As excited as kids are about receiving grand presents from their parents, nothing beats a mom or dad’s joy as they prepare the surprise themselves. Kevin Duke of Flatwoods, Kentucky couldn’t wait to give his daughter Jada a car for her sixteenth birthday. Like most fathers, he wanted only the best for her so he took his time in searching for the right vehicle to gift her with. Eventually, he found a nice, used car in excellent condition.
But the dad was in for a surprise himself.
Duke was on a construction job when a client just happened to mention that she had seen a car that sounded perfect for his daughter. Not wasting time, the eager dad went to the address, did a bit of inspection on the car, and took it for a test drive.
“The brakes squeaked a little bit, but it was a good car.”
He then made an offer and bought the car. After Duke took the silver Ford Fusion home, he gave it a good clean up, and worked on the brakes and other maintenance.
His thorough cleaning and inspection of the car led to a new discovery.
It was around the fifth or sixth time that he opened the dash-top compartment when it happened.
“I know I opened it half a dozen times before. But this time I noticed that the cover on the bottom was removable. I thought it might be dirty so I popped the cover loose; and when I did I saw the corner of the envelope.”
Curious, he opened the envelope. What he read hit him hard.
“I sat right there and read it, and bawled like a baby.”
It was a letter written by Sabrina Archey of Greenup.
The car was purchased by her mother, who tragically died in a fire along with Archey’s aunt, and daughter Jensyn. Archey was having difficulty dealing with the final expenses of her loved ones despite the many donations from a supportive community.
Despite trying to make arrangements with the company that financed the car, Archey had no choice but to sell it.
Before Duke came and made an offer, Archey went through the car one last time to double check if she had forgotten any personal belongings.
She broke down when she saw a faint imprint of her daughter’s shoe on the dashboard.
The car, which Archey and her family fondly named “Sylvia”, allowed them to enjoy road trips, go on school trips, and enjoy errands like getting haircuts or shopping for groceries. Realizing she had to let this part go, Archey decided to leave a letter for the car’s new owner.
The letter, kept safe in a sealed envelope labeled “New Car Owner. Important Info Inside”, contained details about memories and how easily things can slip through people’s fingers.
Her only request was that the new owner take good care of “Sylvia”.
She asked the new owner to take care of the car and treat it well.
“I know it’s probably just a car to you, but it’s so much more than that to me. In this car, life happened. Love, joy, and happiness happened. Now that it’s yours, remember that it’s more than just a car. It’s a memory.”
Thankfully, Archey signed the letter, making it easier for Duke to look for the sender and extend the assurance that the car would be in good hands. After finding Archey on Facebook, Duke seeked permission to share the letter. The post quickly garnered likes and comments and was even shared on the Facebook page “Love What Matters“.
People from all over the world couldn’t help but express their thoughts in the comments section. It even went as far as people pushing for crowdfunding so that the money could be used to return “Sylvia” to Archey and at the same time get Jada a different car.
“I didn’t want to make any money from it. If I could have afforded to replace the car, then I would have just given it to her,” Duke explained.
And because wonderful things happen when people work together, Duke and Archey were able to get their respective happy endings.
“Sylvia” was returned to Archey, and Jada Duke still got her very own silver Ford Fusion which they aptly named “Sylvia 2”.
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