From Everest’s Lights
ENES AYDIN
I don’t think you typically hear stories from anyone else but a human. Here’s the thing, anyone can be a storyteller. I think of this word, storyteller, every time we come by Daniel’s university. Today’s daily dose is to pick up his friend from the university and drop him off at home. A mission that I am frankly not a fan of but have come accustomed to. As we approach the figure waiting and waving in the distance, I wonder how he will react this time.
“Bro, wassup!” The figure yells as he opens the door and drags his dirty shoes into my cabin; what a mess was the only thing I could think of at that moment, “Bruh, thanks for picking me up; whatcha think about that assignment?” he continues as we slowly start to accelerate back to where we came from, “I didn’t have time to read it, What is it about? Somethin ’bout writing in some journal?” Daniel rebutted.
At this point, I think my microphone’s widened as I was completely away from the road and deep into their conversation. “Yeah, We are supposed to write a journal about how we feel every day and sort of comment on it, y’know what I mean?” the friend responded back, “Yeah, I know what you mean, I’d probably go on and off about how my dad wouldn’t let me get a Toyota Supra, I mean bro, that car is simply just amazing. Axl got one, and the acceleration is WILD; simply W.I.L.D.”
Having access to Daniel’s phone, I wondered what this assignment was about because these two dim wits wouldn’t stop comparing me, A BMW M3, to this lousy Toyota Supra. The project was simple; you had to document in your journal every day about things that have happened throughout the day. Seems easy enough. “Bruh, I am too lazy to write every day,” said Daniel as we were banking into a roundabout. “Wish I could make this car write it,” he continued “too bad you can’t.” His friend replied.
Why can’t I? Why can’t a car write a journal every day? I’d reckon there are hundreds of cars just like me who could say a million things if they could, but nobody asks them to. Once we had dropped Daniel’s useless human friend off, we headed back to home base and parked in the driveway outside again. This boy has no respect for an orange-coloured BMW M3. I started to really consider documenting my experiences in a journal. Maybe this could be my chance to be a storyteller like I’ve always wanted to be.
Daniel had left his phone in the car, so there was no shame in using his phone while it was here. I can’t write because I have wheels, not hands, so I improvised using the silly “voice command” button that BMW installed. Nobody ever really uses it, but it is perfect because I can read out words with the system… Here went nothing.
TUESDAY APRIL 17
—I just started this thing and have absolutely no idea what I am doing right now. So I guess I can talk about Daniel and sorta rant on him.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 19
—Daniel was looking at some of the pictures of the cars that his friends have, and you could sense the jealousy in his eyes. His friends’ cars are no different from mine, albeit newer. I can’t seem to grasp why he likes those cars so much. When he first got me a couple of years back, you should have seen the smile on his face, but now it’s all just frowns and sadness. In fact, I’d bet he’d be happier on public transit than riding me.
THURSDAY APRIL 20
—Today, I got my daily dose of Oil, the fourth bottle in three weeks: I am a BMW. It is just what I do. Not happy with it, but it is a reality that I have to live with. Daniel failed to acknowledge this as I heard him mumbling to himself about how another car wouldn’t do this. Yeah, Another vehicle would have done better, But I am not another car, I am a BMW, and this is what you signed up for.
FRIDAY APRIL 21
—It was a pretty sad day today. Daniel took me out on track to race, It was fun racing against other BMWs, but as luck would have it, I lost to the other cars, And was left out in the rain while Daniel took hot laps with his other friends. I genuinely feel betrayed. If only I could explain what I really feel, then he might understand that I might not be good at racing, I might not be new, and I might not look the way that he wants me to. I seriously just wish he could change his ways and finally accept me for who I am, A BMW that likes to travel and wants to take time and enjoy its surroundings. Maybe this Utopia of Daniel accepting me for who I am is far away or doesn’t even exist at all…
SATURDAY APRIL 22
—Not much to report today, Spent the whole day in the driveway while Daniel had his exams kinda boring… Why do exams when you have a BMW outside dying to get onto the country road?
SUNDAY APRIL 23
—Still, where I was 24 hours ago… Alone in a driveway… On the upside, I think it might rain today. Better than having my cabin be fired by the sun. MY CABIN GOT FIRED IN THE BLAZING SUN TODAY, OH THE INDIGNITY, WHY DOESN’T DANIEL CARE ABOUT ME???? I mean, other than that, it went pretty boring.
MONDAY APRIL 23
—THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE MOST BORING WEEKEND OF MY LIFE, NOT A SINGLE BIT OF DRAMA, NOT EVEN A BIRD POOP ON MY WINDSHIELD. If I were a student probably would have gotten an F by now because, as we all know, teachers mark assignments, not excuses.
TUESDAY APRIL 24
—I may be a BMW, but I sure know how long a test should take. I did those kinds of things before being shipped off to the dealership. Something about this test seemed suspicious. He came outside to take pictures of me briefly and then headed back inside. Not sure if that is what your math teachers
FRIDAY APRIL 25
—Today, I went on a drive with a stranger behind the wheel with Daniel in the passenger seat. He seems like a really good fellow, but I couldn’t understand why he was driving and not Daniel. I guess time will tell.
From Daniel’s eyes
I got a text from Liam asking if I could pick him up. Like the good person I was, I agreed. Obviously, this guy is my friend. This was a fantastic opportunity to take Everest out for a spin, boring him. I pushed the ignition button; quiet but mighty would be how I could describe the sound. Whenever I think of Everest, I think of when I first got him. I was not only driving to my university but also aimlessly driving down memory lane, knowing that one day these moments would come to an end. If only I could tell my story with this car; too bad I’m not a storyteller.
