And here's the next chapter...

43. Insurance

The next evening, after compiling a detailed budget on my computer, I decided that I could afford to buy a car. I had enough money, and if I was lucky, I might find a decent second hand car. I just needed a little help, and I needed my parents' insurance papers to prove that I had been previously insured. That was the key. I wouldn't be able to get affordable insurance without that. I plucked up my courage and called my dad's cell phone, not knowing whether he would even answer this time of night. It wasn't late, but it was after dinner and that's when he liked to watch sports. When I heard a gruff 'hello', I swallowed and said, "Hi Dad, I was wondering if you have a few minutes to talk."

My dad paused before answering. "Yeah, just let me go out to the garage to see."

I heard my dad get up and walk out to the garage before continuing. "What's wrong Pumpkin? You never call me on my cell phone."

"Nothing's wrong. I just need your opinion on something."

"Sure, how can I help?"

"I want to buy a second-hand car, but in order for me to get insurance, I need a copy of your insurance to show that I have been previously insured. Without that, my fees will probably be more than I could afford."

"Steph, how can you afford a car? The last time we spoke, you weren't even sure you could afford your tuition. Has something changed?"

"Sort of. I took a temporary job for the FBI related to my work with Manoso Finances. It paid me enough to pay my tuition for the year with enough left over to finance a car."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"About the job? I guess I didn't want to listen to mom's accusations or exclamations of disappointment in me. I mean to get a degree and then maybe go on and get my Masters or even a PhD. I don't want her negativity to ruin my plans. She thinks that all a woman should want is a husband and a family to run."

I could tell that my dad was smiling when he said, "I'm proud of you Pumpkin. I know that your mother comes down hard on you. I've tried to talk to her about it but she always tells me to mind my own business. I'm glad that you don't listen to her. You are too smart to be stuck in the kitchen for some lowlife from the Burg. I want better things for you."

"Thanks Dad. I want more for my life than what she wants for me as well."

"When were you planning on going to look at cars? I could come up and help."

"I was going to go tomorrow after work. I was going to take the bus, but if you want, you can come to my office a little early and I can introduce you to Ricardo Manoso."

"Is that young Carlos' father? I'd like to meet him. He and his family have treated you real well and I'd like to thank him for that."

I gave my dad the information to find my office and thanked him for his help. I didn't expect him to come up and help search for a car, but I knew he'd support me and get me the paperwork from his insurance company so I could get better insurance. I wasn't going to hide my intentions to buy a car from Carlos, but I wanted to wait until I actually had the car before I mentioned anything.

On Tuesday, my dad called me from his cell phone around 4:15 to let me know t hat he was near. I had mentioned that my dad would be coming and the security guard on duty was expecting him. He would be allowed in the garage without a problem. At 4:30, I led my dad around the office, showing him where I worked and where Carlos sat when he was in the office. Even though today was Tuesday, Carlos only worked this morning. He had a big event at the gym so he was there this afternoon.

Our next stop was Ricardo's office. I introduced my dad to Amanda who told us that Ricardo was on the phone. He would be out momentarily. In the meantime, she offered my dad some coffee and he accepted. We followed her into the kitchen and that's where Ricardo found us 10 minutes later.

Ricardo introduced himself to my dad and spent a few minutes embarrassing me by telling my dad how valuable I was to his company. My dad listened to Ricardo and then thanked him for everything he has and his family have done for me. Amanda and I watched the two men and we were amazed at how well they got along.

They shared witty banter back and forth and my dad even expressed an opinion on things I'd never heard him talk about before. My dad complimented Ricardo on how polite Carlos was. Carlos was exactly the type of man that I needed and was made of stronger stuff than any of the boys my mother tried to fob off on me.

The thing that sold Ricardo on the idea that he and my dad could actually be friends is when my dad commented on how much he disliked one Joseph Anthony Morelli, my mother's latest hope for my future. Ricardo also disliked Joe and the two of them bonded. When it was time for us to leave, Ricardo handed my father his card and told him to give him a call. My dad handed Ricardo one of his cards and they made tentative plans to go to a Rangers game together. Ricardo had a friend who could get them good tickets.

