As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
I am not upset by the following as things strange invoke a laugh response in me and in this poverty which entraps me, I hope the following is a treasure in humor.
So the car which I have as the "Courting Car", as in American verbiage, the carriage which TL and I sparked in, had like 212,000 miles on it when I got it, as that is all I could afford. It is a sound car and a good car.
She has though turned on the ABS warning light, as in the Automatic Braking System, which I figured needed to be checked, as a car without brakes is like a bird without wings.
TL kindly took it to TL's family mechanic, who is a second generation guy in his own private shop, and he does things for all makes and models.
He issued a warning that TL's vehicle is one step from being up on blocks, and in a phone call after a study of the Courting Car, that the ABS would cost 1100 dollars, and maybe 600 bucks if he could scrounge a used unit out of the junk pile.
He deemed the Courting Car not worth fixing and perhaps nurse it back to the brier patch.
So we went to pick up the car, which was to have the oil changed for the trip back, and the oil was not changed, and we then waited for that event.
He is a nice man, very quiet, and he kept promising me there was no money in not fixing cars, and things like that as a reality to his honesty. I liked him and everything about the place..........and when time came to pay the bill, he was showing me things about his book keeping, but was so quiet, I had no idea what he was saying. So I just nodded.
The bill was like thirty three bucks and change. I paid with a 50 and happened to notice that as he was fishing around for change that I got 7 dollars back and a few pennies. I was figuring something was not right in this and not willing to have the man look foolish, I made some remark about the bill and handed it to him to check again.
He checked the bill and took another dollar from the seven he produced in change.
With that, in being out 10 bucks, then 11 bucks, I did not ask for another math equation in figuring I might next lose my right ovary, and in thanking him, left the shop laughing delightfully in the turn of events.
It would have been more.....in fact he told me on the phone an oil change was 50 dollars plus change for the oil change which was not done, so in bizarro world, I guess I probably was 8 dollars ahead of the original cost, but as TL and I agreed, as least it was done and humor is something in a story which I will retell often enough in delight over this adventure.
I realize I kick ass on people a great deal, but I am not going to be unkind in making a fool of someone over 10 dollars, even if I can not afford it. I hope I will never have to use the shop again, not because they do not do good enough work, but I hope to be out of the metro.
He could have done the big tag ABS if I had insisted....now I will attempt something on the Courting Car in the brier patch later as we nurse it back through heavy traffic. There is a kid in the patch who......you will remember my pick up that had the goat stanchion on it, well it had a faulty GMC switch in it that GMC should have fixed, as it would not start.....and the mechanic in the brier patch got a junk steering column for 125 dollars and put it all in, as that was cheaper than the switch. It was a good deal as I got another key out of the deal in by chance both vehicles have the same key.
So I hope for something in God's Grace for the Courting Car once we reach the outpost safely, but it should make the drive more on edge for 8 hours and taxing in having to pay attention in other metro traffic jams of bumper to bumper.
So any way, there is no moral of this story, except, you need people to do things, and being polite to not hurt good people's feelings, gets you charged more than what the original miscalculation was, but in the long run, you get a hilarious story to tell for the rest of your days.
It is better to laugh than cry, and in most cases laughing things off, instead of being upset as God sorts things out, is the better medicine.
Yes even I in destitution will not kick an old man and humiliate him over 10 dollars and two mistakes which cost me another dollar, as the Holy Ghost gave me laughter and hopefully something to laugh at too, as people do seem to enjoy my having the screws put to me as that is always fun.
nuff said
agtG
