So, at last, someone has bought my car. It’s been stationary since 23rd November, when my eyes became officially inadequate and my Driving Licence expired. Except of course for the trip late in January when HD drove it to Birmingham and parked it outside my new house. Thanks at last, after several expensive weeks’ advertising, to AutoTrader, a garage in Hull has taken it off my hands.
Admittedly, they trimmed the price considerably, but cash in hand is worth nearly four grand in the bush, as they say. It was quite an adventure, what with the scam-merchants who offered me a vast wedge (way over the advertised price) and then sent me a Bankers' Draft. But this disappeared into the system never to be seen again, and the whole deal turned out to look like a scheme to get the car and some cash out of me, leaving me with nothing. Nat West Bank is yet to get back to me to explain where the Draft went, however.
Anyway, then this garage contacted me and I did the deal. I had to take the car to a motorway service station and meet hm there. 'But I can't drive the vehicle,' I explained. So I asked for help at my Life Group meeting. 'I need someone to do a driving job for me.' The chap leading the group added 'Just back the transit up to the window of the jewellery shop, and we'll do the rest...'
Someone did volunteer, however, and I said I'd talk to him later so that everyone else would have deniability. I worked out the arrangements, and then managed to get muddled between 'this week' and 'next week' and it all looked in jeopardy. But to my rescue came a chap from Church Central who had just quit his job to move to Manchester to become a church leader there. He was willing, so I sent him with the motor, keys, log book, instructions, FSH and maps.The car started first time and went off very smoothly. It was sad to see it go, but joyous to see this bloke at my door a few hours later, with a vast wedge of £20 notes in a plastic bag.
I spread them out on the bed because I'd never seen that much cash all in one place at the same time ever before. Meanwhile, there’s now a space outside my house, several grand in my bank, a bicycle on the horizon and some credit card bills that don't look so frightening.
