sent over to the body shop to have them take a look at it.
Dan texted me to let me know when it was complete.
There needs to be a little bit of a backstory here:
My Dad leased me a 2000 Malibu when I was in college. It was electric blue and it’s name was, “Bess” because I wanted to get cow seat covers back then. I totaled it early one winter morning on my way to work. It was my first time driving on Detroit roads after it had snowed. Up to that point, I had completely been spoiled by Dearborn roads that are nicely plowed for my whole life!
It was after that, that I leased my first car from my Dad’s car salesman. It was a 2006 Malibu. It was silver and had a sunroof. Her name was, “James.” Even though it was a girl, the first song I heard after I signed the papers was James Blunt. When that lease what’s up, I leased my second car from Ali Reda who was at the same dealership. My Dad‘s car salesman had left. When that lease was almost up, Bill wink, the dealership by my parents’ house, had closed and I followed Ali Reda to Les Stanford.
I leased a 2009 Malibu. It was black. Her name was “Natasha.” She was named after Natasha Bedingfield. Toward the end of that lease, I killed that car too. I was driving to work in the rain and Dix was flooded. I didn’t know it was the as flooded as it was until the car in front of me‘s rear lights went underwater! I shoved my car in reverse but it was too late to get out of the water. Apparently, cars don’t float!
I had a chair topper and hand controls put on, “Natasha” because I was in a wheelchair full-time and was driving with my hands at that point. I had the lease changed over to a purchase of the car so the chair topper could be bolted onto the roof.
I had my dead, “Natasha” sent over to Advantage Mobility so they could remove the chair topper and hand controls and Ali Reda was able to sell that car and have me purchase a new 2012 Malibu. Her name is, “Bea” She is named after Colbie Caillat. After I signed the papers at Les Stanford, Ali arranged for the car to be sent directly to Advantage so they could put the chair topper on.
When Advantage was finished with it, I picked my new car up from there. I have never seen my car without the chair topper.
When my Mom went to pick up the car, this is what she found!:
I was completely shocked! My car looks so beautiful! I had never seen it without a chair topper and I own that!
Saundra will scrap the chair topper because Advantage won’t buy it back because it’s a pretty old model. They filled the holes that the bolts Left on the roof and covered it with Saran wrap stuff that’s really tough!
I stared at these three pictures that my Mom sent me and my eyes kind of teared up! My car looks so pretty! It’s kind of bittersweet! I will never be able to drive it again. I own it. I have never owned a car before! I especially like this last picture because you can see the dent I put in the rear driver’s side door. I also like it because if you zoom in on the rims, you can tell how often I would bump into curbs toward the end of my driving days.
I will drive this car until it dies, or rather, my Mom will drive that car until it dies because it has a lifetime XM radio in it!