A Trip Takes You

Abstract

Without moving the phone from its snug position between her shoulder and her tilted head, the elderly woman dialed a new number. "Hi Bill, this is Helen." Do you have any rent-a-cars available? I know this is short notice, but I've got a young couple from Hawaii here to pick up their new car, and we just found out that it hasn't come in yet,” she said as she stared blankly through Ben and Kim. There was a pause. The woman's right hand kept a constant beat going on her desk with her pencil as her left hand began to shuffle through a stack of papers. Hearing the voice return on the other end of the line, the woman winked victoriously at the couple seated there in the small office. "Okay, Bill. We'll bring them over soon. Thank you much," the woman said as she was already returning the phone receiver to its normal resting place. "Well, Mr. Tsukazaki, we did it. Just as soon as my husband gets back, he'll take you over to pick up your rent-a-car." "Thank you for your help, Hrs. Peterson. We really appreciate it," Ben said sincerely. "But I still can't understand why you told me that at our car was already here the other day when I called you from Hawaii." "Well, I told you it was here because it was supposed to be here. This is something we always do. It's the first time it's backfired on us. Anyway, sometimes we have problems with four-wheel drive vehicles like yours,” she said, not appearing to be embarrassed or regretful in the least.