Approaching the intersection that merges the main road with my campus, I could see a small figure in the distance waving at me. This guy never fails to find a solution; I chuckled. He opened the door and then shoved himself in, dragging his muddy legs into the cabin. Three hours of work went down the drain. “Bro wassup!” Yelled Liam, “All good here, brother!” I replied, feeling that brother connection with someone who isn’t even in your bloodline feels surreal, a warm surreal.
“Bruh, thanks for picking me up; whatcha think about that assignment?” he continues. My heart shoots up, “I didn’t have time to read it; what is it about? Somethin ’bout writing in some journal?” I replied; I was so busy cleaning out Everest that I had lost track of time. “We are supposed to write a journal about how we feel every day and sort of comment on it, y’know what i mean?” Said Liam, “Yeah I know what you mean, I’d probably go on and off about how my dad wouldn’t let me get a Toyota Supra, I mean bro, that car is simply just amazing, Axl got one, and the acceleration is WILD simply W.I.L.D.” I responded back, dreaming of my own Toyota supra, driving down the street, not caring for the outside world.
Snapping back to real life, “Bruh, I am too lazy to write every day,” I said as we were banking into a roundabout. “Wish I could make this car write it.” “Too bad you can’t,” Liam replied. I like to relate my things with myself; I don’t view myself as a storyteller and don’t think that any of my things can be storytellers either. We dropped Liam off at his house and headed straight back.
This assignment would bring the end of me. Not only do I not view me as a storyteller but also, What would I write about? Nonetheless, it is still an assignment I thought to myself, Here goes everything…
TUESDAY APRIL 17
—Why does the professor make me do this UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH, I can’t think of anything, and my midterms are coming up, which is double stress…
WEDNESDAY APRIL 19
—My friends sent me pictures of their cars, Smooth styling and aggressive racing lines with heritage badges stuck on all of them. Yet, I have this burning jealousy that everyone else’s car is simply just better than mine, and it doesn’t help that they are sending me pictures of their wealth. Just wish I could get over this… Why can’t my car be just as cool as those kids?
THURSDAY APRIL 20
—I went over to the local Canadian Tire for the third time this week. It’s a BMW. This is kinda what I signed up for, but boy, is the Oil just expensive on these BMWs. I reckon that was a month’s worth of paycheque gone down the oil filler cap.
FRIDAY APRIL 21
—I got invited by a couple of friends to race on a local track in Cornwall, A city I have been dying to visit. I put in the best effort I could, and so did Everest. Still, those rich boys with their stronger, better engines pulled away faster, and I ended up coming 4th overall. Honestly, it really hurt because I love racing, and I loved racing with my dad when I was younger out on the track and here I was, barely scraping the margins of what I used to come in. The disappointment, combined with the jealousy, made me not want to look at Everest like a stranger I dared not to talk to. One of my friends invited me to his car to show me how it worked. I was impressed but also felt a tingle of anger. Why couldn’t my own car that I bought with my own money be like this too?
SATURDAY APRIL 22
—I had exams today, and though they were difficult, they weren’t impossible. So I felt really confident about them going forward. Part two happens tomorrow.
SUNDAY APRIL 23
—I was researching the average price of my BMW, and it seemed like they were in the market at a reasonable price, compared to some of the other cars that my friends had, which skyrocketed wild prices. Of course, I mumbled to myself, of course, they are.
TUESDAY APRIL 24
—The jealousy and frustration took their final shot at me, and this time I really just couldn’t take it anymore. So, I set up an ad on Kijiji and then went outside to snap some pictures of Everest to put it up.
FRIDAY APRIL 25
—I got a call from someone really interested in Everest, stating that he was the prettiest looking BMW he had ever seen…wow, I thought to myself…wow…Pretty? That was a new one. When I met up with the stranger, He was so enthusiastic that I had a one-of-a-kind car. I felt a tingle in my heart as if the colds that the frustration and jealousy were being melted away by the gratification of hearing someone else say such words to a car, to my vehicle; typically, I don’t get that. It’s always my friends who get those compliments. “You really have something in your hands kiddo. Why did ya want to sell it? It is so beautiful I would hardly ever want to see a car this well taken care of just be slipped from the hands of its owner,” said the man, questioning my choice to put up my car on Kijiji. I explained to the man my situation, and the man’s eyebrows rose, followed by a smile, “Think of this car as your child in this vast open world, he isn’t going to be the best out of all of them, there will always be someone to one up him but he isn’t also the worst, he is racing in his own league. Everyone is unique in their own right and when i see parents comparing their kids like that I get all the gross feelings, Like what does the kid want compared to what the parent wants? Does the kid have some talent that the parent is refusing to hear? Your race with your friends was a really good example of this. You have a beautiful road car, I mean look at these seats! He is amazing for long adventures and taking you where you need to go, Ultra quiet so you can hear the outside world already outperforming in the race of his own but what you have done is taken him to a place where he doesn’t belong and then judged his worth only by what he was capable of on track. It shouldn’t be like this. Those kids may have fast cars but I reckon those cars aren’t as comfortable to drive in as this one, Comparison only leads to suffering,” he said…
SATURDAY, APRIL 26
I was chatting about the price with the man from yesterday and thought about what he said. He gave me a price wayyy higher than the market average, “Isn’t that too much?” I texted back, “for such beauty, I could pay a million dollars if I could” that text struck a chord with me…all that was left of this deal was to finish off with the two-sentence word “I accept.” Then, this story would be over, all those memories would be gone, and I would lose a storyteller…
