If you live in any heavily populated city, like Houston,
then you know the craziness in the streets: the chaos, the rule-breaking, the rudeness,
and especially the rage of the Honk. The streets of Houston are not for
everyone.
Roughly four years ago, I purchased a vehicle which at the
time was in excellent condition. It would start faithfully on the first turn of
the key. My blue Nissan Altima was very good to me.
And then something changed…
The first incident occurred about one year ago. I had
planned an outing at Discovery Green for the youth kids at my church. Everything
we needed was packed in the Altima, and off we were to our first adventure. It
was a great outing.
It was time to head home, and once again we packed and hopped
in the vehicle…I placed my key in the ignition annndddd….. tuk-tuk---tccheee…tchheee….tche.
And,
it was dead!
With a new battery, it revived the Altima. It worked for a
while until it needed a new alternator. After those repairs, once again, it ran
smoothly. That is, until the semi-flood during Labor Day. My father was eager
to do a little shopping, but the sky was falling. I warned him, “Dad it’s
raining. We can’t go.” Well, there is no such thing as “no” or “we can’t” according
to my dad and off to the city we went. Needless to say, we got stuck in few
inches of rain. Being the impatient person my father is, he demanded I get us
home. I definitely did but at what cost? Well, I lost my front
license plate and my car was drenched from the inside. It reeked of wet dog! it
just went downhill from there.
A few days following the flood, my Altima began to heat up.
One day I blasted the AC and I noticed how the air was visible. It looked icy
cold! And, it was. I did not pay any attention, I kept on driving from city to
city.
One day, I turned my key…. And pup..pup..pupp..ppup..pppppuupppppp..pup..pupp…puppp…pppppppppppppup!
It
puffed and it huffed until it turned on. It took ten minutes for my Altima
to live again. TEN MINUTES for it to turn on every time after that. But, I stood
by my Altima. My air condition was not working, but it was winter time and I could
just roll the windows down. I was adjusting to the changes.
Yes, the logical thing would have been to get a new car, especially
if it was in need of repairs every other week. But, I just needed the car to give me
six more months; just six months to get my credit score a bit higher by
getting out of a few debts. 
My Altima was repaired for the millionth time, and I kept
running the streets like nothing. It still took ten minutes for it to turn on,
my ac was not working, now that spring arrived my windows jammed and I could
not roll them down, and now I carried water jugs. My car was thirsty after every
drive. And to top it off with a cherry, my car was now turning off in
the middle of a drive. I still did not let go of my Altima. How could I!? We
lived through the best and worst moments together.
However, I did become very frustrated. Every time my car
left me stranded, I held on to the steering wheel and screamed until my voice
went out “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! God I know you see my struggle!! I am sick and
tired! In the name of Jesus, turn on! Just get me to point B!.” Hence, in Houston’s
ninety degree weather, I was hot and sweating atomic bombs. I WAS ANGRY! I
could not contain the tears or the massive headaches that followed.
I filled up my car with water every morning; my windows did
not roll down; my ac did not work; and now my poor Altima could not hold in its
farts. At every red light, it would literally kick back and “PPPPPPPOOOPPPPPPPPP…PPPPOOPPPP..PPUPPP.PUP..PUPP….PPPPOOPPP”
while puffs of smoke engulfed the drivers behind me. Often times when it began
to tremble, it would just turn off. I was stressed and I cried in my car almost
every day for the last two weeks of its life. I did not have the luxury of
going through a drive-through. If I forgot my jugs, then there was a risk of
not getting home or to the next destination. It was a struggle!
There is so much to this story!
But to sum it up, I would like you to know that I have
purchased a new vehicle. God is good! He definitely saw my
struggle and heard my prayers. I was going to settle for a 2010 vehicle with
handles to roll down the windows, but my God made a way for me to get a 2018
vehicle with electrical system, Bluetooth, and a rear-view camera. It
was more than I needed and expected. I am blessed!
Now,I drive with no worries!
God makes a way even when our eyes see nothing but dead ends.
