After about a dozen or so failed searches and looksees, I found a Dodge Ram in Las Vegas that I wanted to check out and the sales lady at the Mitsubishi Dealership said to come this evening and I would get the best deal on it. (Interesting tidbit, Mitsubishi people don't like Dodge Rams on their lots and are willing to take deals to move the inventory.) And she said she would hold it for me. Queue a quick 2 hours and we pull up on the lot and ask for the sales lady. Turns out, she sold the truck to someone else and left for the day. That was nice of her. Sales guy asked me if I wanted to buy a Mitsubishi as they are literally the same vehicle. I laughed at him and left. (Frustration Level 7/10)
Being planners, I had a couple trucks that I wanted to see so that I had a back up plan. I called the next dealer ship and that truck was sold. Last truck, I called up, and they said they still had it, and that they would hold it for me. I heard that before but told them I am across town and it will take me a bit to get there and that I am already ticked off from this dealership, so be ready. The guy promised it would be there.
I show up at the dealer and there is the truck I wanted to look at. It was a Harley Davidson Special Edition, and it looked amazing. But, when we sat in it, the first thing we noticed was there was no automatic nothing. I mean, it was completely like going back to the 70s. Who knew they still sold vehicles where you have to roll down your window? I figured the buttons were standard! I was wrong. So the sales guy comes out and we talked and I told him we just can't pull the trigger on a vehicle that I do not love. It looked great! And the wheels were amazing, the rims looked so good! But, just, no. (Frustration Level 11/10) So as we walked out, the sales guy said that he had a black Ram, and I declined stating I would never buy a white or black vehicle. He then pipes up, "What about Silver? We have a Silver Dodge Ram here." I looked at Michelle, who had perked up because she had her Silver Honda Accord. So I said we would look at it but don't expect anything.
As we waited, we saw one of the runners run out to the lot. I stood there with a smirk on my face until I heard her. The sound I heard was a 2005 Silver Dodge Ram with a 5.7 liter custom Hemi starting up and growling. The sound carried across the lot and into my soul. "Oh crap," I turned to Michelle, "We just bought a truck."
I knew without seeing the truck, that I was going to buy it, and after a couple hours of negotiating (I wanted the rims from the Harley truck, but they wouldn't budge, so it cost them $3000 off sticker price.), we returned home and I had Fathom.
I tell this story because anyone who didn't know, I absolutely love this truck. I kept it running the best I could and made sure all the maintenance was done and she has rewarded me with over 60,000 miles of pure bliss. That truck represented my freedom, but because of my fight with Multiple Myeloma, a brain tumor, and breathing issues, I lost that freedom, and Fathom sat untouched, mostly, for almost two years.
Well, this past week, things advanced very quickly, and she was sold to someone I believe will take amazing care of her. It was a family who needed her, and it just seemed right (and I can even go drive her whenever I go to St. George, so that is a bonus!). We thought about this for a long time and even months ago, we discussed if we should keep her. The thing is, if something were to happen to me, how hard for Michelle would it be to get rid of? I got to drive her a couple weeks ago, and looking back, it was a farewell ride that I spent most the trip with a smile on my face.
Anyways, I am sure most of you think it is silly to be attached to a vehicle like I was to Fathom, but there were a lot of great memories with that truck. When I would take Michelle to work, and pick her up, I would use her growl to let her (and all her employees) know I was there! Michelle and I invented the term 'truck-nic', and spent many thunderstorms in the cab over looking the valley while eating pizza. I would even do Neighborhood Watch with Fathom, until 1 AM, just to see if anyone would complain about the noise. We would use my truck as a landmark to help people find our house. Everyone knew Fathom was mine, and knew that if she was home, so was I. Wasn't the case the past while, but I had no problems with the correlation.
The thing is, I am sad and happy at the same time. And you can believe it, that if I wasn't going through what I am, that I would not have sold her.
Sigh. Cancer Sucks.
