Dad buys used car for daughter’s 16th birthday – finds letter in glove box addressed to him
Buying used cars is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s often a cheaper, more efficient way of purchasing a vehicle, and one many people turn to.
Of course, like a house, a car can represent a whole load of memories for the person selling it, meaning it can sometimes be difficult for them to actually ‘let go’.
Kevin Duke had decided to surprise his daughter on her 16th birthday by buying her a car. He did his due diligence and found a vehicle that fitted his requirements.
Kevin Duke from Kentucky was excited to get his daughter her first ever car. He wanted to make sure he finds the best vehicle and he eventually bought a nice used car. But little did he know it wasn’t just “a car.” It hid a secret that broke his heart.
As his daughter was weeks from getting her driving license, Kevin wanted to test the car himself, so he went for a test drive and checked it thoroughly inside and out. He also checked the glove box a couple of times, but it wasn’t until he touched a small rubber mat that he discovered there was a letter inside. It was addressed to the new owner and said “Important Info Inside.”
Buying the car
He bought the car from a woman named Sabrina Archey and drove home thinking nothing more of it. When he went through the car before giving it to his daughter, though, it became apparent the former owner hadn’t cleared everything out of it. Or at least that’s what Kevin thought when he found a letter.
It turned out the letter was written to him. The words on the paper had been written by Sabrina.
Speaking of the unusual experience, Kevin took to Facebook to share it with his friends.
“Well, yesterday I’m in it tinkering around and I open this storage compartment on top of the dash (which I’ve opened a half dozen times already). This time I notice a rubber mat in the bottom of it and for whatever reason, I pull it out. To my surprise, I find this envelope with this letter inside. I won’t lie, I shed a few tears.”
Emotional letter
Reading the letter, Kevin found out that Sabrina had lost her mother, her aunt, and her six-year-old daughter in a house fire. It was the steep cost of the funerals that had forced her to sell the car.
“To the person that gets this car, I just wanted to let you know what a special vehicle you’ve bought. This car belonged to my mom. She passed away Feb. 25, 2015 in a house fire along with my 6 year old daughter and my aunt. The last time my mom drove this car was the day she left us. Her and my daughter went out shopping and got their hair cut.”
Sabrina revealed that the car had given her peace in tough moments and would always have a special place in her heart. It was her wish that the new owner promised to take good care of her vehicle.
That car meant the world to the person who wrote the letter, but she had no choice but sell it.
“This car holds a lot of special memories for me. My home and everything in it is gone, this car is all that I had left to touch. There was a mix up with paperwork and that’s caused the car not to be paid off by insurance. It’s very upsetting that I have lost my family, my home and now I’m losing this last link I have with my mom and child through no fault of my own.”
That vehicle witnessed of the fun time and the incredible memories the previous owner and her family experienced during their fulfilling trips. It witnessed of their joys and of times that could never return.
Kevin decides to help
Sabina went on to ask that if Kevin ever decided to sell the car himself, she would like to hear from him first. She didn’t have the funds to buy it back, but dreamed of a day when she was more financially secure.
Kevin was naturally overcome by her letter. He wanted to help Sabrina get her car back. Together with a person named Tammi Warrington, he started a fundraising campaign so that the car, “Sylvia”, could be reunited with her true owner.
They calculated they would need around $12,300 to cover all the costs involved in getting Sylvia back to Sabrina, as well as ensuring she wouldn’t be laden with bills and other expenses.
A TV channel got in touch with Kevin and eventually, Sabrina was reunited with her beloved car … it all turned out well in the end!
Thanks to Kevin’s beautiful gesture, Sabrina got her car back. On the face of it, it’s little more than a machine comprised of four wheels and a steering wheel, but to Sabrina, it’s so much more than that: it’s family.
This story touched many hearts and spoke of the personal pains each of us goes through during our lifetime.
Source:en.newsner.com, boreddaddy.com
