My last mechanic, recommended by my friend Josep, didn’t
like me. I don’t know why. He was a sourpuss who, when I would come in, would
see me, and then without so much as a hello, ignore me for a good long while before asking what I wanted.
I put up with him because when it came down to business, he seemed to know what
he was doing. But about a year ago, the last time I came, he told me he wouldn’t
be able to even take a look at the car for at least two months. I thought I had
misheard, but no, “Dos mesos. minim” I took that to mean that he didn’t want to
work on my car at all. At Citroen I found Edwin and Javier and was happy I had
made the change.
I’ve been without a car now for ten days and it looked like
the latest problem was going to be the car’s last – the mechanic couldn’t
figure out what was causing it and I won’t drive a car that is incurable. This
is Citroen. If they can’t figure out what is wrong with one of their cars, it
is unlikely that anyone else can. I don’t use a car much, but there are times
when I need to get out of town. I’ve missed two country walks I would have
taken during these holidays and it looked like I wasn’t going to be able to go
to the beach on New Year’s day, as I had planned. If the mechanic couldn’t
figure out what the cause was, I would have to get rid of the car and find
another one.
For the last few days I was pondering what kind of used car
I was going to look for. But I didn’t want to look for a car. I wanted my car.
I like my car. It’s a throwback to the Citroen 2CV – originally the French
Everyman’s car, now a classic that I couldn’t afford to buy or maintain. It's the right size, shape,
and color. It suits me. So I was a bit worried when I came into
reception this morning. But there was no need. After having the car all these
days, the mechanic found the problem and fixed it. I have my car back. Bluebell,
Sweet Pea and I will be going to the beach on New Year’s after all.
Happy New Year!
