10 Minutes (318 hits)
Category: UberMadness! EntryRating: 2 on 1 review (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <GhostWriter> (View user info) at 2004-09-19 16:07:47 EDT
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There I was, a normal day in sunny California. The sun beat down upon the black pavement. The busy streets to my every side. The lack of silence that graced us with its presence constantly.
Yea, it was the same old shit, different day.
I was working the dreaded 9-9 shift at work. Trying to get people to buy a used car is so much easier than it looks. All that ya need is a fake smile and a lack of conscious. Thankfully, I had both.
Man, working that 9-9 shift makes time go slow.
By 4:00pm, the sun had taken its toll on me. My face was beet red and I was sweating like a dog. Thoughts of being promoted and working the new car sales filled my head. Working in that nice, air-conditioned showroom. Damn, now that's what I call heaven. Being comfortable and cozy where you are, watching the people outside burn and suffer. I'd only been working there for about 3 weeks, but I felt I had made a pretty good impression on the boss. That sucker would be eating out of my hand pretty soon. Like I said, I don't have much of a conscious.
Finally, the sun dropped behind the hills, casting a long-awaited shadow upon me.
Yea, it was the same old shit, different day.
But it wasn't. The shit was different today.
8:00pm, almost time to go home. The cars on the streets adjacent to me were near empty. I was the last salesmen on the lot...yea, I'm still the 'bitch'. The big boss was up in the showroom probably getting ready to lock up or whatever the hell he does up there. The sky was now black; the few streetlights illuminating the lot were few and far between.
A man and his wife came in, interested in purchasing a car. I knew these people were a waste of my time the moment they hit the lot. They strolled by nearly every car in the lot. That tells me that they don't know what they want quite yet, and they're most likely going to hit every other car lot in the vicinity to make sure that they get the 'right' car. They also asked way too many questions.
"How much is this car?"
"How much did the dealership actually pay for it?"
"What's the standard mark-up for this vehicle and what is your dealership mark-up?"
That's right folks, I was babysitting some penny-pinchers. People that want to know how much extra they are paying than the dealership paid for a car get all pissy when you tell them. The #1 rule of selling a car is to stay away from the subject of price at all costs for as long as possible. If they avoid the costs, their fear subsides.
We need to pamper these people; make them feel like royalty. Give them our cell-phone numbers in case they have any extra questions, buy them food or drinks while they negotiate on buying a car. Anything that you can do to make them feel more comfortable will greatly increase the possibility of getting a sale.
That's right, I make a living by deception and smooth talking.
Anyway, these people began getting on my nerves more and more. They were asking every question that I usually try to avoid.
I was mad at these people and sad that I wasn't getting a sale, but even I have my limits.
"Buy the car, or stop wasting my time" I finally said to the pair.
"Excuse me?" the woman cleverly retorted.
"How would you like it if I showed up at your work and babbled about nothing all day, making sure that you get no work done, therefore getting no pay?" I bursted out.
The couple shuffled to their car and drove away.
Even though it's my job to walk them around and help them find that 'right' car, I didn't feel like it. It was a long day and I had no patience.
"Thank God" I thought to myself.
I looked down at my watch -- 8:50pm.
10 minutes until I blow this popsicle stand.
Ah, but I was cursed that day. As soon as I looked up from my watch, a car pulled into the lot. An elderly couple got out.
"Bingo" I said to myself with joy.
Old people are the best. They are easy to talk to and easy to sell to. Old people don't like shit, they like things quick, the old-fashioned way. They also have money. When social-security rolls around, they have a lot of money and nothing to spend it on. House is already paid for, kids are out of the house. This was my lucky day.
"Hello, my name's Roy, can I help you out this beautiful evening?" I said in my normal peppy 'salesman' voice.
"Yes Roy, you definitely can. We were here the other day looking at some cars. We think we want that one right there" The older lady said pointing to a white 4 door sedan.
"Alright mam, would you like to test drive it before purchasing it, or have you already test driven it?"
I regretted the words the instant they came out of my mouth. People constantly ask me to test drive the car before purchasing it, so the thought was engraved into my mind. It didn't even occur to me that they might be ready to just buy the car and get out.
"Well, we actually hadn't planned on it, it is pretty late for us after all" She said with a light chuckle, "But I guess it would be fine to give the car a quick test drive."
God I hate myself. Oh well, looks like they're going to buy the car anyway. I looked down at my watch-- 8:51pm.
"Damn, I should be out of here in a few minutes" I thought to myself angrily. But I stopped complaining when I remember that my paycheck would be just a little bit bigger this month.
The boss hadn't come down from the showroom to tell me to lock up yet, so I decided that they would have just enough time for a quick test drive.
"Alright, let me grab the keys and we'll be on our way."
I hurriedly grabbed the keys and strolled back out.
"So who will be driving tonight?"
The older man pointed toward his wife, not saying a single word.
We got in the car and took off. There's a stereotype that all old people are bad drivers. Let me tell you, I can verify that stereotype by the way that lady was driving. I don't think she had her glasses on.
The woman complimented about the car for a few seconds and how nice and smooth it drove. She liked the heated leather seats and the LCD screen that popped out from the roof of the car. The man didn't say anything. All was good and I was going to get a sale.
"Honey, would you like to drive?" said the woman in a sweet voice.
The man opened his door and stepped out silently. He got behind the wheel and pulled away. I must say that he was a much better driver than his wife. His eyes never left the road and his lips never moved. He seemed concentrated and determined on an imaginary goal.
His wife kept babbling and I kept nodding and agreeing, her husband didn't even blink. After about 5 minutes, she finally quieted down. The road ahead was dark. We were about 5 minutes away from the dealership and 5 minutes away from me getting some cold hard cash.
The silence was deafening.
"I love you" said the man ever so quietly as he looked back at his wife.
She didn't know how to react or why he said it.
Then, the man's eyes closed slowly, his grip was released from the steering wheel, and his head leaned back against the seat. We drifted off the road that night. His wife's eyes welled up with tears. The car flipped over. I was scared.
I died that night.
It's funny how the man's first words were also his last.
I slipped away to somewhere I never even thought of. I thought I had no conscious, so I should feel no pain or loss. But I did.
If only I had left 10 minutes early that night. I should be home right now, watching movies and drinking coffee. But I wasn't. I was gone.
Same old shit, different day.
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