'No. It's a new, smaller one called a Liberty.' 'How did you find out about it?' Shelley asked
as Jane trailed along while Shelley headed for her own kitchen door.
'I looked it up on the Internet. Called Mike after he got out of his nine o'clock class at college andasked him a few questions about what I needed for choices. Boys in their twenties always know this stuff and love showing off about how much they know. Then I called several dealerships to find out if they had what I wanted. Fortunately, the closest one to our neighborhood did.'
'Start us a pot of coffee while I change, please,'
Shelley said.
The coffee was poured and Jane had found some stale vanilla wafers to snack on.
'What color are you choosing?' Shelley asked when she came back in black silk trousers, low-heeled gray patent heels, and a white linen blouse with a gorgeous scarf draped to perfection.
'Red. But only if I like it when I see it. Maybe taupe. They have both options with what I want on the lot.'
'What did Mike say?'
'After he screamed 'Whoopee!' you mean?' Jane replied. 'He told me to pick a certain kind of brakes. I've got it all marked out on the sheet I printed out. Heated leather seats. A sunroof. Fancy tires. A CD player and tape player both. The best that they've got at the dealership.'
'Jane, you amaze me!'
'Why?'
'Because you've always been so stingy with yourself. First that big television set in your bedroom, now an expensive new car. I can hardly believe it. Good for you.'
'For one thing, it isn't as expensive as you're
imagining. Not even close to the cost of a Humvee, which I almost considered until I found out the price. I would look so good driving a Humvee.
'Secondly,' Jane went on, 'it would have cost several thousand to fix up the old station wagon, and it wouldn't add anything to its trade-in value. I donated because I can take the book value off my taxes, and that's a lot more than it would be worth if I turned it in. And I'd be deeply embarrassed to let a car dealer even see it.'
'How did you learn all about this?'
'I have my sources,' Jane said smugly. 'You're turning into me, you know.'
'That's a good thing,' Jane said. 'But I'll never spend what you do on your wardrobe, I can promise that,' she added with a smile. She glanced at her watch. 'It's only twelve-fifteen. My appointment to buy the car isn't until two-thirty. I have to go to the bank first to buy a certified check. What else can we do to kill time?'
'We can go look at your list and check the site on the Internet for color choices. Wouldn't you rather have a nice bright green or maybe a white one? Or even that cobalt blue color you like?'
'White would glare in the sun and always look dirtier than it really is. They don't have a bright green. Only a dark green.'
'Go for the red then. Taupe is only good for clothing. But you'll have to see it in person to de-cide. I sort of liked that shiny blue one. But colors on the Internet aren't all that reliable.'
'As long as I wouldn't have to wait for it, I might buy the blue,' Jane said. 'I don't want to waste a month or six weeks to special order and drive a rental. Let's go have lunch before we go to the bank. Those soggy wafers aren't enough to fortify me for such a big decision.'
Later, fortified by a sandwich and caffeine, Jane had her check in her purse, and when they arrived at the car dealership a full twenty-five minutes early, Jane began dragging Shelley around the entire lot looking for her choices. She was reading the sales slip on the window of a metallic blue car when Shelley said, 'I see your car, I think. Come this way.'
And there, in its full glory, was the car Jane wanted. 'It doesn't look dark red,' Shelley said, 'It has too much purple in the red.'
'It's called garnet,' Jane said. 'Not dark red. And I don't think it's the least purple. It must just be these weird pole lights that make it look odd. It's a shame it's such an overcast day. I still want to look at the taupe. It's the color of the interior of
this one.'
'Can't we just go inside and see if your salesman is twiddling his thumbs waiting for us to
show up?'
'What a good idea.'
'You do know, don't you, Jane, that I'm not
good with car salesmen? I always want to tell them off for treating me like 'the little woman' who doesn't know a car from a dishwasher.'
'Then don't speak at all and let me sort him out,' Jane said. 'I Am Woman.'
As much as she wanted to dislike the salesman, Shelley couldn't. There wasn't a hint of patronizing. He was even impressed by Jane's computer printout of her shopping on the Internet and the fact that she had brought it along to show him what she wanted. When he went to fetch some paperwork, Shelley admitted he was treating them well.
'He doesn't know I have a son who told me exactly what to choose. He thinks I know all about these brakes I've selected.'
Both of them got impatient with how long it was taking, however. There was a guy Jane had to talk to about an expensive extended warranty, and she was ready for this as well, thanks to her son. A third man wanted to sell her a package of expensive extra things, like a sealer to prevent rust and a lot of other stuff she hadn't been warned about. The total for the extras came to nearly a thousand dollars.
'I think not,' Jane said firmly.
'But if you buy the whole package, it's only three hundred dollars,' he said.
'I'll think about it and let you know while they're bringing my car to the door,' Jane said. 'That's insane!' Shelley hissed when they wereout of his hearing range. 'Each part of the deal cost nearly the three hundred. Does he think we're idiots who can't add it up?'
'He's young and stupid and we're probably older than his mother,' Jane said. 'I might spring for the three hundred bucks. But I'm not doing it until I've driven the car for a while.'
In the end, the salesman made Jane drive the car with him in the passenger seat and Shelley in the backseat. He was pointing out where all the features were, which disconcerted Jane, although she thought he didn't know he was frazzling her.
When he said, 'This handle turns the windshield wipers on,' she glanced down very briefly at a stick that said 'Pull.' She tried pulling out the end knob. He said, 'No, that means pull it
toward you.'
'Oh, of course.'
There was a low growl from the backseat, which Jane ignored.
When the test drive was over, the forms all filled out, the check approved, the temporary license plate in place, and everybody had shaken hands in a distinctly 'manly' way, Shelley said, 'I wish we'd taken a cab so I could ride home with you.'
'Have you ever seen a cab just cruising our street? And would you have paid him to sit around when we stoked up on sandwiches and coffee? And then run us to the bank?'
'I guess you're right.'
