1994 was an excellent year, and I don’t mean for wine. One of my dearest friends was created that year, a friend that never ceased to amaze me. Of course, that friend was my truck. We don’t realize just how valuable our vehicles are, until they prove themselves in a sticky situation, or two.

A manual transmission, with only four cylinder in the engine, the truck got great gas mileage. This is a wonderful thing for any high school student trying to save money. Not so wonderful for a high school student with lots of friends always looking for rides. The cab of the tiny truck only sat three people, including the driver, but that was more than enough space to create some fond memories. Comfortable, I called the inside. After adding an air freshener and a new CD player, I was a proud owner. The little truck could’ve been anybody’s dream.

Rarely needing repairs beyond the minor tune-up and oil changes, the truck could always be counted on to start up. Even on the coldest of mornings, the engine only turned a few times before firing to life. As if guiding a reckless student through high school until graduation wasn’t dangerous enough, my truck then accompanied me into the busy job of a pizza delivery driver. Many times, the truck was taken through mud and muck, puddles and washed out roads, always safely delivering the precious, cheesy cargo at the end of the trip. Tarlac to Laguna

Finally, in 2003, when the little green truck was almost within sight of it’s tenth birthday, the tiny truck gave it’s life, protecting it’s driver. One seemingly normal evening, I was driving a friend home. It was just before dark, and we were traveling on a road we had been down thousands of times before. This particular trip wasn’t going to be what we expected, however. Out of nowhere, a much larger, oncoming vehicle smashed into the driver’s side of the truck. The offending driver was drunk, and had just reached a speed of eighty miles per hour before slamming into the Toyota. Thanks to the way the truck’s door and frame was built around that particular section, the driver’s life was spared that night. The truck however, was totaled, damaged beyond all repair. But I will never forget the Toyota truck with a heart of gold, who always picked me up, and never let me down.