My dad and I left the office and it was clear to see that my dad was in a very good mood. He was smiling and when we got into the car he said, "I have a friend who recommended a specific dealership in town. This dealership specialises in cars that are classified as second-hand, but were never actually sold. He can get away with this because the cars technically have had a previous owner. On paper, the cars were sold as new, but for some reason or another, the financing fell through before the owner could take possession. It is a great way to buy a car at a reduced rate because of this legal loophole."

I agreed to take a look and when we arrived, I let my dad take the lead. I had explained on the way over that I didn't want something fancy. I wanted a car that was reliable and small enough that it would be easy to park, yet large enough to comfortably seat 4 adults. My dad seemed to think I should get a sedan but I had my heart set on a hatchback.

Two separate sales guys approached us but my dad shooed them away. He wanted me to get a good look around and he told them that we'd call them over if we had any questions. My dad pointed out several 2-door sedans, but I shook my head at each of them. I needed more access and I preferred the look of a hatchback.

A little blue car hidden in the corner of the lot caught my eye. I walked towards the Ford Fiesta and looked at its price and the features listed on its sheet. My dad grimaced at the colour but he did admit that it was a nice car. "The person who ordered this car asked for a lot of extras. It has the usual things like Bluetooth, a CD player, power windows and A/C. But this car also has digital radio, an iPod dock, extra parking sensors, alloy wheels, a trunk liner and a roof rack. It's also a hybrid so it will cost you less to run."

I nodded as my father spoke. None of that really mattered to me. What did matter was whether or not I could afford to insure a car like this. I looked at my dad and asked, "Did you bring your insurance papers?"

He nodded and said, "I did. Would you like to take a few photos of this car and then walk around to see if there's anything else that you like the looks of? It doesn't pay for the dealer to see how much you like this particular car. We can swing a reduction if you don't seem so eager."

A silently pulled out my phone and took a single picture of the overview papers in the window. I then walked around the rest of the lot. I looked at a red Golf, but it had less features and was much more expensive than the Fiesta. My dad found a Chevy hatchback but I didn't like the look of it. The back was really oddly shaped and made it look like the car had been rear ended. In the end, I admitted to my father that I preferred the Ford.

He called over the nearest salesman and started the negotiations. Somehow he managed to knock the price down by $2500 and get 2 years of insurance included in the sales price. When I told the salesman that I would pay cash, he increased the insurance to three years, including an unnamed secondary driver, and provided a 3 year warranty and free servicing for the first 100,000 miles.

I had gone to my bank early during my lunch break to explain that I wanted to buy a car. They removed the daily limit on my debit card and made me sign some paperwork that stated I wasn't under duress. Any payments made would be my responsibility. I handed the salesman my card and it went through without any problems.

I signed all the necessary forms for my insurance and was then handed the spare set of keys to my car. The other set was handed to one of the workers who went to move the other cars and bring my car around to the front of the building. The salesman was so happy with our sales that he gave me a bunch of freebies. I got two travel mugs, a phone case, some pens, notepads, carpet mats, key chains, car shampoo, a leather chamois, an iPod mini, a roof storage box and a cold weather kit to ensure that the cold weather doesn't cause problems for my car.

When everything was loaded into my new car, I was handed the second set of keys and thanked the salesman. My father was so impressed that he would be recommending the place and our salesman to his friends and customers. My dad took a stack of his business cards and was offered a discount if he was ever in the market for a new car. My dad winked at the guy and we left.

I asked if I could take my dad out for dinner. He agreed and followed me to a diner not too far from the exit he needed to take to get home. Once we were seated I asked, "Won't Mom be worried that you're missing dinner?"

He shrugged and said, "I told her that I had a job in Newark. She knew ahead of time that I wouldn't be there for dinner. Now, can you tell me more about this job that allowed you to buy a car for cash?"

