I Watch What You Do
By Roger Arsht
The dinner conversation was stilted. No one wanted to step on one of the landmines that were scattered across Richard’s psyche. Surprisingly, it was Richard who spoke first. He directed his question to Annie. “When you have visited, your choice of car has been…unusual. I believe one of the vehicles is a Porsche and today you’re driving a Defender. Do you have a collection of cars?”
Yes, it’s an extensive collection. I purchased a farm with a huge barn. I converted the horse stalls into parking spaces for my cars.”
“How many?”
"Thirty-one. Thirty-two is being restored. I don’t consider a car as being part of my collection until its fully restored."
"Who’s restoring your latest acquisition?"
"My family. They’re all mechanics."
"Nobody decided that they wanted a different career?"
"Nope. They’re all mechanics. I was the only person in the family that left the fold. I was seventeen when I left my home and started attending the University of Pennsylvania."
"How old were you when you started the collection?"
"Seventeen.”
“How did you do that and pay for college? Those cars are expensive.”
“I worked hard, saved my money, and worked at my father’s garage every Saturday and Sunday. I received a full scholarship to Penn.”
“That’s it?”
“Not exactly. I came to understand that people who possess expensive toys get bored with their belongings. They sometimes are willing to accept less than a car’s value if their eyes have moved on to something else they want.”
“So, you’re saying they’re fickle,” Richard said.
“Not always. Sometimes people get overextended financially. I can pick-up a car at a fraction of its value and resell it for thousands more than I paid. I did it regularly when I was a teenager. Not so much now.”
“Am I one of those people who gets bored with their toys?” Richard asked.
“I wouldn’t know unless you consider me a toy.”
“I thought we were going to be civil,” Richard said while looking at Dr. Bloom as if she was the decorum police.
“I believe she was civil,” Dr. Bloom interjected. “And sarcastic.”
“I was civil. You asked a question and I answered it honestly,” Annie said testily.
Everyone at the table could see that Richard was replaying what was said in his mind. He must have reached a satisfactory conclusion because he decided to continue the conversation. “I’m sorry. Please tell me about your car collection, and can I interject an observation? Men usually collect exotic cars. How did you get into it?”
“I had something to prove. I grew up in a family of mechanics. Every mechanic, especially those working on late-model American cars, think they know everything. In fact, I did know everything because I read the technical journals and everything else I could get my hands on. In all honesty, I was probably the best mechanic in the family. However, no matter how much I learned, I was still second-class because I’m a woman and not an Italian man.”
“That must be frustrating,” Dr. Bloom added.
“It was a tough learning experience. My father and my uncle bought rare parts because they thought they’d get more valuable over time. What they didn’t understand was that inflation and the deterioration of the parts made their collection less valuable and it tied up a lot of money that could have been used more productively.”
“Can you give us an example?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” Annie said bitterly. “Even though I received a full scholarship. They could have helped with room and board, books, and other expenses.”
“It doesn’t sound like they had the money,” Alex added.
“They had the money. The paid for every one of their children’s tuition, room, and board. As much as they told me how much they loved me, I was always an adopted orphan and not one of their children.” Annie turned toward Richard. “It’s why I watch what you do and not what you say. To listen to what you say makes me think of my parents, and I only want to think about you when we’re together.”