On the way home from the dojo, Tommy passed the car dealership where he'd seen the 4 X 4 pickup. He had quite a bit of time before he needed to be at work, so he pulled into the lot, parked his parents' car, and walked over to the truck. It was bright red, had jacked-up suspension and huge tires, an extended cab, even a chrome roll bar with lights on it in the bed.
After a couple of minutes a portly, balding salesman appeared. The man wore glasses and a plaid suit. "Like that baby, son?" he asked.
"It looks nice," Tommy said, "I noticed it when I was driving by the other day.
"That's one of our best units," the man said. "This baby has all the extras. Off-road kit, five-speed, tape deck, special off-road tires, winch, even air-conditioning." He patted the truck's shiny side. "She's quite a rig. Lot of people been checking this baby out, I'll tell you. You want it, you're gonna have to move quick or it'll be gone."
"How much is it?" Tommy asked. He knew the salesman was trying to put pressure on him. He'd seen the truck sitting in the same spot for several weeks. If a lot of people had been stopping, none of them were buying.
The salesman glanced in the direction of the car Tommy arrived in. "Planning on trading that?" he asked.
"No," Tommy said. "The car belongs to my parents."
The man scratched his head and tried to look as if he were thinking. He wasn't good at it. "Tell you what," he said finally, "I think I can convince the boss to let it go for just under fifteen."
"It isn't new," Tommy said, "isn't that a little high?"
The salesman frowned. "She's only got nine thousand miles on her," he said. "Never been off the road. Heck, it's better than new, really. You won't have any depreciation." He put his smile back on. "Why don't you come on down to my office? We can see about arranging financing, and I'll see what I can do with the boss about the price. I'm sure we can knock something off, make it more reasonable, you know?"
"I won't need financing," Tommy said. "If I buy it, I'll pay cash."
The salesman's eyes widened. "...cash? I..." he stammered.
"Is cash OK?" Tommy asked innocently.
"...yeah, sure...sure it is," the man stammered.
"Since it's used, I think ten thousand's fair," Tommy said. He smiled at the man. "Don't you?"
The man scratched his head again and looked aggrieved. "I don't know," he said, looking pained. "I mean, we got to make something, you know."
Tommy turned and started for the car.
"Where you going?" the salesman asked.
"To the dealership down the street," Tommy replied over his shoulder. "If I'm going to pay fifteen thousand, I might as well have a new truck, don't you think?" He reached the car and got in.
The man followed him to the car and gestured for Tommy to roll the window down. "Ah...you really got enough money to pay cash, kid?" he asked.
Tommy nodded. "You can call my lawyer and check," he said.
"OK," the portly salesman said, "you said ten, right?"
Tommy nodded. "Anything over that, I'm going for new," he said.
The man was red-faced and sweaty. "How soon you want it?" he asked. "I gotta talk to the boss. Maybe, since you're paying cash, I can talk him down to ten. It ain't gonna be easy, but I'll give it a shot.
"How long will it take?" Tommy asked. He felt good about the way things had turned out. He'd bested a used car salesman the first time he bought a vehicle.
"Come back this afternoon," the salesman said. "I can let you know then."
Tommy looked at his watch. "I have to be to work at three," he said. "Its one now. I'll get a cashier's check and come back in an hour."
"Ah, sure, why not?" the man said. "See you in an hour."
Tommy headed for the lawyer's office. Attorney Brothers was red-faced with mirth after the young man finished relating his dickering session with the car salesman. "You know, young man, you are going to do all right if you conduct all your business that adroitly," the lawyer said. "I'll call the bank and have them issue a cashier's check for the amount you need. What about insurance and registration?"
Tommy gave him the name of his parents' insurance agent. Attorney Brothers said he'd call the agent and assure him of payment. All Tommy had to do was give the agent the information about the truck once he had it.
After leaving the lawyer's office, Tommy drove to the bank, then dropped the car off at Karen's and walked to the car lot. The salesman was out, talking with a young couple. When he saw Tommy, he excused himself and hurried over. "I had a helluva time," he said, "but I got the boss to go along with your deal. You got the money?"
"I do," Tommy said. "Why don't we finish the paperwork? I have to get to work."
"Ah, sure, let's go in my office," the man said.
A little under an hour later, Tommy climbed into his truck, put the key in the ignition, and fired it up. It sounded good. He put it in gear and pulled out of the lot.
The salesman had gone back to other customers and didn't even look when the truck left the lot. Tommy had the impression the salesman wasn't happy about the way he had treated him, but that was too bad.
Tina was just arriving at the Inn when Tommy pulled up. She waited while he parked the truck. "What's that?" she asked, nodding in the direction of the truck.
"My new truck," Tommy replied. "I just got it."
"It's nice," Tina said. "Pretty fancy."
"If you treat me nice, I'll give you a ride," Tommy replied, smiling.
"I might take you up on that," Tina answered, grinning back at him.
Tina made such a fuss about the new truck that Tommy had to show it to Mr. and Mrs. Dreisbach, who also fussed about it. The young man was a little embarrassed by their effusive praise.
The Inn was busy, which made the evening go quickly. Soon it was time to close.
