during his pushy sales pitch, he stopped midsentence, looked closely at my face, and asked, “Are you sure we’ve never met? You look very familiar.”
Though we hated to, Elaina and I did go back to see Kincaid. The salesman at the second dealership had been a true gentleman and ever so helpful. He asked us all kinds of questions so he could help us choose a vehicle that would not only fit our needs but our budget as well. But as hard as we looked, we couldn’t find anything we liked as much as the one at the first place.
After going round and round with Kincaid and his manager for what seemed like half the day, but in reality was only an hour, we finally agreed on a deal. After that, when Elaina had gone to the ladies room, the general manager told me that this had been the hardest time he’d ever had “giving away” an RV. I just smiled and handed him a deposit.
After that, Elaina and I drove right over to the local branch of our bank and withdrew the funds. Fortunately, we got there ten minutes before their noon Saturday closing time. Soon after that, with Elaina behind me in the rental car, I rolled our new home out of the lot. We’d paid only $15,000— out the door! That included tax, title, license plates the works. We not only got a fantastic price, but the manager ended up eating all of the dealership’s standard, nonsensical fees because I absolutely would not pay them.
After returning the Taurus right there in Cherry Hill, Elaina hopped into the RV with me. We were absolutely ecstatic. As I drove away from the Avis lot she raced up and down our new home on wheels checking out every nook and cranny. She was like a little girl on an Easter egg hunt. She finally plopped into the plush, oversized passenger seat next to me just as I steered the behemoth back onto the Jersey Turnpike. Sitting high, high above the road, all smiles, we felt as if we were perched on top of the world and it was rotating beneath us.
For the time being at least, all our happiness and excitement seemed to shrink our fears again. I can’t describe with words how good it made me feel to see Elaina so excited and at ease after what we’d been through. I knew well and good we should savor this relief from our newly imposed mental bondage. I wanted to taste it, chew it slowly; make it last before digesting it. But something new was gnawing at me now. Something I wasn’t going to bring up and let ruin all our well-deserved joy.
I did not like the idea that after Elaina and I had signed the paperwork, and she’d left me alone with Kincaid and the GM, Kincaid managed to put my name and face together. He’d finally realized who I was, and I did not like it one bit. Bad enough he knew the make, model, year, and color of the RV we would be driving, but there was even more. I had no choice but to also give him our cell number. He needed it so that when the permanent license plates arrived from New York he could call us and forward them to wherever we might be staying. I realized I just might be letting my imagination get out of hand. That the odds were huge nothing would ever become of this. But just the same, I did not like that guy. And with our lives possibly in very real danger, I didn’t like having any bases uncovered. As much as that scenario with Kincaid and his boss bothered me, I decided not to tell Elaina about it. She already had enough on her mind.
After driving only sixty miles or so, I asked Elaina if she wanted to stop and find a campground. We hadn’t gone far, but it was already crowding four in the afternoon. We’d gotten up very early that morning, accomplished a lot, and were beginning to tire. Driving the RV had been a barrel of fun, but being new at it demanded constant vigilance. I also figured we’d be much better off driving through Baltimore and D.C. early the next day; a Sunday morning. Lord knows we had nothing but time. Well, at least that’s what we thought.
We exited I-95 in a very nice Maryland
Though we hated to, Elaina and I did go back to see Kincaid. The salesman at the second dealership had been a true gentleman and ever so helpful. He asked us all kinds of questions so he could help us choose a vehicle that would not only fit our needs but our budget as well. But as hard as we looked, we couldn’t find anything we liked as much as the one at the first place.
After going round and round with Kincaid and his manager for what seemed like half the day, but in reality was only an hour, we finally agreed on a deal. After that, when Elaina had gone to the ladies room, the general manager told me that this had been the hardest time he’d ever had “giving away” an RV. I just smiled and handed him a deposit.
After that, Elaina and I drove right over to the local branch of our bank and withdrew the funds. Fortunately, we got there ten minutes before their noon Saturday closing time. Soon after that, with Elaina behind me in the rental car, I rolled our new home out of the lot. We’d paid only $15,000— out the door! That included tax, title, license plates the works. We not only got a fantastic price, but the manager ended up eating all of the dealership’s standard, nonsensical fees because I absolutely would not pay them.
After returning the Taurus right there in Cherry Hill, Elaina hopped into the RV with me. We were absolutely ecstatic. As I drove away from the Avis lot she raced up and down our new home on wheels checking out every nook and cranny. She was like a little girl on an Easter egg hunt. She finally plopped into the plush, oversized passenger seat next to me just as I steered the behemoth back onto the Jersey Turnpike. Sitting high, high above the road, all smiles, we felt as if we were perched on top of the world and it was rotating beneath us.
For the time being at least, all our happiness and excitement seemed to shrink our fears again. I can’t describe with words how good it made me feel to see Elaina so excited and at ease after what we’d been through. I knew well and good we should savor this relief from our newly imposed mental bondage. I wanted to taste it, chew it slowly; make it last before digesting it. But something new was gnawing at me now. Something I wasn’t going to bring up and let ruin all our well-deserved joy.
I did not like the idea that after Elaina and I had signed the paperwork, and she’d left me alone with Kincaid and the GM, Kincaid managed to put my name and face together. He’d finally realized who I was, and I did not like it one bit. Bad enough he knew the make, model, year, and color of the RV we would be driving, but there was even more. I had no choice but to also give him our cell number. He needed it so that when the permanent license plates arrived from New York he could call us and forward them to wherever we might be staying. I realized I just might be letting my imagination get out of hand. That the odds were huge nothing would ever become of this. But just the same, I did not like that guy. And with our lives possibly in very real danger, I didn’t like having any bases uncovered. As much as that scenario with Kincaid and his boss bothered me, I decided not to tell Elaina about it. She already had enough on her mind.
After driving only sixty miles or so, I asked Elaina if she wanted to stop and find a campground. We hadn’t gone far, but it was already crowding four in the afternoon. We’d gotten up very early that morning, accomplished a lot, and were beginning to tire. Driving the RV had been a barrel of fun, but being new at it demanded constant vigilance. I also figured we’d be much better off driving through Baltimore and D.C. early the next day; a Sunday morning. Lord knows we had nothing but time. Well, at least that’s what we thought.
We exited I-95 in a very nice Maryland
Similar Books
