The Pumpkin is found

Tom called late in the afternoon, and talked with the owner of an advertised rig.  It sounded good so Tom set up an appointment for us to look at it the next time we ventured out of Cedar Creek.  We were just too tired to think about another drive out our road.  And this one was located about 75 miles away.

But wait!  It had doors.  It had levelers. It had brand new tires.   It seemed unreasonable low priced compared to others we’d seen.  It was, however, eighteen inches longer than our 30 ft limit.

Levelers.  Doors!  Tires!!  Affordable.  We called back; can we come look right now before dark?

From the outside it looked like all the others.  We did our mental checklist.   No big dents, check! No faded paint, check. Roof good condition, check.  No rust in outside storage compartments, check.

The seller was really nice.  He showed us all the outside features.  Tom was totally absorbed with the generator.  The man spit his tobacco and opened the hood so Tom could evaluate the biggest engine I’d ever seen crammed into such a small place.  Ten cylinders!  The engine was clean, free of grease, and smelled pure. The seller spit again and swore it runs like a deer (There were John Deere logos all over his place, so maybe he meant like a Deere).

I asked about the mileage.  Well, the owner said, we just got back from New Mexico with it and we didn't do too good.  We were driving about 75 in a stiff head wind.

Drive it a little easier and she’ll do you okay, he said.  The owner was a younger man, full of piss and vinegar who had a garage full of big, fast, motorcycles and ATV’s.  Tom and I once drove fast, too.

We never go fast anymore.  And if the head wind gets too stiff we can just pull over and take a nap, I thought to myself.

I've known Tom long enough to know when he’s feeling good about something.  Okay, I said to myself, if this is the right one for Tom, it’s the right one for me, no matter what the inside floor plan is.

We opened the door and my old knee managed the steps pretty easy.  I’d needed a hoist to get into some of the RV’s we’d looked at.  I glanced up at the interior and I felt breath leave my body.  I actually gasped.  And my breathing remained alarmingly shallow the entire time I was looking at all the beautiful, just right, things.  The wife demonstrated the unique qualities and features to me.  I noticed the stain glassed window in the door and pinched my arm to see if I was alive.

Drive it, the seller said.  We did.  But we already knew.

The passenger door was so wide, the step so low.  It rode so smooth.  The seat fit perfectly and felt just right.  Tom looked so good in the drivers seat.  Ditto found her spot on the sofa behind the drivers seat looking over Tom’s shoulder.  She liked it.  Her tail was wagging almost as fast as ours. The evening sun shone through the stained glass.

While we were out for the test drive, Tom asked if I’d noticed the For Sale sign in the window.  Sure did, I said.  That sign was $4000.00 lower than the Internet price.  Could this be?  We’d discussed on the way there how much we could talk him down from the original price.  Now, here was a sign in the window with a price less than what we’d decided to ask for.  Could this really, really be?

When we got it back to the seller’s I wanted to make sure about the levelers.  Can you demonstrate the levelers to us, I asked apologetically, expecting it to be a big hassle and an ordeal.  He grinned and walked to the entry door.  Make sure it’s in parking gear, he said.  He spit and punched a button, and big robotic feet slowly extended from the bottom of the RV.  Just watch these here yellow lights and they’ll tell you when it’s level, he said, standing there with his hand in his pocket while we watched the big coach gently sway and settle itself.  We’ll buy it, we said.

Tom made a feeble effort, but the guy said he couldn't come off the price since he’d just lowered it by $4000.00 that morning.  He sorta chewed on his tongue and cheek and said he might come down another $500.00.  Tom said it was okay, he’d not haggle over $500.00.  At that moment, standing wistfully beside that RV, I knew Tom or I wasn't capable of haggling over anything.   We’d found what we wanted.