Using My Heirloom Crown? Enjoy Prison Instead

My cousin, Jeffrey Coleman, whom I haven't gotten in touch with for years, suddenly shows up on my doorstep.

"Chris, if I remember correctly, you have a Toyota Crown parked in your garage, right? Lend it to me as my wedding car, alright?

"We're cousins, so I'll pay you 500 dollars. Aren't I generous?"

The Toyota Crown Jeffrey has mentioned is an original model from the 90s. It's still coated in the same paint it was produced in. My grandpa has left it to me.

Over the years, I've already sunk in more than 100 thousand dollars just to renew every part. And now, Jeffrey thinks he gets to drive the car after paying me 500 measly dollars?

I turn him down tactfully.

"The car's far too old, Jeffrey. I'm worried that it might break down halfway to the wedding venue and cause a delay on your big day."

Unexpectedly, the moment Jeffrey gets home, he's quick to issue everyone in the family group chat e-invitations.

"I've already booked the wedding car! It's a Toyota Crown that's produced in the 90s, and it's still in its original glory! This car is definitely better than Porsche and Mercedes!

"On the big day, this car will be in charge of picking up the bride and groom twice! Of course, the newlyweds get to ride this car. If there are any other relatives who want to share the ride, leave a message here!"

Everyone is quick to praise Jeffrey for his quick wits. To think that he's capable of borrowing something vintage from the older generation!

On Jeffrey's wedding day, he shows up outside my garage with a dozen or so people.

"Open up, Chris! Where's the car key? We're in a hurry, you know!"

Soon, the garage door is opened from the inside.

The Toyota Crown isn't there. Instead, a police cruiser is parked in its place. A traffic officer can be seen crouching on the ground while taking photos for evidence.

"You guys plan on driving the Toyota Crown? Someone has reported this car for not meeting the qualifications, and that it's suspected to be used in an illegal business. I'm going to need all of you to make a trip to the police station with me."

Jeffrey panics immediately. "We didn't even get to drive it yet! How is this illegal?"

The traffic officer glances up at him. "The report has included tens of hundreds of conversation screenshots. You've publicly posted the routes and even invited people to ride with you in the group chat.

"Please explain to me what your actions mean, if not advertising your ride to get more customers."

Staring at the screenful of replies flooding the family group chat, along with all the relatives gushing with praise, I made no reply to any of the messages.

The group kept buzzing with messages until the early hours of the morning.

It wasn't until noon the next day that my cousin, Jeffrey Coleman, finally called. His tone was light and breezy, as if everything was already set in stone.

"Hey Chrissy, you saw the invitation, didn't you? I've already mapped out the route. We'll head out from your place at 7:00 am. The first run will be to pick up the bride, then we'll make a second trip for the relatives.

"Let's set it at two runs for now, and we can add more if needed. Make sure you wash the car and fill up the gas the night before."

The coffee in the mug I was holding had already gone cold.

"Jeff, I told you last time. I'm not lending you the car."

Jeffrey went silent on the other end of the line for a couple of seconds.

"Christine Schmidt, this is all because of the money, isn't it?" he asked.

Then, lowering his voice, he said, "If 500 dollars isn't enough, then I'll add another 300. That'll make it a total of 800 dollars. How about that?"

"It's not about the money."

"Well, then what is it about?" Jeffrey challenged, letting out a cold laugh as he did so.

"You're treating that beat-up old car like it's a family heirloom! How much did the refurbishment even cost?

"I'll have you know, I've already put down the deposit at the restaurant, the invitations have been sent out, and the bride's family has already been informed. And now you're saying no? Have you got any idea how embarrassed I'll be?"

"That's not my problem," I responded flatly. "Did I not tell you that I wouldn't be lending you the car when you came to my house yesterday?"

The sound of teeth grinding came from the other end, and his voice dropped even lower. "Fine, Chris. You want to do things the hard way, huh? Well, don't you dare think for a second you have any say in this.

"Just you wait, Chris. Just you wait."

He hung up, then immediately transferred me 500 dollars with the remark "car fee".

In less than ten minutes, the family group chat started blowing up.

Jeffrey singled me out and tagged me in the group chat.

"What an awesome cousin I've got! I've really got to thank Chris for this. I can't believe she'd be willing to lend me the Toyota Crown to use as my bridal car!

"We've just talked things through a while ago, and if there aren't enough seats when the time comes, we'll just arrange to make a few extra runs to pick everyone up!"

My Aunt Mindy—Jeffrey's mother, Miranda Coleman—immediately followed up with a long voice message.

"That's my Jeff, always thinking of everyone! I'm telling you, this car is an original import from the '90s. Back then, there couldn't have been more than three of these in the whole city! When the bride's family sees it, they'll have to look at the Coleman family in a whole new light, won't they?"