Don't Pinch Me! I Don't Want to Wake Up!

I was born in 1957, and practically all of my life, I have loved Corvettes. In my teen years, I would ride my bike to the Chevy dealer in my hometown to see if they had any 'Vettes in the showroom. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. As I got older, married and started a family, I would tell My kids that someday I would have a bright yellow Corvette. I didn't care what year it was, new or used, it didn't matter.  All I wanted was that gorgeous yellow 'Vette' in my garage. As time went by and money remained tight, I eventually resigned myself to the bitter reality that I would never be able to own my dream car. It was just too far out of reach for a working stiff like myself.  Besides, priorities being what they were, family always came first.

But, even though I was convinced that a Corvette would forever remain out of my reach, my desire to possess that classic American sports car never dwindled. If I was in the car with the kids, they'd say, "Look, Dad... there's a Corvette!" And I would dream. After many years together, my wife and I divorced, and as a result, I became more financially strapped than ever. So much so, that for a long time, I forgot about my dream. But then slowly, my fate began to change. When I was 43, I married the true love of my life. She was rising through the professional ranks in her chosen field, and suddenly, after many years together, I realized that between our two salaries this elusive dream might just be possible.

So, with the help of my devoted spouse, we scoured the want-ads to see what used Corvettes were selling for. I made notes, took down numbers, model years, trim levels, etc. This process continued for months. Then, one day, my wife came home from work and showed me a letter of acceptance from our financial institution for a car loan. I was so stunned, I literally lost my voice. She had to snap me back to reality to explain that now, we could actually go Corvette shopping. Do you remember the anticipation you had as a kid as you woke up on Christmas morning? Anxious to open presents and revel in the magic of the holiday? That's the way I felt when we began to seriously shop around.

After several days of dealership visits, I settled on the beauty that I now own. It's a 2013 with a removable hardtop. No, it isn't yellow, but frankly, the mere fact that I now drive my dream car, it could have been purple with pink polka dots for all I cared! This is my atomic orange beauty. I drove it off the dealer's lot on the day after Thanksgiving, 2016. Now, THAT is what I call Black Friday shopping! I've made several modifications to it over the past few years, mostly bling, some mechanical, but always retaining the true essence of my dream car.

Oh, and did I mention that it's the 60th anniversary model? Talk about icing on the cake! I drive it every chance I get, and as I pass a young guy on the street, I imagine he's thinking, "Lucky old man. Someday, that will be me". As cliche as it sounds, never give up on your dream, no matter what it is. I'm a guy who could never imagine owning a Corvette. Heck, I never even SAT in one until the day I took a test drive in my orange crush. Remember, things always look darkest just before the light.

Keep the faith, believe in your dream, and one day, it will come true.