“Marilyn” Darryl’s 1994 Toyota Truck

Marilyn got her first “bath” of the New Year yesterday. Marilyn is my 21 year old Toyota 5-speed, 4-cylinder truck. She turned over 253,087 miles and has recently had her regular 3k checkup and tire rotation; all but 12,012 of those miles are ours together. My mechanic recently complimented her on having the cleanest engine he had seen on a truck her age. She and I were both proud.

She is a “girl’s truck” in the sense she is named after a woman and she is one of those small trucks as compared to the F-150 Ford or even a Toyota Tundra. I have told her if she will make it until my retirement that I will retire her to the farm along with myself.

I heard of a man once, who was dying of cancer. His doctor knew it, he knew it and his family knew it. It was said he had less than 6-months to live. He had a 1994 Toyota truck similar to mine. His brother said he took the truck to a body shop and had a little body work done, repainted, new striping, new bumper and had new leather seats and carpeting installed. He gave her a new alternator, starter, radiator and clutch. He upgraded her sound system and added Bose speakers and XM radio. Supposedly, he invested close to $6000 to renovate her.

Someone asked him why he did all this to such an old truck. He allegedly replied that the truck was probably his best confidant. That in all the years he had her, her name was “Shirley” allegedly from the TV show “LaVerne and Shirley,” that she had listened to him all the times he needed an ear and that it was the least he could do for her seeing that he wouldn’t be around much longer.

He got to drive the truck for a few weeks until his strength no longer allowed him to use the clutch. Reluctantly, he gave the keys to his brother who drove him around in it until he passed.

Men and their trucks have a special bond.