What. A. Day.

(Originally July 25 2006)

Chain of events;

7/21/06 My car's transmission stops working in Moorestown, NJ, 2 hours south of where I live. A nearby mechanic tells me he saw me struggling with the car and it would take 1695.00 to get a new transmission. He closes on the weekend, so I would have to speak to him on Monday about what I wanted to do with the car. It takes me six hours to get home by a bus, a train, and another bus, with a bunch of walking in between. The trip costs about $60.00.

7/22/06 Decided it was time to get a new car because I wouldn't have enough money to replace the transmission, and that car has no air conditioning anyway. Plus it is a castoff from My Benefactor and I don't like him very much, and I no longer trust the car. I went to a Toyota dealer and made a deal to purchase a new used Toyota, left 600.00 as down payment. They said they had to get me a loan from a bank, and that I would get a call later that day to tell me when I got the loan. At 5:00PM I get a call from the salesman telling me the paperwork was put in and they'd have an answer by Monday.

7/24/06
9:30AM, The salesman calls me to ask me to come in and show them my paystubs from the last few weeks for them to fax to a bank. I get my stubs and leave for the bus.

9:45AM, The Moorestown, NJ Repairman calls me to say the transmission only had some leaks and it will cost about $300.00 to fix. I tell him I'll call him back.

10:00AM While on the bus I put two calls out, one to My Friend The Doctor, and one to My Hero. MFTD calls be back. He talks me down off the ledge of financial commitment and helps me re-realize that I'm impetuous and that I'm acting out, trying to get control in a world that keeps robbing me of it. I decide it is best for me to pay the repairs instead of giving the down payment away and then trying to pay 340.00 a month for the next five years while I'm also trying to repay all my current debts. I'm depressed but I'm determined.

11:00AM I arrive at the dealer and tell them I didn't have to buy a new transmission and that I won't be needing the car. The salesman tells me that the 'loan guy' had gotten me approved and that they really only have to give me my deposit back if they can't get me a loan. The salesman says neither he nor the 'loan guy' can refund my money, but only the Used-Car manager can make that decision and he's not at work yet because he hurt his back in a traffic accident while on his motorcycle, so he'd be in later after he returns from the doctor. I'm still depressed.

12:00PM I get in touch with My Hero and finally tell him what I haven't told him in all the years I've known and loved him. (1992-Present; See contents of previous post to see what I told him. I don't know if I ever told you guys about him, but I'll go into detail at a later date).

1:30PM The salesperson still hasn't called me. It is now too late to go down to Moorestown to retrieve my car, and I don't have enough in my checking accounts to pay the repairman anyway because I gave the bulk of it to the car dealer to buy the new car. I call the salesman. He says the Used-Car manager is at work now, and he'll have to speak to the Owner.

1:45PM, I call my boss and tell him I have to take another day off work because I have to go to Moorestown tomorrow and get my car.

5:30PM I have not heard from anyone at the dealer. I call and get the Used-Car Manager. He asks me why I don't want the car, I tell him the same story I told the salesman. He tells me that because they got me the loan, they really don't have to refund my money, but he would speak to the Owner and have the salesman call me back tomorrow.

7/25/06
6:30AM; I get up to go to NYC, then to Philadelphia, then to Moorestown, NJ to get my fixed car. This costs another $60.00.

9:30AM while on the train to Philly I call the dealership and find that my salesman is off work on Tuesdays. I speak to the Used-Car manager and he says "Exactly, I'll have to speak to the Owner today and find out what he wants to do."

11:00AM I reach the Repairman's garage and he doesn't take checks. I try to run my debit card and it is declined. I cannot pay for my repair, and I cannot take the repaired car home. I call the car dealership to see if the Used-Car manager has spoken to the Owner yet. The Used-car manager sound peturbed. He tells me, "He's not in yet and I told you I'd call you when I spoke to him." I go to the nearby Barnes & Noble to decompress and strategize. I go into a bank along the way and try to get a personal loan. Telling the woman my story makes me feel like a crazy homeless person begging for a quarter. Instant repayment of the loan (read: repayment as soon as I get a paycheck, instead of holding on to the money for anything OTHER THAN the repair) will cost $100.00 extra, besides the interest. The loan is denied anyway. My credit score is too low/high/miserable.

12:00PM I drink a Pomegranate Tea Frappucino sweetened with whatever tart mixture they blend, plus two packets of Equal. It then tastes as good as a Strawberry Coolatta from Dunkin Donuts but I doubt it has the same sugar content. I read The second Legion of Superheroes trade paperback (They got revamped for the 4th or 5th time since the good ol' days of the 70's). I call My Friend The Doctor and give him an update. MFTD calls the repairman's garage to find out if he can pay for me through a credit card. They tell him the boss is out to lunch. MFTD will call back after lunch. I read the comicbook (for free, and thank you B&N for the service).

1:30PM MFTD calls the repairman, then wires me the money through Western Union. The repairman tells him that I need to go "right around the corner from his shop" to pick the money up. I walk back to the shop, then end up going a 1/2 hour up a highway, (across 295) to find out the Western Union dealer (a Greyhound Bus stop) doesn't have enough money to pay out the transfer. But I'm told by the Greyhound woman (whose two front teeth were stained with nicotine) that I could get the money from any Western Union agent, and there's one at the ShopRite in Moorestown. This ShopRite is ACROSS THE STREET from the repairman. I walk another 1/2 hour back and get the money.

Somehow, it's now 4:00PM. I drive my car away. I go back north up 295 then Route One all the way from Trenton to the Garden State Parkway. The sight of the old territory fills me with a strange nostalgia. I used to drive that stretch when I lived in Trenton (just before I started my first blog) and attended Rutgers for the 2 credits to get my New Jersey Counselor's license, where I met my Sightless Friend. Then I drove it to work with my Sightless Friend for money, when he used to live in New Brunswick (back then he was my Sightless Client, but since I've quit, he's my Friend. I have mentioned him several times already).

6:30PM I reach "home". I call the dealership. The Used-Car manager has gone home for the day. He left at 5:00 I'm told. I ask if the Owner is there. They give me a voicemail. I call back to find out if the Owner had been there at all today. I'm told he was there, and that he left around 5:00. I ask what schedule I can expect to use if I want to reach him. I'm told around 9am -5pm. I ask if that's when the Owner was there today. I'm told yes. The Owner was there all day.

8:43PM I finish writing this entry on my blog. I congradulate myself for not committing suicide. I don't know if the dealership will ever give me my money. I will not get angry, but I will file a lawsuit against them. I did not purchase the car so why should they get to keep a down payment for something they did not sell? They strung me along wil a bunch of stall tactics and flat out lies. I think I have a case. I will include whatever court charges it takes to sue them. I will not use a lawyer. If I lose, I lose. I will still not commit suicide.

8:44PM; I click "Send"