The process was surprisingly faster than a summer thunderstorm. He clicked on a local service like Pick-n-Pull , where he filled out a quick form detailing the Honda's sorry state. Within minutes, a guaranteed offer popped up. It wasn't "new car" money, but it was enough to cover a decent down payment on something that didn't require a prayer to start.

Mike handed Elias a check (or cash, depending on the buyer’s policy ) and hooked the car up to the flatbed.

As the truck pulled away toward the salvage yard, Elias felt a strange mix of nostalgia and relief. His "junk" was heading to a place where its parts would be stripped and sold to keep other Civics on the road, while he finally had the cash to get back behind the wheel of something that could actually handle the drive down to Sandbridge.