“Do I have a choice?”
“No.”
“Are there any witnesses?”
“No.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You shouldn’t. Now, shut up and follow me.”
“You’re lucky you’re wearing a hot dress.”
“You’re lucky it’s your birthday.”
We’re walking, and I hear cars passing by from the neighboring street off in the distance. When we stop, she releases my hand. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I can feel her removing the blindfold, but I keep my eyes closed. Her lips touch my cheek as she kisses me. “Happy Birthday.” She says. “Open your eyes.”
I open them slowly. Then they’re wide. My heart starts to pound as I look at the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen in the world. “Hoooolllly fuuuuuuuck.” I murmur. It’s exactly like the one that my grampa had. “Where did you get this?” I ask, walking around it, looking at it like it’s a fucking unicorn.
“It’s a secret.”
“God, this is exactly like my grampa’s.”
“That’s because itisyour grampa’s.”
My gaze darts to her. “What?”
She smiles. “Your brothers helped me out with that one. There was an old picture of it somewhere in your mother’s attic, complete with the VIN, and we went on a hunt. It turns out this car was bought at auction decades ago and then the owner passed away. Evidently, all he wanted was this car, so he pre-paid for months of storage fees. When his wife passed away, his son inherited it, and then they put it into storage. But his son didn’t want to part with it until his wife filed for divorce. We just happened to stumble upon it at the right time.”
“Are you kidding me?” I bark. “This is my grampa’s original Bel-Air?”
Another smile. “Believe me, your brothers were surprised, too. And if it hadn’t been for it being your thirtieth birthday, they would never have agreed to letting you have it.”
The car is still in mint condition. It’s like it’s been frozen in time. Not a scratch on it, not a dent, nothing. “Does it still run?”
“I drove it here.”
“Where was it being stored?”
“Here in North Carolina.” Her eyes are sparkling. “Happy Birthday, Jagger.”
I flash her a smile. “You want to go for a drive?”
A chuckle. “Well, aren’t you even going to thank me?”
I stick the key inside the passenger side door. “Get in.”
The car is perfect. Just like grampa only drove it yesterday. “God, I can’t believe this. It’s exactly how I remember it.”
“Your brother had Axl do some light work on it to get it going, but otherwise, this is how it was when we found it.”
“Unbelievable.” I beam as we drive.
...and somehow, I end up at my house...
