Caiti's Crossing

Patience does not often reside within those who need it most. Typically, patience lies within those who have very little going on, perhaps very little to get excited about. I don’t have the luxury of fucking knowing what it feels like to have patience because to me patience feels like laziness and inactivity.

“Just be patient.”

No. Why am I having to be patient? Because someone else doesn’t have the sense of urgency to take care of their end of what I’m waiting on? I don’t even need them to do whatever they’re supposed to be doing. I’ll just do it myself. Who needs that slow ass? Not me.

Sorry. If you couldn’t tell, my lack of patience causes frustration. Moving on…

In my junior year of high school my parents purchased a forest green 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck. I don’t know how much they paid for it or how many miles it had on it when they got it. They bought it because at the time we only had two other trucks: one belonging to my mother (a 2000 Chevy Silverado, which despite being 16 years old only has 80,000 miles on it) and the other belonging to my father (a 1990-something white Chevy that’s approaching 300,000 miles with toolboxes and a ladder rack) since he was self-employed in the construction/contracting field.

Once I got my license when I was 17, I started driving myself to school each day and my mother wanted to keep her truck in pristine condition in terms of milage so she talked with my father about purchasing an additional vehicle for me to drive. So they bought “the green truck.” That’s just the name that stuck.

So I drove the green truck everywhere and am still driving it today. It’s resting at 153,000 miles now, enjoys long interstate drives, and guzzling gas. I have become thoroughly connected to this vehicle and every time I drive somewhere, I know it so well that I can manage the riskiest of merges and never question it because, though it sounds silly, it feels like it’s simply an extension of my body and I have full control. (Don’t get me wrong, I know the tire could blow at any minute and I’d probably die because I’m usually speeding, since I’m late to everything).

Since I’ve been working part-time making less than $350 every two weeks, it never crossed my mind that I could possibly afford to buy my own vehicle. It seemed outlandish. But then through a series of life events I formed a wonderful friendship with a car salesman at a newly constructed local Chevrolet dealership. Unless things are unusually busy I stop by routinely about 3 times a week just to talk to Charlie about anything and everything.

Then one day I drove past my hair salon and saw a deep red 2010 Lexus RX350 with a ‘For Sale’ sign on it parked in the parking lot. I called and got information and the owner was asking $21,900 for it with 20,000 miles on it. I had not done any research prior to encountering this and knew nothing about what prices were fair for what year/mileage ratio.

So I called my mom. She told me to call my dad. After speaking with him he essentially told me that I’d be better off buying a new one. Which made me think, “Well, if I’m getting a new vehicle I’m not gonna buy anything but a red Chevy Equinox.” I’ve had my heart set on an Equinox since 2012.

That day (Friday) after I got off work, I went to talk to Charlie. I told him my budget, talked about financing, listed out exactly what I wanted, and told him I couldn’t have any color but red and that I wanted a 2015 since the new 2016 Equinox doesn’t have a CD player (that I still use), and he replied, “I’ll find you one.”

My lack of patience leapt out of my throat and said, “How soon?” and he told me to come back Monday. So I did. Over the weekend (when I know he isn’t supposed to be working) Charlie managed to find an exact match in a NEW 2015 red Chevy Equinox that met every criteria I’d listed AND was under $20,000.

I’m beyond ecstatic and grateful and everything else, and I’m picking her up Friday 🙂