Your First Love...

 by Charlotte Bennardo

In my family, we had to buy our own cars. That meant babysitting, saving birthday/Christmas money, doing yard work and odd jobs until I had enough to buy a used car. This was my baby:

Photo courtesy of By Kroelleboelle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4725137

A 1965 Ford Mustang, with a standard 3-speed transmission, black interior, candy apple red. I added chrome mag wheels, black striping, and yeah, I was cool. 

I loved that car. If I still had it today, it would be worth a small fortune. 

But like first loves, they rarely last forever. I had it for two years in high school, then sold it the summer I went away to college (couldn't afford the insurance while in school, I needed the money, and without maintenance, it would deteriorate. I sold it to some guy at the diner where I worked.

He totaled it a week later.

I cried. 

Sweet memories, bittersweet endings.

Just like love.