A Birthday Story

     Matthew turned 18 on May 30, 2011.  For those of you who know Matthew you won't be surprised by the following story.  For those of you who do not know him, well, to quote a teacher he once had "he's not like the rest of you Corley's, is he?"  She loved him, as everyone does, because he is a charmer.  I was not insulted by her comment even though it doesn't sound too kind because I knew exactly what she meant!  Matthew is and always has been full of personality.  He can talk to anyone and for many years had no inhibitions about what he might or might not say.  Suffice it to say, Matthew is full of personality.  Now, on to the birthday story!
     When this cute young man was twelve years old Grandma and Grandpa got a new car.  They bought a new, white Grand Jeep Cherokee with all the bells and whistles.  It even had seat warmers for the leather seats so that bottoms never had to be cold in the winter.  Well, when we drove up to visit and Matthew saw that car, he was super excited!  He walked (bounced) around it and then, in true Matthew fashion, said, "Hey Grandma, when I turn sixteen will you give me this car?"  Grandma laughed and cavalierly answered, "Sure Matthew."
     For the next year or so every time we saw Grandma and Grandpa the first thing Matthew would say is, "I can't wait until I'm sixteen so I can get this car!"  Now, Steve and I realized that Grandma was probably joking, or thought it was so many years away that she wouldn't have to worry about it.  Finally we told Matthew to not mention the car again, he was being rude, etc. etc.  So he didn't mention the car to them ever again.
     Fast forward to Matthew turning sixteen.  Lot's of changes had occurred including a job change for Steve and two boys in college.  There was NO WAY we could afford to get him even an old used car.  But he never complained.  He didn't get his license until he was seventeen because we couldn't afford to add him to our insurance policy.  Four young men equals a whopper monthly car insurance payment!  Even after he got his license he still didn't have anything to drive and never complained.  As his 18th birthday approached I told Steve I would give anything if somehow we could get him a car.  I knew it wasn't possible even before Steve confirmed that there was no way.
      One day in April I stopped by to see Mom and Dad (aka Grandma and Grandpa) and they said they needed to talk to me about something.  Turns out they wanted to give Matthew the Cherokee for his 18th birthday!!! Mom had never forgotten her promise to him.  They wanted to check with Steve and me first to make sure we were okay with the idea, which of course we were!  On May 30 I took Matthew by to see them so they could give him his birthday present, which he was expecting to be a card with $25 in it.  Imagine his surprise when he opened the card and keys fell out instead of $25!  He was overwhelmed, which is saying a lot for Matthew.
     It is now August and he still loves his car.  He has gone from being a homebody to not being home now that he has wheels (and a job to pay for gas).  He refused to pose for a picture with the car so you'll have to settle for a picture of him on his birthday getting the keys, and a picture of the car.

    And that's the story of Matthew and how he got his car.