It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and all of our faces glistened with moisture as we walked from the gazebo to my mom’s car, anxiously ready to go home and start the weekend. Carpool felt painstakingly slow, as we brought everyone back to their houses. Finally, as my mom and I were just about to turn down my street, she handed me her phone and told me to look up the hours for a restaurant that she planned on going to later that night. As my fingers gilded against the cool iPhone screen, I instantly found the details to the restaurant and handed her back the phone. As I looked up at our house to unbuckle my seatbelt, I would have never guessed what I saw in the driveway.

The car I had begged my dad for, a pearly white 2013 Nissan Rogue, was sitting right in front of my eyes with a gigantic red bow right on top. I then noticed that my dad and my sister were both videoing me from our front doorway. I hopped out of my mom’s car with a smile so big the sun was reflecting off of my braces. I ran straight to my parents and hugged and thanked them with all of my heart. After our embrace, my dad placed the icey car keys into my hand. I noticed he even put one of those corney, flashing name keychains on the key ring, and the gesture made me smile. Salty tears ran down my sweaty face as I drove my new car for the first time around the block to my grandmother’s house. When I reached her house, she was already in the front yard waiting for me to arrive. I never realized how much that Friday afternoon would change my life forever.

Receiving a car came not only with freedom but also with a great deal of responsibility. Although my dad paid for the car itself and for my insurance, I still had to pay for my gas. As a result, I applied for a job at a veterinary hospital. I work there every Saturday and some Sundays which is not always ideal, because I tend to miss out on a lot of activities with my friends. Furthermore, when I walked in to the clinic for the first time, I had butterflies in my stomach, and the smell of wet dog gave me a headache by the end of the day. But without this experience I would not have known that the veterinary field was my calling. Filling prescriptions and running tests in order to help sick animals really interested me. My car also made me realize how important it is to abide by the rules and regulations of safe driving. For instance, I was driving all of my friends and I to Wendy’s one night, and suddenly I realized bright red and blue blinking lights in my rearview mirror. As I pulled into the parking lot on the brink of tears, the officer informed me that my music was too loud. I was thankful for being let go without any retribution, but this incident made me understand how serious driving is. Experiences, good and bad, have shaped me into the person I am today.

My car helped me realize how much closer I am to adulthood. College is right around the corner, and I will no longer be able to depend on my parents for everything. My car has made me become more independent, but also cautious. I know that with my freedom I need to be able to distinguish right from wrong by using my own good judgement. I will be forever grateful for my amazing parents who spend countless amounts of money on my sister and I in order to make us happy. My car was just one example of this vast step into adulthood as the end of my high school years are approaching.