Chance

You never thought you were worthy of a new one. As much as you admire the new ones. Commitment and high maintenance were always paramount in your mind. You always found the new ones to be intimidating. Good used ones are hard to find on the other hand. That's what your mom always said. Hopeful mother always hoped you would take a leap into a good new one.

Today you think maybe it’s time to get a new one. But then walk past the new ones because across the street you see what might be a good used one. Scratched and a few small dents and dings with a scuff on the front bumper. Not looking too bad for its age. So, you take it for a test drive. Immediately you notice it has its own characteristics. A stubborn personality of its own with the occasional twitch to the left. A couple of spare tires and leftover baggage in the trunk. A twenty-footer that smokes. A little raspy grunt as it starts up. You wonder. Can that be fixed? Maybe it's the smoke and all the years of cheap gasoline that causes that sound when the engine starts up. Maybe a good oil change will help it out. All these maybes run through your mind. Once warm, it settles to a not so raspy toon. A crack in the windshield is to be expected. It's easily been around the block and you think it looks a little odd with two larger tires in the back. The smell of old man wafts up into your face as you slam your ass between the lumbar of the driver's seat and again when you corner a bit too hard. Silent, the salesperson sits and appears to be a bit nervous. You can see this nervousness with your peripheral vision. The focus is stiffly straight ahead and you wonder, maybe I drive a bit too fast. But you don't slow down because you always liked the fast ones that handle well in the corners and maybe the salesperson was just pretending not to notice the smell or hoping you weren't thinking it was coming from their side just as the window cracked open a bit.

The test drive is over and you stand in the parking lot with your hands in your pockets surrounded by all the other good used ones. You're focused on the new ones across the street. The one’s mom wishes for. That's when the salesperson starts with the story and it’s just like mom said, “Every good used one has a story. Don’t be fooled by it.”

But you're polite and you listen and hope it’s not the story about the old lady.

“This was my son's used one, after it had been owned by an older man since new.”

Immediately you think. Here we go with the old man story.

“I never intended to sell it after my son's tragic accident that left him bedridden. Always hoped he would get well and it would be here waiting for him again. The old man died a year ago. Fell face first onto the floor and died of a broken heart and the head injuries didn’t help. That’s what the doctors said.”

You listen patiently through a pause.

“I'm going through some hard times, it must go.”

Another pause. The salesperson lit a smoke. One puff and then a raspy cough on the exhale. Over and over the cough and you thought a lung might fall out.

“Name your price.” The salesperson says and turns briefly to gob. “It’s the best one of the used ones.”

You stand silent with your hands in your pockets looking at the new ones on the other side of the street. Easily within reach and all you need to do is walk away.