As luck might have it,

I may be getting a very good deal!
Reader Dear, I was at the bank last week.
It is a small, local bank with a small lobby.
The mass shooting had just occurred in California.
Another customer in the bank was remarking to the tellers about the occurrence, and all attention was focused on this man.  He appeared to be a very friendly guy.
As luck had it, I exited the bank just ahead of this fellow.
"Drive carefully!" he said to me as we walked out into the sunshine.
"Ha! Interesting you should give me that instruction," I laughed.  "Look at my car!"
I indicated which car was mine, and waved a hand at all the dings and scrapes ( Dear Reader, the damages involved three separate incident-slash-accidents.  These badges to creative-slash-careless driving were there for the world to see.  Only one-third of the disfigurement was due to the misconduct of others (a young driver backed into me at the mall.  It was pouring rain at the time.  My quick glance at the  damages did not serve me well [though I'm happy for her]).




Meanwhile, the fellow bank patron had introduced himself as Carlos.  "I know someone who can fix all this for you!" he exclaimed, looking at my bunged-up car.  "He will give you a very good deal!"
"He is a friend of mine!"  he added.

 
 "Great," I said.  "What's his name?  Can you give me his phone number?"

"I don't have the number with me," said Carlos, in his endearingly heavy accent.  "But you can call me tomorrow and I'll give you the number."

"Okay!  I'll do that!" was my response.

My thought, Dear Reader:  Hmm, this calls for caution, but...What do I have to lose?


Now Carlos, as I mentioned earlier, was super-friendly . We visited a while in the parking lot before going our separate ways, though when we parted he was still a virtual stranger.  I'm not sure I could have chosen him out of a line-up of other tall, handsome men of South American origin, but I did have his phone number.

NEXT DAY:
I found the phone number where I'd scribbled it on a receipt in my wallet.
"Am I going to do this?" I asked myself.   I'd already gotten one estimate on repairing my car (from a standard auto-repair shop). It seemed outrageously high.

I called Carlos.
When I made the call, it was nearly noon.  Carlos picked up, and I explained that I was the woman he'd talked to in the bank parking lot the day before.  I was hoping to get the phone number for his car-repair friend.

"Oh! Hello!"  How are you?!" was Carlos' effusive response. 
"I can give you the number," he continued, "but this man, he can't hear you.  He doesn't answer his phone, because he can't hear.  I'll just take you there!  I'll take you to his house!  When do you want to go?"

PAUSE.

My thought, Dear Reader: Hmm, this calls for caution, but...
What do I have to lose?

(to be continued)