December 13, 2008

Blazing moon peeking in my west window made it impossible to sleep, so I was up before 4 in the shimmering moonlight. Jocasta howled at the door, so I let her out to walk as a wild thing under the moon. Ten minutes later she was howling on the front porch, cornered by a neighborhood cat whose intentions were, it looked to me, friendly. But, she had her adventure. I’m constantly scrubbing new places where her failing urinary tract has committed an indiscretion.

Call last night that the Prius was ready to be picked up. “Please give us an hour,” the message said, “to wash and detail the car.” Even half an hour put it after closing time. I thought that was curious, but I waited until this morning and started the process of redeeming my car. Here’s what unfolds: Biltmore Ford’s contract with the insurance company stipulated that the car be finished on December 12, so, even though it wasn’t, they phoned and said it WAS finished, lying about when to pick it up, so I would come, if I came, when they were closed. Being closed on Saturday, too, they would be able actually to finish Monday morning what was officially finished Friday afternoon, and no one would be the wiser. They had not taken me into their calculations. I meant to have my car now. Mr. Honeycutt, the manager, said that the body shop was closed on Saturday and that he had none of the paperwork necessary to release the car. I said I was on my way and I expected the car to be ready for me when I arrived, and that any problems he would face relative to the missing paperwork would be less than what he would face from me. I used my stern professor voice. The car was, in fact, waiting for me, but it had not been cleaned or detailed, which is what they had clearly left to be done Monday morning. I’d returned my rental, so I agreed to come back Monday so they could finish the job, and so I can ask those responsible why they told me to pick up a car which clearly wasn’t ready. I really don’t care that much. I am glad to have my perky friend back and, visibly, whole. I don’t know how fixing the tail of the car resulted in the blasting away of all my dashboard settings, but it will take some time restoring all.