The Van

September 15 2013 1911

            I cashed in my retirement, all fifty cents of it.  So, we bought a minivan.  I raised four children and never owned a minivan.  But due to the gas mileage in the dodge truck and the fact I am expected to pay for it the truck is not the best vehicle for us.  The Van is able to hold our ten boxes of stuff safe from the rain and sleep us if needed.

            It is the van sent from God, but God has not been without his humor.  I had been pushed to the limit and felt like I was going to explode into tears after spending all day looking at cars in our price range.  We had been looking for a week and needed a car soon before the truck was repossessed. 

            We only found two options for vehicles.  If the car was a complete car that started, ran, and stopped, then it had no title.  If the car had a title then it had no motor or no transmission.  Kat drove us all day looking at one bad vehicle to another.

            First we went to a local dealership to look at their “as is” vehicles for under $1000.  We drove a very nice caravan.  The interior looked almost brand new and the body was nice.  The engine seemed to run well and passed The Goat Man’s inspection. So, we took it for a drive.

            “I have to drive it off the lot.”  The salesman said with a straight face.  Kat, The Goat Man, and myself all agree we had never heard this rule before.  However, we complied.  As the van with all of us in it left the lot several mechanics stood outside watching us go past.  “This is the first test drive they are waiting to see what happens.”  The salesman explains.

            The van drove nice on the windy road with a 35m.p.h. speed limit.  Then, I got behind the wheel.  I went as fast as I could within the limits allotted, but the van waited until almost 3500 r.p.m.’s to shift and almost 5000 r.p.m.’s for the second shift.

            “I want to take this out on 19 and see what it does.”  I was not asking permission I was simply talking to The Goat Man.

            “Oh we are almost out of gas.  We have to get back to the dealership.”  We argued for a moment and it became quite clear I had been forbidden to drive this van on US Hwy 19, the most prominent road in this area.  Regardless of this van’s problems I absolutely was not going to buy it!  Every car we looked at the rest of the day became a downhill staircase.

            For a moment the rebel in me wanted an old beat up 1995 mustang coupe.  I saw it’s potential and my dream car.  The old man wanted $300 more than we had to spend.  The old man would not budge, so we left with no more cars to look at. 

            Later that evening at the end of my strength I prayed to my God.  I lay in the dark on the small love seat and discussed our homelessness with my God.  I asked him to help us.  I thanked him for all that had been provided by our friends and the people we have met along the way.  I am so grateful for so many things.

            The next day they called on the van.  We had apparently contacted them at some point prior.  We had to be reminded which vehicle it was.  But, we drove an hour and a half to buy the van.  It is a very well running van with decent interior.  It has power everything including power rear vents and a power seat.  It has a sliding door on each side of the van.

            The Christian family that sold this one owner van to us were extremely nice and very forward about what the van’s problems are.  Basically, the air conditioning unit has a leak and the pulley makes a noise…sometimes.  I knew this was the van my God had sent to me.  It was my answered prayer.

            We bought the van and drove it home….