See, last month I bought a truck for my son . . . his first vehicle! LAST MONTH! Excited for him, anxious about this next step toward adulthood. Intentionally opting for a truck, something used, something I wouldn't be too upset about if he wrecked, being a new driver and all.
And okay, so I'm a naive shopper. Okay, so I trusted the young man with the nice, honest looking smile. And so what if I thought he was listening when I told him how special this vehicle was for my son.
And what if I've always had an underlying belief that all people are inherently good.
And yeah . . . it didn't quite work out that way this time. Hindsight, I should have listened to my husband who wasn't as enamored with the truck or with the "deal" as I was. But I didn't . . . listen to him. Instead, I got to learn something! I learned that a warning indicator, one that suggests the catalytic converter has gone bad, can actually be temporarily reset. Go figure! And sure, I'll never know whether it was the dealer who reset it or the previous owner.
But none of that really matters now, does it? What does matter is that I'd much rather be the kind of person I am, one who believes in the inherent goodness of people, than the kind of person who cheated and misrepresented the value of the truck. And yeah, sure, my mistake hit me in the pocketbook. But at least I still have my ethics intact.
And here's a funny thing (see how I'm trying to find humor in all this!): the dealership actually wanted me to leave the truck with them to do the repairs! Are you kidding me!! What's that saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
I do have to admit though . . . that's a pretty sharp looking container for a shiny new catalytic converter!
Parting thought: My new mechanic says that any time a car salesmen opens their mouth, they're lying.
I'm gonna have to remember that from now on.
Oh stink! Put that smooth-talking salesman in a novel. That'll teach him! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice looking truck, though!
Amy