The Summer I met Dolly- Chapter One

  

     

   I didn't know what to expect the first time I drove my rickety old Honda civic onto the Steamship that summer. I didn't really have any expectations in general. After barely making it through highschool, I was finally looking forward to just starting over somewhere, anonymously. After battling an eating disorder and the demons from my past, I was ready to face reality.And honestly, I needed a win in my corner. So my mother did what her mother did before her and made plans to ship me off  to Nantucket for the summer. A  few weeks later, I packed up my old 2000 Honda Civic and set off for the island.I got a job working at the bike shop downtown with one of my Grandpas old friends and  started  working  two days after I arrived. I had no idea what I was doing. I had no friends,no backup, just me.This was it,I was finally moving out and I felt like I was finally able to breath again.

       I met Kathy Davis on June 7th, she introduced herself with her "Hi I'm Kathy" smile that I soon became oh-so familiar with, Her camel covered harem pants and hipster style glasses matched up  with her quirky personality and curly blonde hair. In an instant we both knew that we had been thrown together for a reason. It was like God was finally saying “Hey! You know what? You're gonna be okay.” He sent me my partner in crime.  Kathy Davis, in some ways, saved my life. Since the day I met her I have never again felt alone. I can put my whole trust in her and know I have hers. Our laid back personalities complemented each other beautifully.That's why I liked her so much. Her intelligence and her worldly personality stood her apart from anyone i had ever met before. She was interesting, she challenged my mind and instantly we became like two peas in a pod. 

Kathy and I didn't have many other friends on the island, so we spent most of our free time in my Civic just driving around; daily rides home from work, chasing the sunset at fisherman's beach and visiting  my childhood home on Sunset Hill. We spent more time driving around singing and dancing to Magics “Rude” than we did at our apartment.Dolly became more than a car to the both of us; she became our ticket to freedom. She took us away from our dysfunctional lives and reminded us that there was more to life than just surviving. Every dent made, every laugh laughed a little too loud, every bad day, Dolly always came through. 

              For a long time, there was no Audrey without Dolly, her distinctive pink flower sticker on the back and shag-style steering wheel cover  represented everything about who I was.You could walk by Dolly, look inside and be told everything you would ever need to know about me, leftover sand included.I couldn’t tell you, in so many words, who I was or where I where I was going but that was the great thing about Dolly, I didn't have to.She was showing me who I was without me even realizing it. Dolly was safe,she let me be myself again.And because of her i gained the friendship of a lifetime. Everything happens by chance, I’m just glad I got the chance to meet Dolly.