I looked at my dad a bit nervously and explain as best I could without giving too much away. "Well, one of customers was about to get audited by the IRS. I was going over their recent tax returns and found a few discrepancies that indicated that they were doing something illegal. I showed the evidence to Ricardo, who forwarded the information to the IRS.

"It turned out that this particular customer was under investigation by the FBI but they couldn't find any evidence on them. When they learned that I had found the proof they needed, they offered me a job to do the same for another case they were investigating. I managed to find the information they needed to finally prosecute a bad guy."

"Wow Pumpkin, that sounds really impressive. I just hope they don't accidentally let the fact that you are working for them get out. Bad guys can do a lot with only a little bit of information."

"The FBI use a codename for any paperwork relating to me and my identity is not in writing anywhere. Only 3 people in the FBI know my true identity and I trust them all."

My dad seemed happy with my explanation so he changed the subject. "How are you and Carlos dealing with him leaving soon? It must be hard for you."

I smiled and said, "You're right, it is hard. We've only just begun to understand our feelings for each other and it's almost time for him to go away. We're going to make it work though. We're both determined that our love will survive the time apart. I will be busy with my education anyway. It will be hard and at times, I'm sure I will be miserable from missing him so much, but I'd never ask him to give up his dream for me. I love him too much."

My dad patted me on the hand and said, "You are a smart girl Steph. You can do whatever you set your mind to and if loving Carlos Manoso is what you want to do, I'll support you and try to hold off your mother's attempts to find you the perfect Burg man. I'm not convinced one actually exists. Besides, that's not the life for you. You will go much further than the Burg."

After my father and I finished with dinner, I hugged my dad and thanked him once again for his help. I waved as he drove away and then got into my own car. I just sat there for a moment, enjoying the silence. I was glad to spend some time with my father. I should make a point of doing it more often in the future.

When I pulled into the parking garage at my apartment building, Johnny came running out of the door that led to the stairs up to the lobby. He saw me climb out of my car and was grinning from ear-to-ear. "New car Steph?"

"Yup, what do you think?"

"It's great. My wife wants something like that. Can you tell me where you got it?"

I handed him the business card from our salesman and said, "This guy was pretty good. This car is technically second hand because it was a bespoke order that fell through. As a result, I bought it at second hand prices. If you tell him that I recommended him, he'll probably knock a few bucks off the price of whatever car you're interested in."

Johnny walked with me to the elevator and thanked me before heading back up the stairs to the lobby. I smiled as I rode up to my apartment and smiled as I thought about my new car. Carlos would be so surprised when I saw him the following evening.

Carlos did call me that night. I didn't lie to him really. He asked me how my evening was and I told him, "I had a nice evening with my Dad. He stopped by the office and later, I took him out to dinner. It was nice, and I want to make the effort of doing that more often."

"Your dad met my father? How did that go?"

I laughed and said, "Surprisingly well. It started off slowly, but as soon as they started talking about sports and their mutual dislike for Joe, they started to get on like a house on fire. They've even made plans to go to a Rangers game once the hockey season gets into full swing."

Carlos was silent for a moment and then said, "At least your father is on board with our relationship."

I nodded, and when I realised that Carlos couldn't see me, I said, "He supports us alright. He told me that he is very proud of me for fighting against the mould my mother is trying to force me into. He agreed that that sort of life just isn't for me. He told me that I am going to go further than the Burg, and if that means marrying you, he's alright with that too."

"That's good to hear. I have to get up early in the morning because Dad wants to take his car in to get it serviced, so I have to drive him to work. I might pop in to say hi if that's OK with you."

"Of course it's OK. I'll see you tomorrow."

After we got off the phone, cleaned up a little and then went to bed. Tomorrow would be a late night because of my self-defence lesson and then class. Carlos would also be staying over. I got ready for bed and crawled into bed with a book. I think I read about 4 pages before I fell asleep.

More to come soon.