– Neonhammer
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Brady leaned back on the couch and let out a long sigh. He’d finally finished bringing in his bags and belongings from the rental car, after about four trips up and down the elevator of the apartment building. He would’ve been done hours ago, had it not been for his stupid car. The old beater of an SUV had broken down on the way from his old apartment to the new one, requiring him to call a tow truck to bring it to his friend Thomas’s shop. He then had to call a rental car to move all his shit to the new apartment. The breakdown of his car was the final nail in the coffin of an already horrible week.
Brady had just been dumped by his girlfriend the day prior, leaving him to find any open housing available. He’d had to settle on this one bedroom apartment. He was able to get a deal the afternoon after they broke up. It satisfied his basic needs but definitely left him wanting. He loved the old apartment, but if it was going to be paid for by him alone without his ex’s help, he did not want it. It would drain his bank account faster than a trip to Vegas.
“Fuck this,” Brady said to himself. He needed something to pick himself up. The first thing his mind went to was that fucking scrap heap of a car. He decided to just fuck it and get himself a new car. He deserved a pick-me-up; he’d been doing great at his job the past few weeks, and had just gotten promoted. He had the money now to treat himself nicely.
He picked up the phone and called the shop, and let Thomas know to keep his beater and sell it himself, not that he’d be able to get more than a few hundred for it. It was so old and busted it would just be used for scrap anyways.
After hanging up the phone, he got on Google and looked over dealerships in the area. His new apartment was in a decent part of town, so there were options from lower tier manufacturers up to nicer ones, stuff like BMW and Mercedes that Brady had never even considered. He was mainly looking for a lease, something he could get temporarily that was nicer than what he’d want to buy outright. He was willing to splurge for a few months before settling for something reasonable. It was the only thing he could think of to make himself feel any better after his bitch of an ex-girlfriend ended their fling.
After spending about twenty minutes scrolling through options, he settled on a place called Greg’s Motor Emporium. He thought it had a funny name, and the prices were great. The sticker costs were super cheap and they seemed to offer almost every manufacturer on the market. He liked the idea of choosing between multiple brands rather than limiting himself to one, so he opted for Greg’s due to their variety. He could always bargain with them on the price. Grabbing his wallet, he called up an Uber and made his way over to Greg’s.
As he got out of the Uber in front of the dealership’s main building, a well-dressed man in a blue suit made his way out the door. The man adjusted his red tie and fixed the gold watch on his wrist, running one hand through his grayed hair to put it back in place. He had a large beard, a dark gray in shade that faded to white at the end. Brady thought he looked kinda like Kurt Russell, if he appeared more eccentric and had the mannerisms of a salesman.
“Hello there!” the man said, approaching Brady as the Uber drove off.
“Hi, I’m looking to find a car.”
“Well, as you can see we’ve got too many of those.” the man said, gesturing towards the lot next to the building. Brady looked around at the sea of vehicles, various colors, shapes, and sizes to choose from.
“I’m Greg by the way,” the man said, extending his hand to Brady. “Got anything specific in mind?”
“No, not yet,” Brady responded, “Don’t really know what I’m looking for. I was just hoping to browse the aisles. Definitely looking to do a lease, though.”
“Certainly! Let’s go have a look. We’ll find something out there.”
Brady followed Greg as he led him towards the first aisle of cars. They walked together, Greg telling him about the different models and Brady informing him of some of his desires in a car. Greg turned out to be a really great dude, and he and Brady got along well. Greg talked about his two kids back home, and how one of them was just starting middle school, and he played the cello for the youth orchestra. The younger one was still in her Disney princess phase, so he’d spent every night watching those movies with the kids. Brady thought he looked a little old to have kids that young. As they got more acquainted with each other, Brady told him about the messy breakup with his girlfriend, and Greg sympathized.
“My kids are with my new wife. After the divorce a while back, I was in bad spirits. That’s part of what pushed me to open this place; I always wanted to run my own business. With a dealership like mine I can help guys like you, get you back in spirits like I needed back then.”
