Good Riddance, At Last

In 2005, I bought a lemon. It wasn't a car, but a riding lawn mower. It lasted only one season before the problems began. I chronicled the frustrations in past blog posts and my attempts to get it fixed. Brother was able to fix it one year and Friend another time. This past spring I was able to back it out of the basement about 20 feet before it stopped again. It was same problem: the transmission wouldn't engage and the back tires would not turn. To get it to move required a chain or rope hooked up to my car, which I did one last time to move it out of the way. That's where it stood all summer, almost completely engulfed in weeds, sticking out like a big pimple on a prom queen's nose. I had enquired about getting it fixed but the mechanic and his crony just laughed at me and said they wasn't fooling with anything that wouldn't roll and would give me about 30 bucks for it to use as parts. I had called the recycle place and from best estimates I was looking to get between 30-40 dollars based on the metal weight. But, they didn't do pickups and I would have to have it hauled there and who knows how much that would have cost. All of this brings me to the last few days. Instead of selling junk at the flea market, I sold junk out on the front lawn. It was my only yardsale this year. Most people that stop drive on down the hill and turn around behind the house and drive back up. Almost every man in a pickup stopped and wanted to look at the piece of junk mower I had sitting out back. Does it run? Will it crank? How old is it? How much you want for it? Those were the questions that I was being asked. When I volunteered the information that the tires wouldn't roll, most of them just shook there heads and left. The same mechanic and his crony stopped, gave it a quick once over and said he'd be back later, he didn't have any money. Another fellow and I tried to jump it off with cables but couldn't get it to turn over and we couldn't agree on a price. The last man was with his wife and he just wanted to hear the engine turn over, he was just interested in the engine and would be back later. On Sunday, the man, without his wife, showed up in his work clothes and spent close to an hour tinkering with the mower. He finally got it to start and then decided he didn't want it after all. (I think he was enjoying working on it and telling me stories more than anything.) I was just sitting down to supper when the jumper cable guy showed up again. I told him that we had gotten it started and I would sell it to him for his price, which was 50 bucks. Well, then he didn't know if he could get it loaded on his truck. And then he didn't know if he could find a part for it. (He was working me, I know.) He then asked if I would take 30 dollars, I countered with 40 bucks, and we settled on $35.00. I paid almost a thousand dollars for something that didn't give me any real enjoyment, caused me endless headaches and left a dead spot in my back yard after sitting there all summer. I say good riddance...at last.