The '91 Mitsubishi Eclipse and a broken heart.

This is the 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

My first car.

I am not proud of it or anything, far from it. It gave me soooo much grief and was the poster-car for being a bitter, bitter lemon.

The truth is that I got it to impress girls and a used Mitsubishi Eclipse is a poor man's chick car.

In 1999 I was reeling from a breakup from hell that had me mixed up and all distraught about "what women want." I was told just prior to the breakup by her, that I was not an "aggressive go-getter" and that she needed one, but that I was "kind and sweet", and that's important too, not to mention that she made sure I knew she had gone out of her way to spend time with me. That one one still hurts sometimes after all these years.

Anyway, her new beau that was courting her while on the last leg of his mission unbeknownst to me while we were dating, swooped in and took her away to CA, and she ended up marrying him in a little over a year later.
I saw her again at BYU, just months prior to her getting married. It was already mortifying, but she promptly showed me her engagement ring and told me that her fiance was to be a lawyer, not as a doctor as planned. Great.

"What are you doing these days?" she asked.

"I um, I am working for another paper, The Daily Herald, so that's good.." (actually it was lousy, but hey, at least I got $8.50 an hour.")

We made excruciating small talk, for a while, and I told her I needed to go, so she walked me to an elevator. I must have said something about my car during this "wrapping up the conversation" process, and so she said:

"What are you driving these days, your parents white Lincoln still?"

"No, I just got a red sports car" {thinking: just don't ask about the make and model!}

What kind is it?

It's a '91 Mistubishi Eclipse.

"Huh" she says:

I felt sick.

"Well good luck with everything."

"Yeah, see you." I got into an elevator and the doors closed, knowing it would be the last time I would see her.

I drove back to the Daily Herald in an emotional wreck in my '91 red Mitsubishi Eclipse with it's asymmetrical bump on the hood, where I tried to sneak in the Daily Herald without anyone seeing my red eyes. I went straight to the darkroom and quietly, but violently sobbed, muffling the sounds as best I could. It was awful, to say the least. I know it's embarrassing for a man to admit this, but I really don't care.

Flash forward 8 years later and I meet Cicada and NOW we have two nicer paid off cars, and found someone in her that is entirely much better in every way. I am so grateful for my life and, for what have. I mean, I also wouldn't have Gullie, and he alone makes it all worth it.