Eventually, Brady settled on a dark blue four-door sedan, a newer model with a sunroof and plush leather seats. He’d felt great sitting in it, the seat comfortable and the dashboard full of features he’d use. He liked the navy color, not something too simple like black or silver, but not unnecessarily flashy like a bright red. He and Greg took a quick test drive in it, and returned to the dealership to get the final price negotiated.
Brady sat down at the desk inside Greg’s office, Greg taking the seat across from him before speaking. He reached over to the printer beside his desk and clipped together three papers that had just been spit out by the machine.
“Alright, here’s our typical contract. You’ve got three options here,” he said, pointing to different areas on the paper. “We offer varying levels of service and bonuses depending on your tier. The choice is completely up to you, you still get that beautiful ride you picked out, it’s just niceties like services and benefits. All three have the same length of lease, six months like we talked about. We can negotiate extensions at a later date, should you opt for it.”
Brady looked down at the contract, mulling over his options. The first was a Basic package, which covered just the car itself. No extra coupons or redemptions for service or new tires, it really was just the car itself, with a sky-high interest rate. The second was a Plus package, adding in discounts on servicing with a higher monthly rate but much lower interest on missed payments. The final option was a Benefits package. It didn’t seem to be that different compared to the Plus, other than being marginally more expensive with a few extra bullet points.
“So what’s the difference between the Plus and the Benefits? It’s not really clear on the sheet.” Brady asked.
“Well, first of all, it’s got the lowest interest rate on payments. As you see on those bottom two points, servicing is free and you get assigned to one of our servicing agents, which are available to help you whenever. Whether you break down on the side of the road, need new tires, or anything else, they’re ready. Basically, whenever you need us, we’re there.”
‘Fuck it,’ Brady thought to himself, ‘Give me everything.’ Just in case the car happened to break down like his old piece of shit, it’d be nice to have some protection. He checked the box for the Benefits package, and scribbled his name under the signature section. He handed the contract back to Greg, who smiled as he looked at the contract.
“Fantastic. You’ve made the right choice. Our customers always have tremendous feedback on the Benefits package, and most are repeat customers.”
“I usually don’t splurge like that, but I need it, Greg. Maybe I’ll come around later and purchase something fully. Until then, this car will get me back to normal.”
“Indeed it will,” Greg added with a salesman’s smile. “Wait here a moment, I’ll have the boys bring the car around.”
Greg picked up the contract and left the room, heading back into the main area leaving Brady at the table. Brady was ready to hop in this thing and drive it for real. He had to be tame with it on the test drive, but he knew this thing had some muscles. He wanted to hit that highway at full speed. After about ten minutes Greg made his way back into the room.
“Alright, she’s all yours. Here are your keys,” he said, handing them in a paper slip to Brady.
Brady got up and followed Greg out of the office, heading out of the building with his beautiful car waiting for him. In the afternoon sunlight, the blue shone like ocean water in the evening, a deep navy with hints of lighter shades. It was an absolute stunner. Never would Brady have thought he’d get a ride like this.
Brady unlocked the doors and got inside the driver’s seat. It was super comfortable, the steering wheel had great grip and the seat was plush in the right areas. He rolled down the front windows, checking out their smooth movements. He adjusted the side view mirrors and admired the sleek exterior in their reflection. He reached up to adjust the rear view mirror and jumped in his seat. “What the hell?”
In the rear view mirror he saw a face, a blindfold over its eyes and a crude cloth gag wrapped around its head. He turned around in his seat to see what was going on. Laid across his backseat was a woman, gagged and bound at different points on her body. Her wrists were tied behind her back, and similarly her legs were tied at the ankles. Her arms had additionally been tied higher up behind her back. As he had seen in the mirror, a blindfold and gag covered most of her face.
Greg walked up to his window and tapped on the glass. Still shocked, Brady rolled down the window, his mouth open but unable to make a sentence.
“Um…the uh…who…–”
“You’re all set to go, just bring ’em both back on the last day of the lease,” Greg said, handing the contract and paperwork to Brady through the open passenger window.