The Birthday Gift.
I had driven my beloved Prius for 13 years. She had 17 years on her, and over 200K miles, and I figured with her hybrid battery replaced in 2017 she’d be good to go for another 100K miles or so.
My brother, Jeff, took a ride with me a month or two back and pointed out the roar of the engine - Prius’s aren’t supposed to roar - and some vibrating, among other things.
That was all part of the charm, I explained.
Other people don’t find it as charming, I guess.
Anyway, at some point between that ride and my birthday in March he decided it was time for a new car.
I’m told that he considered a new Prius, at first. Instead, at some point, he decided to order a Tesla.
I wasn’t privy to the decision-making - I had no idea any of this was even going on. We’re not the kind of family that drives fancy, sporty little battery-powered cars. In fact, we’re not the kind of family that gives big-ticket items like vehicles as birthday presents.
Jeff has had a long history as a fighter against climate change, first as race director of a series ‘green’ multisport events - triathlons and running races, mostly. (I, for my part, handled public relations and digital media for a number of these, both in New York and Portland, OR). Jeff also co-founded an organization that worked to help similar events become more environmentally-friendly through a certification process - an organization that has gone on to certify all manner of sporting events, including the NCAA Final Four and the NBA All-Star Game.
We all, as a family, followed my brother’s lead in different ways, adopting a more environment-conscious lifestyle: our homes are powered by solar power, we’ve all driven hybrid vehicles at some point - one of us for 13 years - and we recycle like it’s going out of style.
But a Tesla? That would have seemed excessive to me. My brother drives a 1970s-era camper van, and I was perfectly happy with my 2005 Prius. A Tesla?
My brother braved COVID to take the train down to Brooklyn and pick up the car. I’m not sure where he hid it in the days between its delivery and my birthday, but when I pulled in to my parents’ driveway for my birthday lunch it was apparently parked in the neighbor’s driveway; they, in on the lan, had obscured it with their car. At some point during the meal Jeff snuck my keys out of my pocket, raced with my Prius up the street, and traded it for the Tesla, moving it into the space my car had been parked in. Then, after replacing the keys in my jacket pocket, everyone waited.
At some point, under the guise of needing to retrieve items from the garage, he asked me if I would mind going outside to move my car to the other side of the driveway. I was a little surprised - we hadn’t even had any birthday cake yet - but I agreed. I didn’t even notice my father going out the front door to video it all, or think it strange that my mother sprang up to leash the puppy and take her outside at the same time.
I walked outside and spotted the car, but it took me a few seconds to realize that my own car had disappeared. I was annoyed for a moment - who in the hell would steal a 2004 Toyota? - and then I spotted my dad rolling the camera.
We’re not the kind of family that gives each other cars as presents. I can’t stress that enough. Those are families on television commercials, and I always roll my eyes at how cringey they seem. So it took me a minute to realize what was happening. I was getting a car for my birthday?? It took me another minute to realize this thing was a Tesla. A new Tesla.
My parents and brother were beyond excited, but to me it didn’t seem real at first.
In summer 2020 I was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroendocrine cancer. My appointments for injections and scans are in various cities in the area, each about an hour away. Those appointments seem to be happening more and more lately - I had three the week of my birthday alone. My parents, brother, and so many friends are more than willing to give me rides, and often do - but I enjoy driving, and I’m not a very good passenger, so being able to transport myself - that’s important. I can understand why anyone thinking of me driving an hour each way in my 17 year-old Toyota would be nervous. A new car, my brother felt, would help ease the anxiety of everyone.
Once everything is situated my brother figured I might want to embark on a ‘road trip’ of sorts - I have friends and family up and down the east coast that I’d love to see again after COVID. If I’m being honest, there’s no way I’d ever have trusted the Prius more than an hour or two from home - I babied that thing for the entire time I had it, but it had 200,000 miles. When I returned to New York from Florida in 2016 I knew that would be our last great road trip together. When I was diagnosed I figured my days of road tripping were finished, as well. Now I have a Tesla with miles in the triple digits - how can I not endeavor to take to the road one more time?
I get tired often, but they make a mattress for this car that lets you sleep in the back. And it has a glass roof, so you can literally sleep under the stars. There’s even a simulated fireplace in the control center tablet on the dash! And Netflix, and other streaming services. Not sure how much EV-camping I’ll be doing, but I may be doing a spare bedroom tour of the eastern seaboard once boating season is over. Me and the Elonmobile, coming soon to a city near you…
I have to thank my brother, Jeff, for this amazing gift, my parents for accessorizing it, and neighbors Mickey and Marsha for not spoiling the surprise.
