Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Chapter 27 - The Car Retive


           When Melaney bought the car, there were several hoops to jump through including a four day wait for the license.  We had taken the rental car back, because it was expensive to have it just sitting in the yard.  Now we had the other wait, and it was strange having no vehicle.
            We drove into town yesterday morning, with the intentions of my hair getting shortened.  I was beginning to feel like I had a football helmet on my head.  The door was open this time.  We had made the trip yesterday, but it was closed.  Apparently, Monday is the day off.  We went to the bank and withdrew the colones for the month’s expenses. (This is our bank...armed guard and all!--Mel)

            Tuesday the door to the salon was open, and we went in, thinking success.  There was a young woman inside.  She welcomed us, but through struggling Spanish, when she found I wanted a hair cut, she was able to convey the message that there was no person in the shop who could cut my hair.  We finally got the message that I could come back either Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.  I opted for the afternoon on Thursday.  I hope she understood.
            Now we were free to find Olivier’s shop.  For the past few days the horn on the car wasn’t working, and here you need a horn.  Mel had phoned for Monday, but he said he was too busy.  We knew where the shop was located, so we drove there.  Olivier had offered to bring his mechanic out to the house but I knew that would be another $50.
            When Olivier came out to the car with Mel, he brought a piece of paper with him that he said must be kept in the car.  We checked and it was the ownership transfer document and should have been with the papers in the car all the time.  Then he said because we had a one at the end of our license plate number, we had to have the car in to the RETIVE during the month of January.  After all the fol-de-rol that we had gone through when we first got the car, we were under the impression that all of that was done.  We were even sure that the car was purchased in January, but in later checking out times, we decided that it was purchased in December.  This is a government check to see that everything is working properly on the car and the emission is within regulations.
            Where can this be done? Mel asked and Olivier said in Alajuela, Where in Alajuela? And Olivier said he had a friend who could take it. We had to hurry back home for the FRIEND to pick up the car.  We waited all afternoon and thought the friend had been joy riding, then just before dark, Olivier came with the car.  He told us the FRIEND had been going back and forth with many vehicles, so our car was parked at the garage until Olivier could bring it home.  We asked him to come in for a cold drink from the fridge and in a very short time a half ton pulled into the yard.  It was another FRIEND coming to pick him up.  He did all of this gratis, because he felt he was responsible for not making us understand properly in the first place.  What a FRIEND.
            We also found yesterday that Olivier has a friend in town who repairs home stereo equipment.  He lives a hundred meters up the street and across the road from Rita’s house, so we will look into this another day.  His name is Gustavo. It appears that everyone in this town has FRIENDS.

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