I Got Something Done Today

When Nando got home from work, today, I asked him if he would give me a ride to pick up my car when it was ready. Of course he said yes. As I have said before, he may be a racist, but he's a nice guy. At that point, the mechanic's hadn't called, yet. I was having an MOT test on my car, which is a scam annual examination cars over three years old require, here in the UK. It's similar to scams run in various American states. You know how it goes. Mandated by law, you take your car to an "approved" testing station, where it's inspected. If it passes, no problem, but if the mechanic determines certain things are below standard, you have to have them repaired. I have been dreading it, this year, as I was certain that a number of expensive repairs would be required. There is always the worry that dishonest mechanics will fail it, just to sell you some repairs. Also, the price has gone up. It used to be £35. Now, it's £50. That's almost $100 in American money. I used to pay $14 for one of these type inspections, back when I lived in New York.
I had never used this mechanic before, but it was near to where I lived and took credit cards. The woman behind the service counter had said they'd call me and tell me what needed to be repaired in order to pass. When I asked Nando, it was after 4:30PM and I still hadn't heard anything. I was worried that I might end up having to leave the car there overnight. How would I get to work in the morning? Suddenly, while I was talking to Nando, the phone rang. I suspected it was the mechanic's and I was right. The woman sounded so cheerful when I answered. I gritted my teeth in anticipation of the verdict. What she said was, "Mr. Brennan, your car passed. You can pick it up as soon as you want." Wow! What great news. They only had to replace a couple of light bulbs and the whole thing only cost me £60. What a relief. Nando drove me to pick up my car and said he might try using these folks as well. I'm good for another year.