I was looking for a new car. Mine had over 300,000 miles on it, and while it was in good shape and performed well, it was showing its age. A friend, Tim, worked at a local dealership, and said he'd work me a good deal. I had teased him about their co-owner and star of their TV commercials, a woman of about 60 who promised a "customer friendly" experience, often saying I'd like to get her in the back of one of those Tahoes she was always pushing on TV to see just how customer friendly she really is. He always laughed me off.
"She's married, has a couple of daughters, and some grandkids. She's also on the board of one of those big Bible colleges downstate," he'd tell me. "No way she's going for a tumble with a slob like you while out on a test drive." I'd kid him there was always a first time. You just had to be the right guy at the right moment. Sometimes the good girls weren't always so good when nobody was watching.
A couple of weeks later, I walked into the dealership looking for Tim, hoping to see what kind of hot deal he could make me. The receptionist at first didn't know where he was, then remembered he was out that day. I thanked her, and began to look around, thinking as long as I'm here, I might as well see what's in the showroom and on the lot.
"Can I help you find something??" I heard with a distinctly southern accent from behind me as I was looking at a Silverado. I turned to see a slender blonde with a pageboy hairstyle and bright blue eyes smiling at me. She was maybe 60, I thought. She was wearing dark jeans and a dark green silk blouse. I noticed it was open a couple of buttons. I looked at her name tag. Susie. Could this be??
"Hi. Welcome to Eagle Chevrolet. I'm Susie." Her voice had the sweetness of maple syrup on a hot waffle. Susie was cute on TV. In person, she was nothing short of adorable. "Would you like to take one of those for a test drive??"
"Hi, I'm Tom," I said as she extended her hand. I'd have taken a tricycle on a test drive if she went with me. "Sure, if you'll come along to show me the features."
Susie smiled at me warmly. "I'm free for a little while. Let me get my purse." Susie disappeared into a back office, returning a few minutes later. She said something to the receptionist, and I followed her out to the lot. "We have these in several colors and configurations."
I thought a moment. "Do you have a Z 71 on the lot??"
"Sure do. Let's go take a look." Susie walked me over to one in yellow. I told her I preferred something more subdued. "I think I may have one in silver. Let me look." Sure enough, she found one. Susie checked the stock number, and sent a text for the keys. A minute later one of the salesmen came out with it while we were looking at the exterior and she was explaining the features. Susie tossed me the keys. "Let's go for a spin."
I got in and started it up. After setting my mirrors, we headed out. Once on the road, after telling me some of the specs, we talked a little more about ourselves. I know some of the sales game is to build rapport, but Susie seemed to be taking some real interest in me once she discovered we had similar tastes in music, food, and architecture. She also is quite a gardener, something I am not. I kidded her that if I bought a car from her, she'd have to come over and help me put in some flowering plants, since I'm the original brown thumb. Susie laughed at that, saying she might be persuaded.
I brought the pickup back to the lot. Susie asked what I thought. "It handled well enough, but I really don't have much use for a pickup, since I don't do a lot of carrying things."
"Maybe you want to try one of our SUV's or minivans, a Suburban or Traverse, perhaps??"
"That might work better. I once had a 1996 Blazer, and liked it a lot. The four wheel drive was helpful, since it snowed a lot where I lived in the northeast then, and I could carry a lot of stuff inside it."
Susie smiled. "Too bad they quit making the Trail Blazer. That might have worked for you. Just curious, what color was the Blazer??"
I smiled at Susie. "Purple."
Susie laughed out loud. "You had one of those?? That was the oddest color!!"
"Yeah it was, though in certain light it looked more blue. I used to get a lot of people looking at me at traffic lights, pointing out the color."
"I had seen a few of those, but never was able to get one." Susie seemed genuinely taken by my odd style of vehicle, and tickled to meet someone who had actually had one.
"They didn't make very many, and I think quite a few of those went to western PA, since there's a Plum Township near Pittsburgh. They were pretty popular there. Bet you don't have a purple Traverse."
Susie laughed again. "No, I don't. But I'm sure I'll find one you like," she said, laying her hand on mine across the center console. Our eyes met for a moment, and I could see something beyond just a car dealer fishing for the sale.
Susie got the keys for a Traverse next, and we took it out. I like the visibility of a lot of glass, and the van worked well in that regard. We talked about the van as we drove. I asked if the rear seats came out.
"All of them do," said Susie, "and there's underfloor storage in the tailgate."
"That might be helpful. I do a lot of photography, and sometimes carry tripods and such. It can be a lot easier to just pick it up and toss it in the back than break it down. So taking out one row of seats can be helpful."
"What kind of work do you do??" Susie asked.
"I'm happily retired, but I do some freelance-very freelance-photography in the transportation industry. I've had photos in several publications, as well as in some calendars for railroads and truck lines. I like to get their operations in scenic locations, which really shows off what they do in an attractive way."