So, I laid in bed fretting about all this car shit, even though I’ve tried my damnedest to delegate the fretting to others, trying to decide if I was going to sleep or just throw up or make a list of all the shit I had to check to see if the Butcher did.
For the record, he did clean out most of the car. He didn’t vacuum it. He didn’t empty the console, but that meant the silver dollar my dad put in the car to keep me safe was still there, and he did get all of the glass out of the trunk and find all my Tarot cards, which I’m glad about.
I need to remember to bring both sets of keys with me.
Anyway, since I was up all night fretting, I slept through my alarm, which meant the dog did not get walked, though she got to hang out with me while I emptied out the stuff he forgot to empty.
Also, tragically, the redheaded kid’s dog has run away. I hope he finds it. I hate when he comes over to our house looking all depressed and scared. On the other hand, I love that when he’s thinking, he taps his fingers together like he’s trying to catch good ideas in the cage of his hands.
Tiny Cat Pants 
It’s Ok to fret about this. The upside of this whole thing is that since you make a car payment anyway, you are at least somewhat familiar with the concept of debt. It’s unfortunate that you incurred this debt for a less than ideal car, but I hope this new debt proves to be worth it. In a perfect world, you would simply remove the money from your savings, and pay cash. I’m guessing you do not live in that world. Car buying isn’t fun. It should be, but it will be some time before dealers learn that all the money they spend to attract customers is wasted when those same customers have an unpleasant experience. They are a stubborn lot. Anyway, reliable, fuel efficient vehicles are a must have in the South, where there is little or no public transportation. So, relax, as best you can, and lie back, this will be over in no time…
By the way, no need to bring your extra keys. There is still a long way to go before you are behind a new steering wheel. I’m bringing my bones, just in case.
Mack, are you secretly my Grandma Avis? She loved to pay cash for cars, too.
I was saying just yesterday that humans should come with an Anxiety Switch — auto-shutdown when it’s time to go to sleep. I mean, you lay there, thinking about crap that will not get resolved between midnight and 6am, and the more you try to stop going ’round about it, the more worked up you get. When you do fall asleep, you’re dreaming about the shit, and when you wake up, bleary eyed and crabby, nothing’s been fixed anydamnway. -sigh-
My car got totalled last summer by some assclown who blew through a stopsign in his daddy’s car. My new car is ok, but I don’t love it like I did my Honda. Good luck with the car deal — if you can find a dealer who stands ready with a cold beer, go for it.
After observing his wisdom and bons mots, I think Mack is going to have to embrace polygamy soon.
Just sayin’. Alert the Missus.