Cliff's Good Deed

1 - No Good Deed

On a hot afternoon in June, Cliff Ortega learned the hard way how no good deed goes unpunished.

Earlier in the day he dropped off his brand-new Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray with the dealer to have them fix an annoying squeak coming from somewhere behind the dashboard. They had called and said his car was ready for pickup. He arrived at the dealership and stood in line at the service counter behind a young lady, admiring the view of her lean body through her tight yoga pants and sleeveless t-shirt.

The service writer, a middle-aged man wearing a uniform shirt with the name 'Hank' stitched above his breast pocket presented her with a repair estimate.

Hank set the paperwork on the counter and tapped it with a finger. "I'm sorry, Ms. Blessing. Your car didn't pass state inspection. The mechanic who worked on it found your tires have less than one sixteenth of an inch of tread remaining."

"Oh? Which tire?"

Hank wore a sheepish expression. "All four of them I'm afraid."

"What? There must be some mistake. I bought the car only two months ago from your dealership's used car lot. How can all four tires already need to be replaced?"

Cliff thought she asked a valid question.

"Did you purchase the vehicle as-is?" Hank asked.

She paused to consider and shook her head. "I can't remember. I don't know. What difference would that make?"

"If you bought it as-is, then there would be no guarantee."

She started rocking side-to-side in her Nikes. "What a load of crap. Anyone would expect a car to have decent tires at the time of purchase."

Hank pulled up the sale on his computer. "Yep, we sold it to you as-is. That's why we were able to offer the car to you at below wholesale pricing."

She planted her hands on her hips. "I trusted you people. You're a reputable dealership, not some slimy fly-by-night outfit. I expect you to make this right."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blessing. You should've read the contract before signing."

Cliff knew car dealerships had a reputation for taking advantage of women. He wondered if the lady might have fared better if a man had been with her while shopping.

Ms. Blessing ran a hand through her long, lustrous hair. "Look, can't you just let it go? Like I said, I just bought the car from you not long ago."

The corners of Hank's lips turned down. "I'm really sorry. It's a safety issue. You don't want to be driving around on bald tires, do you?"

She slapped her palm against the countertop. "Don't you be concerned about my safety. Let me worry about my own safety."

Cliff checked the time and wondered how long the standoff would go on. As much as he enjoyed gawking at the lady's hot body from behind, he didn't want to be late for dinner and was anxious to take his Corvette for a spin to make sure the squeak was fixed.

She ran a hand through her hair again. "How much is it going to cost to replace the tires?"

Hank's gaze drifted to the tops of his shoes. "Um, the tires aren't the only reason your car didn't pass inspection. You need new front brakes too."

The lady's entire body began to vibrate.

Uh oh, Cliff took a step back.

She unleashed a string of invectives with such vehemence, it made Cliff wince. He felt sorry for Hank who had also stepped back from his side of the counter out of potential striking distance.

Hank told her how much the total charges would be to pass the state mandated safety inspection.

She exploded, gesticulating while shouting. "I can't afford that! I don't have that kind of money."

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am," Hank said while handing over her keys and the inspection report. "You can take your car. It's legal to drive until the end of the month, but we can't give you a new window sticker until all the safety issues are taken care of."

Her voice broke. "Damn it, what am I going to do? I really need my car."

Cliff reached the end of his patience. Eager to get going, he stepped forward and dropped his credit card onto the counter. "I'll take care of it. Charge whatever she needs to my card."

The lady jerked her head in Cliff's direction and glared at him. "What business is this of yours?"

Where Cliff had previously been looking at her back, he now faced her head on. She had glistening brown eyes, high cheekbones, and soft, clear skin. "Let's just say I'm a boy scout doing his good deed for the day."

Hank plucked the card from the counter.

Her lovely eyes narrowed. "I didn't ask for your help."

"I'm offering anyway."

"Why? What do you hope to get in return from me?"

Nothing. He just didn't want to spend all afternoon standing around. "Consider it a random act of kindness on my part or paying it forward or whatever other cliché fits the situation."

She turned her anger toward Hank. "Give this man back his card. I don't need his charity."

Her rejection irritated Cliff. "Apparently, you do."

"Stay out of my business. You don't know me, so don't judge me."

Cliff sighed and tried reasoning with her. "I'm not judging you. It's no big deal to me. I can afford to help you."

"I can't pay you back. I don't have any money."

"I don't want your money."

Her eyes narrowed again. "I'm a stranger to you. I have no cash. Why would you help me? I'm not about to repay you with sexual favors if that's what you're after."

Flabbergasted at her remark, Cliff's anger finally broke free. "Lady, don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't be interested." Although, that wasn't true. He thought she was really hot.

"Buzz off, asshole." She swiped her keys and paperwork from the counter and stormed out.

"Wait," Hank yelled. "You haven't paid the mandatory inspection fee."

She never turned around.

Both men exchanged glances. Hank broke the silence. "Mr. Ortega, I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"No problem. It wasn't your fault. I'll pay for her inspection fee."

"After the way she disrespected you, I wouldn't give that woman the time of day."

Hank processed the payment. He slid the Corvette key fob and Cliff's credit card back to him from across the counter. "No charge on the Corvette. It's covered by the new car warranty."

Cliff picked up the items and glanced toward the door. "I don't know what to make of that lady. If she's having financial difficulties, it would explain her distress, but why did she get so combative? I genuinely wanted to help and expected nothing in return. I wouldn't have even asked her for her name."

Hank looked at his copy of the paperwork. "For the record, it's Ms. Blessing. Her name is Hannah Blessing."

Would you be suspicious if a stranger offered to help you out of a financial jam?