Grandpa Kern liked to hang out at the car lot with one of his old friends, so he was happy to take me car shopping. I was 22 years old and I had my first real job at the casino. I was ready to upgrade from the Dodge Dynasty that had been handed down through the family from Grandma Patty. I didn't really know what I was looking for. I just wanted a car with a CD player, a sunroof and a payment of $250 per month.
I guess it was love at first sight. She was the only car I even test drove. And she was the perfect color of funky green. She really stood out in a crowd. She was small town famous. You could always see Olive coming. I usually got a honk and a wave from somebody when driving around Council Bluffs. When we lived in Fallon, NV the gate guards stopped checking my ID. They'd see Olive coming around the corner and they'd just wave me through the gate and say "Have a nice day Mrs. Price!"
When I bought her in 2005 I had no idea I'd be sitting here crying about having to watch her drive away with a new family. We've been through so much together. My friend Gina pointed out that having Olive is one of the longest relationships I've ever had!
I used to drive her to Kansas City so often, she could probably drive herself there. She got me home safely from the bar a few times when I probably should have walked (I was young and stupid and I'm just being honest). She kept my cigarettes hidden in that secret compartment under the passenger seat (yup, young and stupid). She was my work truck when I fixed up my house. I floated her around the corner on Avenue G with Josh's Grandma during the flood the weekend we got married. She brought both kids home from the hospital. She's been to California, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
I've shed way too many tears this week. I might be crying because I just miss my Grandpa Kern so much and Olive was our greatest souvenir. Maybe I'm crying because I just can't figure out where the time went.
We spent 14 years and 157,700 miles together. When she drove away today Silas burst into tears too. I was trying to make him feel better so I lied and I said, "It's ok. It's just a car."
