just parted ways with mimi, and it honestly feels quite devastating
a few happy points:
- I sold it to danh, a berkeley student that I met and chatted with before who was in the same club as gabi
- he’s an avid miata fan, and he drove mimi without hesitation and with a lot of enjoyment, consideration, and appreciation
- he’s converting her into a manual with a mechanic friend, which honestly is a good thing; miatas are meant to be driven manual (I’ve never driven manuals, so I can’t FULLY back that up haha), and it means a lot of genuine time, effort, and care for mimi
- he drove it down to los angeles (where his mechanic friend is) midnight the same day I handed the keys off to him + took mimi to the clouds to see the world a bit more and said that mimi was simply amazing
i honestly feel like I shouldn’t be sad. i was able to give mimi a new partner who seems to appreciate her already as much as i do. but it’s an end of an era. she was a key cornerstone to my college life and my experience in Berkeley. i drove her to visit friends, to go on dates, to see the bay from the hills, to go escape the college town and visit new spots in norcal, to play music, to talk about life, to relax, to grab groceries… to just make college life just click into place. as much as i’m sentimental, i really thought i was more prepared for this.
at first, everyone told me that it wasn’t a smart choice to get her. she had high mileage; she was older than me even; she was a small, low car, easily overlooked and hidden in blind spots; and she wasn’t practical. of course, i listened to all their inputs with consideration, but at the end, i make my own decisions, and i thought she was the one. my parents was insisting that i get the newest model if anything; i said it’s honestly her or nothing. i really didn’t care to have the means to drive. after all, i had an electric bike, electric longboard, access to a daily, free ebike-sharing program (Veo), good and discounted public transit, and two healthy legs—all in a relatively small and accessible town. my mom at the end gave in and gave me her green light. did i really need it? no, but there’s some things that as a child, you should respect. one of which is your parents' somewhat reasonable concerns about your safety. not long after Mimi became under my care, everyone started appreciating and loving her. i mean, honestly, i didn’t know what the fuss was all about in the first place. just look at her!
she showed me the joy of driving—not as a means to other enjoyment, but rather the enjoyment itself. she taught me preparedness, keeping me stocked with a portable jumper and tire inflator haha. she helped me enjoy the outdoors more, taking me to hills afar, hikes over yonder, and the stars above. she also mentored gabi how to drive, was there for her to help her pass her DMV licensure, enabled her to have a hot girl summer (whatever that means), and was always in gabi’s corner without hesitation through the ups and downs.
i’m thankful, so thankful, that i was fiscally able to take care of mimi as well. maintenance is important, yet a pretty penny at times. i do wish i learned how to take care of it all myself, but i fear i lacked the time, tools, and mental headspace during school. however, i fortunately did not lack the understanding that if i did not have the time and ability, i needed to find someone who did and compensate them for mimi’s health. i didn’t need to junk her. i didn’t need to resort to some random, potentially careless, person to take care of her next. i didn’t let her become someone’s track car throwaway.
instead, i hope, and i believe, that she will be well taken care of. she was, and still is, truly loved, and she will, to the best of my ability and hopes, continue to be loved and appreciated.
thank you mimi. for every moment. i hope you get to continue seeing the world and travel freely and fully. i shall miss you dearly, and i hope to see you again soon. i’ll learn to drive stick just for you :D
as a bit of context for the texts below, danh says Mimi, gabi and i say mimi
