Natalie was feeling irritated. Actually, she was feeling just a bit more than irritated. What she really wanted to do right then was to castrate a certain salesman with a blunt knife. The blunter the better, as far as she was concerned. She was stalking down the street in this mood of high dudgeon, not really looking where she was going when she walked straight into someone who was standing on the sidewalk watching her. In her current mood apologies were out of the question, and with a snarled "watch out" she brushed past the obstruction, continuing on her way.
She sensed the obstruction turn and walk alongside her, only then seeing it was an old sparring partner and friend. "Sorry, Graeme," she muttered, "I'm in a bad mood."
"I hadn't noticed," laughed Graeme, "It seems like the one you usually use around me. What's got your knickers in a knot this time."
Natalie glared at him and then shrugged. He could serve as a sympathetic ear while she sounded off about her grievances. Or in his case, an unsympathetic ear, but one that would listen and advise her no matter how badly she might hate his advice.
"You know that I've had my license for almost a year now?" At Graeme's nod she continued. "Well, I've been saving for my own car even before I had my license. Mum & Dad have helped a bit and I've finally got enough to get a decent car. There's a car I've had my eye on in Sammy's Caryard. It's just the sort of thing that I'm looking for, so I went over there this morning to see what it would cost. The advertised price is a bit more than I've got but I thought they'd come down a bit.
The first thing that happened was I couldn't get anyone to serve me. Then when I finally trapped a salesman he was condescending and suggested I come back when I grow up. I had to prove I was over 18 and show that I had a current license. I told him what car I was interested in and he simply said I couldn't afford it and tried to sell me some old banger I wouldn't be caught dead driving. I told him several times which car I wanted and he did everything but show it to me. He said that if I was going for a car in that price range I'd probably need a loan, which he could arrange, and then he tried to sell me some other cars I didn't want.
Eventually I got him to admit that the car I wanted was for sale and to give me a price. It was over-priced, even I could see that and I started to negotiate the price downwards. At first he wouldn't admit that the price could be lowered but I was insistent. You know how determined I can be."
Graeme nodded. He knew and at this stage all his sympathy was for the salesman. "I know," he murmured. "Go on."
"Well, he eventually came down a little and I came up a little, but at the end of the back and forth bit he stuck on a price of $150 more than I've got. I tried to get him to lower that last little bit, but he could see I wanted the car and figured I'd be able to come up with the money. He said I should ask my Dad for the extra or buy the car via a loan, but I wasn't interested in either of those options."
"It all seems straightforward to me at this point. Maybe you should just have had your dad come down and do the negotiating for you. Nothing to lose your cool over."
"That's what came next. When the salesman realised I wasn't budging he said that as I'm 19, he'd do a special deal for me. He'd knock the extra $150 off if I came into one of the back rooms with him and fucked him. I told him that was harassment and I'd report him to the manager and he just laughed. He said the manager wouldn't believe me because women are always trying the sexual harassment crap to try to get a better deal. He said $150 or sex – end of story. I tried to speak to another salesman but he just came over and told the other bloke that I was trying the sexual harassment routine, and the other salesman didn't want to know me.
What are you looking at me like that for?"
"Sorry," said Graeme. "I was just thinking that the salesman has good taste. I'd also be willing to pay a $150 to take you to bed."
"What!"
"Oops. Sorry again." Graeme tried to recover. "I didn't mean that I want to take you to bed."
"Thank you," came a very icy retort from Natalie. "So good to know your friends don't find you attractive."
"I didn't say that," said Graeme. "Um. I think I'd better shut up before I bite my foot right off."
They continued on their way in silence for a while, and then Natalie asked, "What do you think I should do about the car?"
"Your best bet would be to have your dad or a friend go to the caryard and see if they could get a better price. They'd have a better chance than you would of getting a reasonable price. I'd be prepared to bet you didn't even check the blue book to see what the car's actually worth."
More silence, then, "What's the blue book?"
Graeme laughed. "Thought so. It's a book that lists the value of used cars, their buying and selling price for both car yards and private sellers. It would have told you what the car you want is really worth and given you ammunition to beat the price down if it's over-inflated.
At the risk of insulting you, why didn't you take him up on his offer of sex? A lot of girls would and it's not as though you're still a virgin."
"Why should I feel insulted just because you suggest I prostitute myself?" Natalie asked quietly. "In the first place, how would you know if I'm a virgin or not? In the second place, I wouldn't have sex with that greasy fat chauvinist for ten times the offer.
At the risk of offending you, if I'd taken up your offer to sleep with me for a $150, where on earth would you find the money? You're perpetually broke.
And why do you think I'm not a virgin, anyway?"
"Old man Parker managed to infect all the PC's in his office yesterday. I charged him $200 to go over there and sort them all out. He was frantic and even paid me in advance.
Regarding your virginity, Charley boasts. I won't go into details but he was pretty explicit that he slept with you."
