The snow was really coming down. While at work, I walked by one of the mall entrances and all I saw was white. This scared the shit out of me. Last year during winter I missed the 2 big snow storms, the first I was in Florida and the second I was in San Diego making fun of all my friends that were snowed in. It did snow a few other times last year but at that time I lived a mile away from work and had a roommate that had 4-wheel drive that I rode with when it snowed.
We ended up closing the store early even though shoppers were still in the mall. These yanks are crazy up here. After we closed down the store, we walked out to our cars. After scraping the snow off my windshield, I was ready to start my journey back to Long Beach. For some crazy reason I thought I could make the hour drive home. I thought my car was invincible. It's a muscle car! It's a Mustang so it can do anything! Maybe in Florida...
After stopping at the first red light, my car wouldn't move. Oh the back tires were moving, but nothing else. Thank God another manager was right behind me and a nice guy was behind her. They pushed me out so I could go back to the mall parking lot to park my car. I rode with that manager to another manager's house to stay the night.
The next day, we didn't open until 2pm. After work, I walked out to my snow covered car. I could barely see the yellow. With no shovel, I started digging my car out with my hands and feet. A security guard stopped and pulled out two shovels. After digging for a few minutes, I tried backing it out. No go. The security guard tried pushing while I hit the gas. No go. A guy stopped and helped push. I only smelt burnt rubber. Finally after them pushing and me hitting the gas for 10 minutes, I got out. My car was free. I started my long journey back to LB.
The drive wasn't that bad, until I got to Long Beach. It seemed they hadn't plowed any snow. There's a million and one stop lights on the way to my house and I thought about running every single one because I was so scared of stopping and getting stuck again. I finally got to the last stop light and turned down my road. I was finally home! Until I saw my road. It was covered with snow. I had only two more houses to go until I was at my house. My back tires were spinning and I was a not moving. There I was, stuck in the middle of my road, my house just a few feet away. A bulldozer started coming down the road. Yes! He's come to save me! "You shouldn't be out on the roads. Especially with that thing. That's not a winter car," he said to me as he reversed and left the street. Thanks for your wise words of wisdom jackass but words aren't gonna get my damn car out! Another guy came down the road and tried to push me. No go. My roommate and other friend came and tried. NO GO! Then I remembered I had AAA. They came an hour and a half later with a tow truck. Finally my car was out of the slush and in front of my house.
The next day, it was back to work I had to go. When I woke up I thought, how the hell am I gonna make it? A kid could drop a snow cone on the ground and my car would get stuck in it. My roommate and his girlfriend tried to help me get my car out of my parking spot. After about 2 hours, no go. Even if we had gotten it out, my car would only get stuck in the slush on the road ahead. I ended up taking my roommate's SUV to work that day. Three days passed and my car was still in the same spot. On New Year's Eve, I knew I wouldn't be in the best condition to get my car out the next day for work in the morning, so I was determined to get ole Sunny out. With the help of a couple neighborhood girls that were having a snowball fight, I got Sunny out! I parked it in a spot I knew I couldn't get stuck in for the next day.
The following week, snow was predicted again. I knew Sunny wasn't gonna make it this winter. She was done. With her rear tires with no more tread, squeaky timing belt, and check engine light on, I knew she was mad at me. She was ready to go back to where the sun shined down on her yellow exterior, where she could drive 90 on the road and no one would stop her, where her Mustang emblem would not get stolen(it was stolen the 1st month I moved up here).
I have the best family ever. My dad found me an all wheel drive SUV and my brother agreed to meet me half way to exchange cars. All I had to do was get insurance, register my car for New York, get my New York state drivers license and drive Sunny to North Carolina to meet my brother. Easier said than done.
After 3 trips to the Department of Motor Idiots, finding out I had a suspension on my license because they couldn't put my Florida street address with the right city(they sent a citation that I had too many points on my license to 22 McCarthy Ave. AVENTURA, FL instead of FROSTPROOF, FL) and paying a whole paycheck worth of points on license, car insurance, and New York state taxes on my new car, I was ready for the trip down to NC.
518 miles, a short pit stop to get new back tires, and 5 states later, I made it to NC. After 5 years of being with Sunny, it was time to say goodbye. Sunny was the best gift I'd ever gotten. She was a graduation gift from my parents when I graduated college. My parents surprised me with her by driving it up in the yard after they had said it was already sold by the time they got to the dealership. She was my 4th Mustang, my first being the Great Pumpkin when I was 15 after my dad thought I was turning 16. He's never really been good with keeping up with ages or dates. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm still 24 and that my birthday is October 17.
I've had some pretty good and maybe not so good memories with that car. Driving to and from Tampa and Miami to FP. The long road trip to NY and getting the shit scared out of me when a bum tried to clean my windshield in NYC. Windows down and music up cruising through Miami. Thinking it was towed from the Wal-Mart parking lot after a long night of drunkeness only to find it in my driveway because my parents wanted to teach me a lesson. 7 tickets; 3 speeding, 1 running a red light, 2 parking tickets, and 1 for my tint being too dark. Flying back to NY to find 2 feet of snow behind my car and not having a shovel or even a brush. Hooking up my Ipod and singing to the top of my lungs while driving 85 down the interstate.
I'm going to miss Sunny, but it's a new year and time for a change. It's nice to have an SUV now, especially up here. No more worrying about how I'm going to get to work when it's snowing or sticking out like a sore thumb when driving on the parkways. I think Mitsy is going to enjoy NY!
Saying goodbye to Sunny.
My new ride Mitsy!
This is what happens when I get bored and find old school CD's. One of my many talents: turning any song into a country song! For your listening pleasure.
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