Kevin Duke wanted to buy his daughter a car for her 16th birthday. So he found one. But before he would buy it, he went over it with a fine-tooth comb. He checked the engine and every nook and cranny inside the car to make sure it was all good and safe.
When he came to the glove compartment a second time, he discovered a letter inside that he had somehow missed the first time he checked it.
On the outside of the letter was written: “New Car Owner. Important Info Inside.”
Well, that sure piqued his curiosity. So he opened the envelope and read what was inside. He was quite shocked at what it had to say. The letter was written by a young woman. In it she said that she had recently lost her mom, her 6-year-old daughter and her aunt in a terrible house fire. Her mom owned that car and she loved it. She had even driven it earlier in the day before that tragic fire.
But the daughter went on to say that she had to sell her mom’s car to take care of all their funerals. She urged the new owner to enjoy the new car, hoping it would bring that person many cherished memories, as it did for her mother.
She went on in the letter to say: “So now that it’s yours, please remember it isn’t just a car. It’s a memory. This car with all its quirks is the last piece of my family. Be nice to it. Play it a country song. Big Green Tractor was my daughter’s favorite song ever, or some Lynyrd Skynyrd Freebird. That song meant so much to us that I played it at their funerals.
You’re riding with angels. My angels. Talk to them if you like, I’m sure they’d like to see and hear about any new adventures you take in this car.
By the way, her name is Sylvia. The very first day mom got this car, we all rode around and Dr. Hook’s Sylvia’s Mother came on the radio. The name kind of just stuck when my daughter said that’s what we should name the car. So please don’t change her name.
If you ever want to sell Sylvia, please try to find me. I just paid for 3 funerals, I can’t afford to buy it right now, but hopefully, I’ll be in a better financial situation if you decide later that she’s just not right for you anymore.
Be blessed, be happy, live and love like we did. I wish you and Sylvia the best.
It was signed by a young woman named Sabrina.
Kevin posted about the letter and it touched quite a few. But it really touched one woman in particular. That was Tammy Warrington. And, together, she and Kevin worked to get that car back to Sabrina. They started a GoFundMe page to get Kevin’s daughter a different car.
When their goal was reached, a TV show contacted Kevin and Tammy and asked them to appear on the show “This is Life Live.” And it was on this show that Kevin presented the keys to Sylvia back to Sabrina, who was thrilled to get it back.
And when Kevin’s daughter got her car, she gave it a name as well: Sylvia 2.
