Pearl

Bringing her home

I saw the listing on a Saturday morning. Teal body, cream top, burgundy stripe. The photos were good enough to lie, but I drove out to see her anyway. She was parked in a driveway in [City, State], and she looked exactly like the pictures.

The previous owner had used her lightly—a few trips, maybe three seasons. The wood inside was clean. The hinges on the galley hatch were solid and didn't droop. The LED lights worked. I opened and closed every drawer twice. They all slid smooth.

I wrote the check the same afternoon. First trailer I'd ever towed. Forty-five minutes home on the freeway, watching the mirrors the whole way, half-convinced something was going to rattle loose. Nothing did.

She's been parked in the driveway since. I keep walking out to look at her. That probably says enough.