I woke up on the 12th of June and did my daily routine.
I was slowly building up the volume, doing two sets of 50 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 50 leg raises instead of just one.
I lay on the ground in just my shorts, finishing my leg raises, when the door to my room opened.
I could see my sister's long, dark hair peeking out from the corner of the door.
"Happy Birthday, Jack." she said.
"Thank you..." I replied.
"Are you ready? Breakfast is on the table."
I picked up the water bottle next to me on the floor and took a sip. "I'll be ready if you let me put on some clothes."
Without another word, she ran away.
As I was putting on some clothes, I checked my phone. I had birthday wishes from Jacob and a few other's from school and I already had a missed call from Ashley and Grandpa.
'I forgot I put the phone in quiet mode' I thought.
I walked out of my room and into the kitchen and found my parents waiting for me with a few presents laid out on the ground and on the table.
They smiled as I walked in.
"Happy Birthday," dad said.
"A very happy eighteenth birthday to you, son." My mom trailed behind.
My parents gave me a few practical presents. A new ergonomic chair, some daily-use items like a set of kitchen utilities, a toolkit, and a cozy throw blanket.
"Just some things to help you settle in when you move out," mom said warmly.
Dad chuckled. "It feels like you've been giving us more presents lately than we could ever give you, but we hope you like these."
"Of course I do," I assured them, smiling.
"Your eighteenth birthday should be special," Mom added.
"It's okay. It's only a birthday; I have one every year." I grinned. "You've already given me so many presents over the last eighteen years..."
I ate the special birthday breakfast Mom had prepared. As I was finishing up, Dad stepped out for a moment and came back in with something in his hands: a red package of chocolates and a letter on top.
He placed it in front of me. "It's written that it's for you," he said with a curious smile.
My sister gasped dramatically. "Oh! Jack has a girlfriend!"
I opened it and read the note inside.
It was an anonymous expression of affection.
The handwriting was neat and careful, with no hint of who might have written it.
I glanced at the chocolates and then back at the letter, wondering who could have sent it.
'Maybe Ashley?' I thought.
I shrugged, tucking the letter back into the envelope.
My sister leaned over, trying to get a peek. "What does it say?"
"It's anonymous," I replied.
She giggled. "Looks like someone has a secret admirer."
A few minutes later, my phone rang again. It was Ashley calling to wish me a happy birthday.
I was actually skeptical that it was her who gave me the chocolates. She lived quite far from my house. If anything, I would think maybe it was Chloe. Oh well.
I had a few things I wanted to do today.
I had a plan to open another brokerage account, this time a margin account. But first, I had something else in mind.
It was my birthday, after all, and I decided I deserved a little treat. I wanted to buy myself a car.
Having a car was very important; it would open a lot of new possibilities.
After my parents left for work, I left the house and walked a few streets over to a used car dealership.
The lot was filled with cars of various makes and models, lined up neatly in rows. A big canvas cover was stretched out over most of them to shield them from the rain.
The shining sun made it so that the colors of the cars were popping against the canvas.
Two guys were walking around, looking at the cars closely. One of them, a tall man in his early thirties, was speaking to the other, who was nodding along.
I started looking through the cars.
I was searching for a specific one.
I came across a used 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra that looked great with its bright red paint job and sleek design. I walked around the car, examining the undercarriage.
It was a good thing I did—parts on the lower half of the car were either bent, twisted, or missing.
As I scrutinized the car, a woman walked up to me with a bunch of papers.
She was an attractive blonde with a pert disposition, slightly tanned skin and exotic eyes. She wore a white silk blouse and navy hip-hugging cotton pants. She looked like she was in her early 20s.
"Hi there, I'm Lynn," she said, greeting me warmly with a smile. "Do you need any help?"
She was clearly the saleswoman.
"Yeah. What kind of mileage does this car have?" I asked.
She looked through her papers. "This one has... 39,000 miles."
I raised an eyebrow. "And the car wasn't in any accidents?"
"Nope, it's clean. No accidents." She said confidently.
This was suspicious.
If these damages were indeed caused by regular wear and tear over 39,000 miles, it seemed likely that either the previous owner who sold the car or the dealership itself might have misrepresented the actual mileage.
"Could you show me some other cars?" I asked.
"What kind of car are you looking for?"
"I want a Ford Mustang. That's the idea."
"What year and model are we talking?"
"Either a Cobra or a GT, and the year... anything between 1995 and 1998," I replied.
"Let me check. I think we've got a couple of GTs from the mid-'90s. Follow me."
Lynn kept taking me to see more cars.
I kept in mind that I should be careful about being scammed.
After examining several vehicles, I finally laid eyes on it—a 1997 Ford Mustang GT.
The price tag of $7,100 seemed reasonable for its age, and from a distance, it looked well-maintained.
Approaching cautiously, I checked the doors and trunk. They opened smoothly without rust or damage. The exterior had a few scratches, but nothing that couldn't be buffed out.
I popped the hood and inspected the parts. Everything appeared clean and in working order.
I crouched down to examine the tires. The rear ones seemed newer, but two front tires were worn out. They had decent tread left, but they were definitely older.
The previous owner might have cut some corners on maitanance.
"Finding everything okay?" Lynn asked me politely as I was down on the ground.
"Hmm, two of these tires look older. But other than that, this GT looks great. Almost too good to be true," I chuckled.
Lynn smiled. "Why don't we take it for a test drive then?"
"Hmm, yes, don't mind if I do," I replied.
"Let me grab the keys, and we can take it for a spin," she said, turning to head back inside.
She returned with the keys, and we climbed into the car.
"Every guy who sees me driving with such a beautiful woman will hate me," I told her.
She laughed, "Ooh! A handsome guy with a silver tongue! But I think you're a bit too young for me," she said as her face lit with a brilliant smile.
"Do you need to see my license?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied.
After verifying my license, she handed it back and offered me the keys.
She proceeded to tell me about the features of this particular car. It was easy to tell that Lynn was an aficionado of fine vehicles.
She even explained the difference between the GT and the Cobra, including the front bumper, the round fog lights, and the Cobra-specific wheels.
I started up the car, clutch pedal down, shifted into first gear, and eased out of the lot onto the streets.
I noticed a faint noise from the brakes. It seemed like there might be an issue with the brake master cylinder or the brake fluid.
As I cruised through the streets with one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear, Lynn settled back in her seat and enjoyed the ride.
She seemed to be comfortable with my driving because she was relaxing on the passenger seat with her legs spread out.
The car handled like a dream.
It was such a pleasure to drive that I almost wished I could remain behind the wheel a bit longer.