Tobias Weiss.

Chapter 22

© 2014 by tore56789 (GOS) All rights reserved.

“Miss, we have arrived.  That will be five dollar please.” The Indian driver said, stopping the meter, letting dollar roll in his mouth without any r sound.   

He checked the handbag.  Found also his host wasn’t short of that –cash.  It a compartment he found fifties.  Another had stashed tens and twenties.  And in a more bulgy one were fives and ones, where he quickly deducted a five dollar bill; which had the portrait of Abraham Lincoln on it, smiling up at him.

“Thank you Miss,” the driver said placing it away.  And then added with a smile, “May the gods grant you much success at Mr Ted’s.”

“Thank you,” the woman said on auto, getting out.  And with a wave then out his wound down window, wound down because of the heat of the afternoon, the driver took off in his brown taxi. 

Still, five wasn’t bad he though, as he headed for the entrance, where cars looked out at him with a used look –even with Ted’s attempts to make them appear otherwise, as was common in all used car lots.  Tobias doubted if most of these would see a gullible buyer out a year, before some fault with the transmission gave, or a fuel line ruptured.  Something that would cost more to put right in the end, than the price paid for the car.

With used car lots –as he had used them lots of times before –you paid for what you got.  And you would be extremely nave to think at such prices, you were going to come away with anything good.

A man in an old leather cowboy hat approached.  A big guy, like that dude who ran Porky’s, in that movie of the same name, “She’s a beauty that Chevy.  Why don’t you sit into her?  Get a feel.  Settle back in that seat and turn on the engine.”

At the time, he was looking at it:  Sadly, being a funeral director’s son –hadn’t thought him much about what went on under the hood of a hearse.  If it had, he could have asked this heaviest man, sporting a cigar, to throw it open, so that the stunning blond could have a look inside.  And tell him from a mechanic’s point of view, afterwards, just how much the heap of junk really was worth.  He knew the sight would have been a striking dumb moment for this big guy.  But that still wouldn’t have stopped him doing it.

“850, seems on the high side.”

“Well little lady, why don’t you get inside her, reeve her up, listen to how smooth she sounds.  Then we can agree on a price, if you’ve an inkling of a want to take her off my hands, that is,” he ended with a jovial laugh.

So taking the key that was offered, which the man had extracted from other keys he wore on his belt with tags for each auto, he opened the door, and got inside. Then placing it in the ignition, he looked back out at the man with the cowboy hat sporting the cigar –like the cornel did in the A-Team, and threw the remark, “She would want to sound out of this world for the price you’re after.”

The man laughed at that.  The engine started like a chainsaw, with a slight metallic clanking, like some imbecile had mistakenly left a small spanner inside it.  Even with his poor knowledge of things of a mechanical nature, Tobias knew, that sound wasn’t a good one.  

The man seeing the look on the woman face, added, “Honey, just give her a hard shove down on the gas, it’ll clean her pipes out real well, and she’ll smarten up like a new born.”  He ended with a chuckle.

“Tell you the truth.  I was after something that didn’t stand out so much.  Let’s be honest, a car like this will pick up a cop fine, for just being seen on the road by a uniform. Jed Clampett might go for it thought.  As it would be an improvement on the old banger he’s got.” 

The man laughed a bit too much after that, causing him to cough.  So he only answered after he got some vocal control back, “Sweet heart, with your humour and my looks, I bet we could make millions.”  Then taking hold of the rim of his hat, like out of courtesy, like Paul Newman did in some of his earlier cowboy movies:  he continued with, “So, what had you in mind?”

The girl turned off the engine, with Tobias controlling her actions, and handed back the key, “Tell you what, why don’t you let me look around here for a spell.  Then if I see something I like, I’ll come back to you to negotiate.  Okay?”  On auto, the girl gave him a look, through the wound down window, as only attractive women know how to pull off, when they want to get something.  

Okay, you do that. Just ask for.”

“Ted. Yes?”

“You got it,” he laughed, before tipping his hat once more, and turning around, and walking back towards the door of the building.