I said, “Tell me how much the storage is, and I’ll start it. You might try turning on the ignition. That always helps.”
He grinned sheepishly, turned on the ignition, and stepped on the starter again. The agency car rattled into life.
I said, “Never mind the stalling. Tell me how much storage I owe, and I’ll pay it.”
“I’ll have to take a look at the books,” he said.
“The books be damned,” I told him. “Here’s two dollars. That’ll cover storage. You can fix up the books any way you please. I’m on my way.”
He pulled a rag from his pocket and started polishing off the steering-wheel. “Your windshield needs a little attention,” he said.
I said, “Never mind the windshield. just get out from behind that wheel and let me get started.”
He fumbled around with the choke for a minute, and looked back towards the door. I said, “Do you want this two bucks or not?”
“Of course I want it. Just a minute, and I’ll give you a receipt.”
“I don’t want the receipt. I want the car, and I want to get going.”