My old friend from primary school, Edmond, and I are in the midst of a two-month house swap. We came up with this as a solution to our mutual need for a holiday somewhere far from home – that’s Scotland for me, and here in Australia for him. So here I am in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, waiting to hear back from Edmond about getting his car to start.
It looks for all the world like he hasn’t bothered to have this pile of junk serviced for years. He told me he drove a good car, but all I’ve gotten out of it so far is one problem after another. Now the danged thing is refusing to start, and I want him to give me the okay on taking it to a car mechanic for repairs. Ringwood, fortunately, has car service centres and also decent public transport options, so I should be able to manage the whole thing with a minimum of fuss.
I just need Edmond to tell me if he’s an RACV member before I hook this up – if he is, I might be able to get a free towing service or something. I mean, ideally, I’d love it if Edmond could send me some cash the fund the whole business, but I’m a realist – judging by the state of the car, I won’t be too surprised if I’m left holding the bill for this one.
Maybe I should just do the guy a solid and cough up for his car service. Ringwood residents out there: any recommendations for the best mechanic in town? That can be his birthday present taken care of for the next three years or so. And it would be less stressful than waiting for him to respond to my email.
I do love Edmond, even though he drives me crazy. That’s another reason to book his car in for a service, I suppose – it’s not like he’s going to get the brake pad replacement he needs off his own dime.