The only place in town that rents cars closes at 18:00. Which is when the wife got home. Not driving the Explorer. The missing part still hasn't come in. We're still short the only reliable long-distance vehicle we own. No answer at the car place, even though it's 18:15.

And I got no way to the funeral tomorrow morning.

But. The wife knows the guy who runs the car place. According to her, if he can make money, he's certainly willing to come in after hours to rent a car. I hem and haw for another half hour, not wanting to be a bother to someone I hardly know.

Finally, the wife can stand it no more. She calls him. She was right.

And he is more than civil about being called to work after dinner. But he has apparently been hearing the same questions too many times.

When I ask, What are we talking about here?, he goes into great detail about the costs per day, per mile, etcetera, even estimating the round trip mileage for my travel. So I have to be more specific.

Which vehicle am I renting, here? (I mean, I don't want the van, you know. Or a mini-van.)

When I ask if the Taurus has any quirks, remembering how my father promptly locked himself out of their rental Taurus years ago just trying to get into the trunk, I'm asking about Taurus vehicles in general. Rental guy thinks I'm disparaging his vehicles, and goes into great detail about the maintenence checks they conduct, the frequency of service, and the newness and low mileage of his vehicles. And apologetically notes that this Taurus already has a ding in the rear left quarter panel.

'Course, he does mention the "check engine" light is on, and stays on. I would guess that's a quirk. But not to worry, dealer says it's a sensor.

Yeah, I know about that sensor, from the outfit's Fords. If you overfill your gas tank, squeezing in a half gallon or more after the pump handle kicks off, the excess gasoline gets up to and ruins the sensor. And the orange "check engine" light comes on. And stays on. They say not to worry, unless it turns red.

He didn't know that.

Not until we're outside, standing in the freezing wind, does he actually warm up and get chatty. I can tell you now how many vehicles are in his fleet, and which towns they are in. And what year models they are, and when they'll be replaced (50,000 miles). I know the out-of-state gas companies pay a fortune to rent vehicles, when it would be thousands cheaper for them to buy, even if only for a season. And I know the blue Taurus will be available soon for $5500.

He did tell me the gas tank has to be filled when the car comes back. Three or four times, he told me that.

I asked if that was a problem.

Apparently it is, and quite a sore point, too.

Guess I better remember to fill it.

So, the silver Taurus, we're pretty sure the same one we rented last summer, is parked out front. Ready for a dark and early departure to Valentine's Town.

Gotta go pack.