You've been in my life for over four years now. You still seem new to me, a bit of a novelty, but at the same time, I can't imagine my life without you.
We had our first fight two months after we met. It was late on Christmas Eve, lashing down with rain, somewhere near Thornton Heath. You seemed to give up, making undecipherable noises - I didn't know what you wanted, or how I could help. We didn't get home until 4am on Christmas morning - a man had to help us back, there's no way you would have made it otherwise.
We've had other ups and downs since. I thought our trip to the New Forest in July 2015 would be the end of us. I was so gentle with you that holiday, treading carefully so as not to push you too far, and it worked - just.
Sometimes I get cross with you, but only because I'm stressed. I don't mean to take it out on you. Guildford's one-way system has got to be the ultimate relationship test - how many times did we go round in the end?!? If we survived that, I reckon we can survive pretty much anything.
There've been good times too; that time we went to Basingstoke for a wedding. The monkey that took a liking to you at Longleat. Belting out tunes as we whizz round the M25. You take me places I couldn't go otherwise.
I try to look after you, but it's not always easy, especially at this time of year. Some people - one in particular - reckon I should trade you in for a shinier, younger model. But you're my first car, and I'm sentimentally attached to you. I gave you a name - Pepper - on the first day I got you, and although I forget the reasons behind it now, the name itself has stuck.
That Christmas Eve breakdown was stressful at the time, but it makes an excellent story now. I really thought you'd break down again on the way back from the New Forest - I had the radio up so loud just so that I didn't have to hear the awful clunking noise you made. And as for the monkey chewing your aerial... well, that one I was laughing at even at the time.
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