December 23rd

Dear Mom,

I've been fortunate in my choice of places to get my oil changed up until now, but this last place was a nightmare.

I know my brakes are not quite what they should be, so I took it to an actual mechanic and he brought out a list of absolutely everything that could have ever been wrong with it.

I almost started crying because I don't know enough about cars to know whether he was lying, and it's such a helpless frustrating feeling to feel like someone is trying to take advantage of me and my lack of knowledge.

So I asked him to not perform any of the work on my car and drove away. I thought about calling Dad, but he wouldn't be able to tell me without looking at the car.

I looked up a park in the map app on my phone and drove there trying not to cry. I know I could afford any mechanic work that needs done, of course, but I hate the thought of giving in to fear manipulation.

It makes me so angry that some mechanics think they can just trick women into shelling out money, especially when plenty of people are already struggling financially.

So I sat on a bench at the park, and looked through reviews for mechanics in the area. Then I opened the hood of my car to see if the serpentine belt really needed changed, but I couldn't tell.

I had just put my head down on my arms when someone spoke up behind me.

I whipped around and there was a guy standing there with amazing hair and glasses that actually made me wish I wore glasses. He asked me if I was okay, and when I gestured helplessly at my car, he nodded.

He could have just walked away at that point. He wasn't a mechanic or anything, but instead he introduced himself as Alex and pulled out his phone.

He always uses the same mechanic for his car, so he gave me the number and then called the guy to tell him I was going to come to get my car looked at.

It was ten minutes of kindness, but definitely more than I expected or had earned. I'm glad I met Alex. I don't suppose he has any idea how much those ten minutes touched my heart. It took me a few moments of deep breathing to calm down enough to drive, then I headed to the mechanic shop he told me about.

The service manager ended up the being Alex's friend. He's got kind eyes and the deepest dimples I've ever seen. He had me pull my car into the shop and before I knew it I had a cup of coffee and chatted with the manager while two of his guys did a thorough check over.

She needs new brakes. I already knew that, so it wasn't a shock. A few other things came up, but one of the guys wrote up a basic list of what would need done and approximately when, and that gave me some much needed peace of mind.

The service manager got called away in the middle of the inspection, but before he went I heard him say in a low voice to one of the younger guys “Friend's and family discount.” Then I was escorted to a waiting room while they worked on the car.

I’ve never been treated quite so well in a mechanic shop, much less had a perfect stranger decide I was a friend/family and deserving of a discount.

I was a little suspicious of how it would all turn out, but I decided to wait and see what happened since Alex had been so kind and the manager seemed sincere.

It took them a little over an hour before one of the guys came into the waiting room to tell me my car was ready to go. I followed him into the bay and the manager was waiting for me.

He spent several minutes going over my car, pointing out the things on the list the guys had given me earlier and when I asked about my bill he just waved his hand and told me it had been taken care of.

I am floored. Floored by the kind of man who would see a girl struggling with being taken advantage of, and care for her in such a simple way. He could have charged me normal rates and I would have paid. It's not like I'm ever going to see him again. He could have gotten away with anything, but instead he helped me.

Maybe it was for Alex. Maybe it was something else in his life entirely, inspiring him to help me, but for just a moment I felt like there are good people in this world and my faith in humanity was restored.

I forgot to ask him his name, but he did give me Alex's number so I could call and thank him. This trip is giving me such opportunities to experience life and people in new ways and I'm so grateful for it.

It continues to be an oddity in my mind that I'm meeting all these people you'll never know. Forging connections you'll never have the opportunity to condemn or approve.

I think you'd approve of Alex and the guys at the mechanic shop. They took care of me and my car, and I'm very grateful.

Mississippi has definitely treated me well so far.

I also messaged Nova since I'm in Mississippi and asked her if she wants to hang out at some point in the next week. It's been so long since we've seen each other, but I think she was excited to hear from me.

At least she didn't shy away from the chance to spend some time seeing if we still get along.

We're going to meet near the University in Starkville and see where the day takes us from there. I'll make sure to give her a hug from you and maybe even hug her mom if I'm lucky enough to see her.

I'm scared that she'll look at me differently with you gone. That there will be pity in her eyes and she'll not be sure how to communicate with me now that I'm motherless.

I hope she knows she's always been a mother figure in my life, even at such a great distance, and that you're still here if only in my heart.

I love you,

Bo.