Man Furious Over Inheriting Old Car Until He Looks Under The Hood

Losing A Parent

Being without our parents someday is something we don’t think about when we are children, and despite accepting it when we are older,  we can all admit that it’s a frightening thought.

Tommy Hawthorne felt that he had lost more than just losing a father. As sad as he was now, the aftermath would lead to even more tears, and he would wonder how his father could ever have done this to him.

Single Dad

Tommy and his brothers were raised by their wealthy novelist dad. They grew up in London without a mom, having their father raise them alone. He did his best to provide for them and give them everything they ever wanted.

His father had never said anything out loud, but he always had a soft spot in his heart for his last born, Tommy, and there was a reason for it.

Confused

His mother had passed away while Tommy was being born, and that’s why he was his father’s favorite. He often told Tommy that before his mother moved on to another world, she gave Tommy to him as one last gift.

Tommy’s siblings noticed how their father showered him with love and affection, and they weren’t always happy about it. However, Tommy was confused as to why his father had left him a scrap of metal that was supposed to be a car after he died. How had he ended up with that when they ended up with their childhood home and tons of money?

Different From His Brothers

While his brothers dropped out of high school, Tommy was the only one who made it to college. He could tell he was different from his brothers when they chose to live a life filled with displays and festivities.

They were never lacking, considering their dad had the funds to give them whatever they needed and wanted. They enjoyed a lifestyle containing women and sleek-looking cars, but things wouldn’t be the same forever.

Frozen And Trying To Recover

Tommy was studying creative writing. His father passed away before he finished his master’s degree the following year. He was frozen when he got the news and spent weeks trying to recover, but it wasn’t easy. He was still in shock after burying his dad.

He could only stop disassociating when he sat among his brothers in front of the family lawyer to discuss his father’s will. He guessed that his father had left him the house and enough money to cover his tuition, but he never thought his dad would leave him near empty-handed.

The Will

Tommy heard the lawyer say that his father had left the house and most of his fortune to his brothers, whereas he was given a run-down car in the garage left to gather dust.

The car was a Shelby Cobra that had spent decades in the garage. When the boys finally took notice of it, they saw that it was rusted where the paint was chipped and that it was a shell of a car. They all wondered why their dad would leave Tommy something like this.

Disbelieving 

Tommy was left stunned and disbelieving. Why would his dad leave him such a thing? He had spent years making his father proud, even working towards becoming an author like him.

Tommy wondered if he had misjudged the connection and relationship he had with his father. He wanted to understand and thought that his brothers might have known something that he didn’t.

Following His Brothers

When the meeting with the lawyer came to a close, Tommy decided to follow his brothers’ home. He wanted to talk to them, hoping they would be willing to help pay for his studies. It would help him, considering he had other problems to figure out now that his father was gone.

But he had just stepped into the house after his brothers and noticed they were acting differently towards him. He brushed it off but little did he know that he would see their true colors soon.

The New Favorites 

Tommy tried to sit on his favorite seat in the living room, but his brothers told him to stand. They had expressed their distaste for him for the longest while. 

Now that the house was in their name and they had 99% of their dad’s fortune, they kicked him out, calling a tow truck to help him move his junk out of their garage.

A Wet Dirt Party 

If Tommy had been heartbroken when he learned of his dad’s passing, now he was furious. Standing outside his childhood home, he watched as a stream of young, attractive women and men walked up the drive away. 

The dirt on his dad’s grave was not even dry, and his brothers were already throwing a party. Tommy rushed back in to scold them, immediately regretting the decision.

Get Out!

One of his brothers saw him from the top of the stairs, shouting at him to leave their house. The other brother, who was entertaining the guests, heard the commotion. 

He came out with a hunting rifle, training it on Tommy before asking him to leave. “Dad’s no longer here to play favorites,” he said with a hiccup, wobbling about as he struggled to keep the rifle on Tommy. “Get out!”   

They Laugh At It

Tommy backstepped out of the house. Everyone was laughing at him. Sad and alone, he walked to the garage to look at what his old man had left him. 

The tow truck his brothers called found him at the garage door, unable to take the first step in. His anger had changed into loss again, as he couldn’t believe that his dad was truly gone. Stepping into the garage and seeing the car would make everything real. Tommy wasn’t ready for any of it. 

Men Cry Too

He let his tears flow freely without crying or sobbing. If this were what his dad wanted him to have, he would take it with both arms open. 

The tow truck came and took the derelict car away. The process was so impromptu that Tommy had to hire a garage while on the road. He needed to know what was so special about this old piece of junk. 

Alone Again

The tow truck dumped the car onto Tommy’s hired garage. The driver helped him move it inside and left. Alone again, Tommy sat in the driver’s seat with his hands on the steering wheel.

His eyes blurred with tears again as loss clouded his mind and heart. He couldn’t believe his brothers had kicked him out of their house twice. He mourned for his dad, praying the pain would relent sometime soon. It was then that something in the glove box caught his eye. 

An Envelope 

The sheet was a whitish piece of paper. It had dog collared ends and seemed old: an envelope. Curious, Tommy opened the glove box and fished it out. 

The day had been difficult for him, and any distraction that would make him forget his pain was welcome. He ripped the letter open, wiping his tears before reading. 

An Old Letter

The letter was a few years old, judging from its date. It was also written in his dad’s hand. It detailed how much Tommy’s dad loved him and his brothers. 

But it also relayed the old man’s fears over Tommy’s brothers’ futures because of their dangerous lifestyle. But there was more toward the end of the letter, words that would make Tommy hunch forward.

Call This Number

The letter’s last paragraph stated that Tommy’s dad had left him sixty thousand dollars sealed in the car’s trunk. He also left a few plans alongside the money and wanted Tommy to take on a project of his own. 

“Fix this beauty up,” the letter read. “There is a private auction in London. Take it there when you are done, and call this number.”

What He Needs

Tommy scratched his head while reading. His dad wanted him to repair an almost unrepairable car and take it to London. 

He took a deep breath, seeing it as doable since he was done with his school’s fieldwork. He also needed something to take his mind off what he was going through. Perhaps this project was what he needed.

Setting Up

Tommy went to school and ensured all his affairs were in order. He deferred from the rest of his classes to focus entirely on fixing the car and got to work. 

The first thing he did was hire experts who knew their way around such a vintage model. He also paid the garage he was keeping the car in to host him for a few more months. He hoped he would honor his dad’s last wish.