by A father found a letter in his daughter’s glove box detailing the sad history of the used car he just bought.
Kevin Duke bought a used car for his 16-year-old daughter, according to News.com. Before gifting the car, thoroughly inspected the vehicle to be sure that it was safe to drive.
While looking through the glove box, he was surprised to find an envelope that read “[To] New Car Owner,” and then, “Important Info Inside.” Curious, Duke opened the envelope to find a handwritten letter from the vehicle’s previous owner.
“To the person that gets this car, I just wanted to let you know what a special vehicle you’ve bought,” the letter begins. “This car belonged to my mum. She passed away Feb 25, 2021 in a house fire along with my 6 year old daughter and my aunt. The last time my mum drove this car was the day she left us. [She] and my daughter went out shopping and got their haircut.”
The letter goes on to detail all the special memories that the vehicle holds.
“We took road trips, blared 80s and country music and rolled the windows down,” the letter continued. “I’ve changed more diapers in the back seat than I can count. There’s probably a sucker stick or a crayon hidden somewhere that belonged to my baby. Maybe an entire chicken nugget. Ha!”
Ultimately, the author admits that she was forced to give up the vehicle in an insurance error. “There was a mix up with paperwork and that’s caused the car to not be paid off by insurance,” the author writes. “It’s very upsetting that I have lost my family, my home and now I’m losing this last link I have with my mum and child through no fault of my own.
“I’m not mad at you. I hope this car is the best car you’ve ever owned. I hope it runs for 100 more years. I hope the back seat is filled with kids and toys and random things. My family filled this car with lots of love and other sticky things.”
The author writes that the car’s name is Sylvia and that she hopes the car’s new owner will love the car as much as she did.
The previous owner concluded the note: “Be blessed, be happy, live and love like we did. I wish you, and Sylvia, all the best!”
Touched, Duke shared his story to the social media page Love What Matters. His story received over 20 thousand likes and 3,000 shares in an attempt to uncover the car’s original owner.
The letter’s author, Sabrina Archey, eventually found the post and commented:
I can’t say it enough, how amazing Kevin truly is. He did not have to let me know that he found my letter. He didn’t have to share our story here. He was touched very deeply, as most of u have been, and felt like he needed to share my letter for the message that it was meant to convey. Please don’t be upset with him for having Sylvia. I know in my bones that if he was able to give me the car that he would in an instant. It’s not easy to buy a car. He just got lucky and got this one.
A donation fund has been set up on behalf of Archey so she can buy Sylvia back from the Dukes. As of March 6, $10,000 out of a $12,000 goal has been donated.
