Geezer Justice

The day before yesterday, after a day of rain on Monday, and poll duty all day Tuesday, I managed to go to my regular place to have a Vehicle Safety Inspection for the pickup. Bear in mind, that I picked the time, it was about 12:55 PM (non-retired people's lunch hour), and parked my vehicle in line behind three other cars. The inspection bay was empty.

Routine procedure is that, for customers who come in for an oil change and inspection, the car is inspected first, and then moved into another bay for the oil change, lube, and whatever.

The inspector finished his lunch hour, and moved the first car in line into the bay. The driver of the second car must have had pressing business elsewhere, so he drive away, missing out on his inspection. That made me now second in the waiting line.

Suddenly, one of the young lube guys came breezing up in a freshly lubed car and pulled into the bay directly behind the car being inspected!

The driver of the car in front of me in line got out of his vehicle and yelled at the young fellow, who responded "but he got an oil change". In my mind, I knew exactly which circumstances must have precipitated this breach of routine, but, since I'm a codger, I was as pissed as the fellow in front of me. He drove away, and so did I!

So, when I arrived at the next inspection station, I got in line behind three vehicles, and was told it would be about an hour. After about an hour and a half, a young lady came out to check me in, as I was now next up for the inspection. She walked around the pickup with her little form, and hollered, "hey, you've got a big crack in your driver's side tail light!" By golly, she was right, and I had known it, but somehow the knowledge had slipped my mind during the week just before I ventured out for the inspection.

So now I've got a new tail light, and it's almost ready for inspection this time. My conscience will not let me go back to the first place, because I have vowed never again to do business with those people. I'm sure they would never understand their culpability in the matter, but it's geezer pride at work. That means I'll probably go back to the second place, which has already started their inspection, if they haven't lost the paperwork.

It's not easy being a geezer!