The Car
The Car
Bradley Johnson lived in a trailer. He didn’t own a car and made a living putting up vinyl siding. His mother took him to work every day in her little blue Toyota. His girlfriend came over every day after work to cook his supper. Bradley lived well. He hated it. He hated his mother, she didn’t drive fast enough. He hated his girlfriend, she couldn’t cook as well as his mother. He hated his father for kicking him out when he turned twenty-four. Nothing was good enough, and he complained constantly. He wanted to change. He wanted a car.
He had no money. Most of it went to rent and utilities on his small trailer. The rest went to alcohol, cigarettes, and everything else he needed to maintain a lifestyle compatible to that of his friends. So he needed a different lifestyle. It took a while, but Bradley quit smoking, drinking, and partying. No one could believe it. He had never made a firm decision to do anything in his life, and yet there he was. He made himself put the money he usually used on these things in the bank every week. He was also working better than he had ever worked before. He never came in hung over, and he never needed to break for a cigarette. He got a raise.
After a period of months, he put a down payment on a ford pick-up. The money that had once been used for other things now went to maintenance, gas, insurance, and car payments. He needed more. Bradley could drive himself now, so he found a job at an air force base twenty miles away. Now he had a little extra money for new clothes and more food. He dressed nicer. He left his girlfriend. People began to look at him differently.
Bradley decided to move. He would save money on gas if he lived closer to work, besides, the trailer was beginning to cramp him. He wanted more. It had now been over a year since he decided to buy the pick-up. He had a better job, nicer clothes, and more money than ever before in his life. He still complained, but nowhere near as often. He was proud of himself.
He met Trisha at a gas station two miles from his new home, and fell in love. She moved in with him. He had never been so happy.
Bradley Johnson was in a car accident two months before his wedding.
He flew through the windshield and landed a hundred feet from his truck. He died on impact.
You may ask yourself, “What is the point of this?”. My answer is simple; no matter how hard you work for what you want or need, it can still be taken away. You may wonder, “Did that really have to be so depressing?”. My answer is a resounding Yes.
PS. I write happy stuff too. I just hate it.
