Within 12 hours of arriving in Cooterville, I was at a body shop, scheduling my Jeep's repair. They would get to me in two weeks, and they would arrange things with Avis to have a rental car ready to go.
Yeah, right! I snorted to myself, still fresh from Pittsburgh. I'll remind both of you 16 times and you still won't be ready as promised. But I resolved to give Cooterville a chance. This is a new town, a new culture. I would not let the scars of Pittsburgh affect me here. I would try trusting people to do what they said they were going to do. Deep down, did I fully expect to hear the familiar bullshit about staffing problems or my own failure to meet a secret requirement? Yes.
To. My. Very. Core.
This morning was two weeks later. I pulled into body shop 15 minutes early, parking next to my rental car and the waiting Avis agent. Within view were the parts for the Jeep, ready for installation.
I know this means nothing to you normals, but I actually dabbed a tear. It's really over.