Back to the Present
"That's why I hate this car," Barney concluded. "It's a death trap."
"You crashed it, Barney," Robin pointed out.
"Yes, but it made it easy for me."
Ted interjected: "I have memories too. The 100K fiasco."
"The Fiero-asco?" asked Lily.
"That."
Flashback: The 100K Fiasco
First year of college. Marshall and Ted were roommates, but they weren't close friends yet.
"I'm driving the Fiero home for the holidays," said Marshall. "If you want a ride, I could use gas money."
Ted hesitated. "You live in Ohio, right? I could catch a ride with you."
"Well, first, my parents live in Ohio. I live in the moment. Plus, Karen and I haven't seen each other since Thanksgiving. We're both very invested in making this long-distance relationship work."
"Right."
The trip started well. They talked, they laughed, they played "Zitch Dog" (a game where you spot dogs and yell "Zitch dog!" before the other person). Marshall was winning, 18-0.
But then they got lost.
"Where the hell are we?" asked Ted.
"Relax. Let's get off the highway. Take the road less traveled."
"Robert Frost. Doesn't sound like a good idea."
"Too late."
They ended up in the middle of a snowstorm. No gas, no signal, and worst of all, no food.
"Where are the energy bars?" asked Ted.
"I threw them out."
"What?!"
"No food or drink in the Fiero."
"You haven't washed your sheets since high school, but I can't eat an energy bar in your stupid car?!"
They spent the longest night of their lives, huddled together to keep from freezing to death. And at some point, between shivers, Marshall confessed:
"I hate to say this, but it's so cold... there's only one way we're getting through this night."
"No. No. We could die here. I might never see Lily again."
"I've never told anyone this, but... I've known for a long time that I'm going to marry that girl. If we survive this, someday I'm going to marry her."
Ted looked at him. "I'm sorry about your glasses."
"It's okay. They were decorative."
The next morning, a trucker rescued them. And from that day on, Marshall and Ted were inseparable.
Back to the Present
"And that's how we became best friends," said Ted.
"With benefits, it seems," added Marshall, smiling.
Lily and Robin exchanged glances.
"Speaking of secrets," said Lily. "Robin and I have something to confess."
Robin nodded, serious. "The car is on its deathbed, Marshall. I need to clear my conscience."
"What are you talking about?"
Flashback: Lily and Robin – The Thai Food Secret
Shortly after meeting, Lily and Robin had a craving for Thai food.
"An hour and a half for delivery," said Lily, reading her phone.
"We can't wait that long."
"I wish we could take the Fiero, but Marshall has that crazy no-eating rule."
"But Thai food, Lily. Pad Yum Mao. Tom Kai Gah. Thai See Ran."
"You're just saying random syllables, and it still sounds delicious."
Robin smiled. "Here's the plan. We take the car, pick it up, bring it back with the windows down. He'll never know."
They went. They bought the food. And on the way home, Robin braked too hard.
The food flew. Soup, noodles, tofu—everything scattered across the inside of the car.
"Oh no. Oh, Marshall's going to kill me."
"Relax. We'll fix it."
They picked up what they could. They scrubbed the seats. But the smell wouldn't go away.
"The smell. We need to cover the smell."
Lily remembered something. "The cigars. Marshall keeps two cigars in the glove compartment for the 200,000-kilometer mark."
They lit them. The smoke filled the car, but it didn't help. Now it smelled like burnt Thai food and cheap cigar.
"This isn't working."
Robin had an idea. "What if... we break the windows?"
"What?"
"Stage a break-in. Marshall will blame a homeless guy."
Lily hesitated. Then she smiled. "I like the way you think."
She broke one window. Robin, excited, broke another.
"That was fun."
"I know."
Back to the Present
"That was you two?" asked Marshall, incredulous.
"I'm so sorry," said Lily.
"But sharing that secret," said Robin, "that's when we became best friends."
Marshall looked at them. Then he burst out laughing.
"You're laughing?" asked Lily.
"I've spent a year blaming a guy in a very tan dance leotard."
Everyone laughed.
The Decision
The mechanic appeared. "Good news and bad news. The good news: I can fix it. The bad news: it'll cost over 3,000 dollars. And no guarantee."
Marshall was silent.
"Marshall," said Ted, "it's just a car."
"It's not just a car. It's... it's the only thing I have left from before all this. Before law school, before the interviews, before I became just another guy in a suit."
Alyx approached and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not just another guy in a suit. You're Marshall. With or without the Fiero."
"Besides," said Barney, "I hate that car. It's a death trap."
"You crashed it."
"That doesn't change the fact that it's a death trap."
Marshall looked at the car. Then he looked at his friends. At Lily, who looked at him with love. At Ted, who had shared the coldest night of his life with him. At Robin, who had broken his windows for friendship. At Barney, who had learned to live (without changing anything) thanks to him. At Alyx, who had found safety in a sudden brake.
"You know what?" he said. "This car should have made it to 200,000. So... let's push it the last 0.7 miles."
"The back wheels are on blocks," the mechanic pointed out.
"Almost!" said Ted.
"Almost!" repeated Marshall.
The Farewell
That night, they pushed the Fiero the last 0.7 miles.
Everyone.
Shoulder to shoulder. Laughing, sweating, cursing.
When the odometer hit 200,000, Marshall climbed onto the hood and shouted: "Arrivederci, Fiero! You were the giving tree of cars!"
"Rot in peace!" Ted shouted.
"Burn in hell, devil horse!" added Barney.
Everyone laughed.
The next day, the money from the parts paid for their drinks at MacLaren's for two nights.
That Night, at MacLaren's
They were all seated at their usual table. Glasses full. Smiles full.
"To the Fiero," said Ted.
"To the Fiero," they repeated.
Alyx, in her corner, drew. Not the car, but them. Pushing, laughing, saying goodbye.
"What are you drawing?" asked Lily, leaning over.
"This. This moment."
Lily smiled. "And what are you going to call it?"
Alyx thought for a moment. "Arrivederci, Fiero."
"Perfect."
Marshall wrapped his arms around them. "Thanks for being here. All of you."
"Always," said Alyx.
And it was true.
Living Room, 2030
"And so, kids, the Fiero was gone, but the memories stayed. In the laughter, in the stories, in the drinks we paid for with its remains."
"And Aunt Alyx's drawing?" asks Ted's daughter.
"She still has it. She hung it in her studio, right next to Mark's and the penny. A reminder that sometimes, things that seem like just things are actually so much more."
Ted raises his glass.
"To the Fiero. The car that taught us that dreams change, and it's okay to let them go."
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