“HOW MUCH LEFT?” HERBIE SAID, as we drove away from the drugstore.
“How much what?”
“Money,” Herbie said.
I shrugged, and handed him all the dimes I had, and the few dollar bills the drugstore hadn’t been able to change.
“You’re in luck,” Herbie said. “Fifteen dollars.”
“Why am I in luck?”
“Make your next left, and the left after that.”
I followed his directions, and came to the E-Z Car Rental. Lowest Rates on Compacts and Other Fine Cars.
I parked. “What are we doing?”
“Getting a new car,” Herbie said. “They’ll take fifteen dollars here as a deposit.”
We got out and went inside and talked to H. Lewis, Prop. It turned out he wouldn’t take fifteen dollars as the deposit. He would take fifty dollars, and not a penny less.
“We don’t have fifty dollars,” Herbie said patiently.
“That’s it, then,” Mr. Lewis said, behind the counter.
“Come on,” Herbie said. “Give us a break.”
“Sorry.”
“Come on. We’ll leave the VW with you.”
Mr. Lewis looked out the window at Herbie’s VW. “Probably hot,” he said.
“Come on,” Herbie said. “Who’d steal a VW?” The man squinted at him. “Look,” Herbie said, “I’ve got the registration for it and everything. It’s not stolen. Give us a car for fifteen.”
“No.”
“Come on, Mister, we got dates tonight, and if we don’t get there …”
“Use your VW.”
“We can’t. It’s overheating. It’ll blow out on us if we drive any farther.”
The man sighed. We both tried to look as pitiable as possible. Finally he said, “Where’re the girls from?”
“What girls?”
“Your dates.”
“Oh. Currier College.”
Mr. Lewis sighed. His face softened. He looked at me, then at Herbie, and he smiled.
“Currier College, eh?” His smile got broader.
“Yeah,” we both smiled. “Currier College.”
“Heh, heh, good old Currier,” he said, beginning to chuckle and shake his head with memories.
“Yeah, right, good old Currier,” we both said, chuckling.
He was laughing openly now. “No wonder you want a bigger car,” he said. “Got to have a bigger car.”
“Yeah, right, got to be bigger.” He was laughing and shaking his head as he gave us the keys. “I remember how it was, I sure do,” he said. Herbie started filling out the forms. “Just remember, boys, no stains on the back seat. I don’t want to see any stains.”