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View Full Version : Bought it in 2001



Leah
05/14/2012, 09:44 AM
I got mine September 17, 2001. I had to fly to Texas to pick her up and drive her home to DeFuniak Springs Florida. Because of the terrorist activity the week before, the plane was nearly empty. There were only 2 other passengers and as far as I was concerned, they were both suspicious. I was sure they were thinking the same of me, so I stretched out on my empty row of seats and went to sleep. I figured it was better to die in my sleep if either of them had any untoward plans, and if they didn't, then my being asleep could only allay their concerns about me and make them less likely to kill me during of a bit of rough turbulence.

It was the longest, and happiest (up til that time) day of my life. I had to catch that plane at 5:AM, which meant getting up at at 1:AM to get to the airport by 3:00 to go thru the newly-instituted 2hr preflight anti-terrorist security check. I caught a cat-nap on the plane with my fellow-courageous, yet suspicious, co-travelers. The dealership that had my truck, sent a limo to get me from the airport. The driver was from Pakistan. He was very nice and respectful and I got the impression that he thought I might hate him for being from the same continent as the terrorists, which i didn't. I, in turn, was exceedingly polite and respectful...just in case he was.

The dealership was owned by Pakistanies and to my surprise, relief, and disappointment, they weren't any different from any other dealership trying to sell me something.

I picked up and paid for my baby, drove next door to the gas station and filled her up, then began my 8-hr drive back to Florida. I was in heaven. I don't know if it was the fact that I was living on roughly 3 hrs of disjointed sleep or that for the first time in my life a dream became reality for me, but I was wide awake and over the moon!

To this very day, almost 11 years later, even as my most precious possession sits on eBay for sale, for far less than she's worth, I still feel that way every time I look at her. I hope she ends up with someone who will love and appreciate her for all she's worth.

At the time I got her, I was living a nightmare and she gave me the light at the end of an unbelievably long, dark tunnel. My father had died in February, my brother was killed in a car wreck July 29th, and my-then-husband was busy making friends with my uncle who molested me when I was 7, and a few other little such barbs in my side. As I said, long and dark.

Today, the tunnel is gone. With therapy, a divorce from an emotionally and mentally abusive, pathological liar of 26 years, a new husband who is the most kind, loving, understanding man I ever met, I no longer need that light because the tunnel is gone. But I still love her. Yes, she is, as they say, "just a car", but to me, she will always be more than that. She was a friend who took me away from the misery, a friend I could count on to take me anywhere I wanted or needed to go to hide, a friend who played music for me to drown out the sound of my own tears. She was quietly there for me, always. She was strong when I was at my weakest. She introduced me to new friends here at this forum and the one before Moncha set this one up...thanks Moncha, you do great work.

Because of her, I got to know another kind and wonderful person, Tone. It still hurts to know he's gone.

Because of her, I learned how attentive our friends here can be because during my divorce, which took over 2 years to complete, I all but disappeared from this site and Mike Handeeman came looking for me. Thank you, sir, wherever you are.

This is the absolute best site for VehiCROSS information anywhere.

Although I won't be an owner on here anymore, I will still check in from time to time to see how everyone is doing. I trust you will all welcome my baby's new home with open arms and be kind to whoever the new owner of Ironman #46 will be. And remember, she is the one who is the member and that her owner is only on here because he/she has opposable thumbs and can type.

Finally, although I never officially posted her name on here, I called her Bertha The Beast. She was Bertha to me and a beast to the ex. He hated her. Good girl, Bertha. ;)

tom4bren
05/14/2012, 10:03 AM
Hate to see you go but glad you are on the top side of life now. Best of luck with your new life.

I'm sure you realize that it will be no surprise to anyone here if you become a VX owner again in a year or two.

God Bless.

Tom

Leah
05/14/2012, 10:10 AM
Thank you Tom. And as for owning another VX...I was thinking the same thing!



Hate to see you go but glad you are on the top side of life now. Best of luck with your new life.

I'm sure you realize that it will be no surprise to anyone here if you become a VX owner again in a year or two.

God Bless.

Tom

VX KAT
07/07/2012, 11:46 AM
Hey Leah-

Just thought I'd pop in and ask how you're doin' and if Bertha sold?

Miss ya and hope you're well and happy!

p.s...sad news, Tom happened to find out that Handeeman passed way in January '12....:( we miss him too. :(

89Vette
07/07/2012, 08:48 PM
Wow! Amazing story.

I'm glad everything is "good" in the end. Kinda seems like "I hope you live happily ever after!" is the appropriate post to follow this up with!

CHEERS!!!

Leah
07/10/2012, 08:17 AM
Hey Leah-

Just thought I'd pop in and ask how you're doin' and if Bertha sold?

Miss ya and hope you're well and happy!

p.s...sad news, Tom happened to find out that Handeeman passed way in January '12....:( we miss him too. :(

Hi VX KAT,

Thank you for the information. I read your post and felt like I was kicked in the chest. I couldn't even reply right away because I couldn't bear to think about it. I can't believe He's gone. I knew something was up when he wasn't posting on here anymore but I thought maybe he was going through what I hoped was great times and being too busy with fun stuff. Handeeman was a wonderfully kind, thoughtful, sincere soul. It just kills me that he's gone too. How many more of our friends will we lose? I guess all of us eventually, eh? It's just too painful. And yet I never even met the man.

Does anyone know his wife or family? Maybe we can send flowers or something. I'd be happy to foot the entire bill if we could just get an address or something. Better late than never, as the saying goes.

He was SO funny! He did that whole thing with the VX Barbie traveling everywhere and posting. The only reason I knew anything about it was because he would email me and include me. He was such a kind person looking out for the downtrodden and wanting to make people laugh. He made such a deep impression on my life just through email and on this forum, I can't imagine the depth of the impression he left on those he actually spent time with. Goodbye Handeeman. You will be missed.

Well, to sum up my situation, I did sell the VX for $6,000 to a fellow who lives right down the road. We still can't afford to replace her yet with anything so I'm driving a 2004 Nissan Maxima my husband bought from his daughter 2 years ago before we got married. It's a really nice car, but it's just a car. I've tried hard to give her life, even named her, but she isn't part of me like Berthabeast was. Heh, I used to call us Beauty and the Beast, only I was the Beast and Bertha was the Beauty. I still walk out into the garage and take a moment to stand there and imagine her in her bay, waiting to go out to play. I would have given just about anything to find a way to get better gas mileage for her so I could keep her. The Maxima gets 32 and poor Bertha got 17 in town, 20 hwy, on a good day. As I watch the price of gas rise twice as much as it falls, I know I did the right thing, but it still hurts.

I'm a writer of fiction novels and one day I will actually publish one and when I do, I will make a pretty penny (I hope) and then I will hunt Bertha down and buy her back, even if she's in a junk yard somewhere in Japan.

The one thing I always wanted to do with her was to go to Moab. I dreamed of it. Maybe one day...

Big hugs to all my friends here. Thank you for remembering me.

Leah

Leah
07/10/2012, 08:22 AM
Wow! Amazing story.

I'm glad everything is "good" in the end. Kinda seems like "I hope you live happily ever after!" is the appropriate post to follow this up with!

CHEERS!!!

Thank you, 89Vette!