"Thank you, ma'am."
As Evelyn returned toward the reception desk, Daniel placed his hand inside his jacket and touched the photograph in his pocket.
The photograph was old, its corners worn soft from years of handling.
It showed a younger Daniel standing beside a young woman in a simple white dress. Between them stood a boy of about eight, grinning at the camera.
The boy had one front tooth missing.
Daniel could still remember the day the photograph was taken.
He could remember the smell of rain on the pavement, the sound of his wife's laughter, and the way his son had insisted on wearing a tie that was far too large for him.
He could remember almost everything about that afternoon.
Except how it had become so long ago.
His wife, Margaret, had been gone for eleven years.
His son, Thomas, had been gone for six.
And the reason Daniel had come to Sterling Motors had everything to do with both of them.
He removed the photograph from his pocket just enough to see the faces.
"I'm here, son," he whispered.
Then he slipped it back into his jacket.
He had promised Thomas he would come.
And Daniel Carter had never broken a promise to his son.
At eleven fifteen, Blake approached Daniel again.
This time, two other salespeople were nearby.
Blake had decided that the old man had remained in the showroom long enough.
"Sir," he said, "I'm going to have to ask you to make a decision."
Daniel looked up from the vehicle information display.
"What decision would that be?"
"Whether you're interested in making an actual purchase or simply browsing."
Daniel considered the question.
"I am interested in making a purchase."
"Then we need to discuss your budget."
"I would prefer to discuss the vehicle first."
Blake laughed under his breath.
"That's not how this works."
Daniel folded his hands behind his back.
"Perhaps you could explain how it works."
Blake gestured toward the sales desk.
"We establish what you can afford, we determine whether financing is appropriate, and then we look at the vehicles that fit your situation."
"And if I wish to purchase the vehicle outright?"
"Then we still have to establish that you can do so."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Of course."
Blake seemed pleased that the old man had finally accepted what he considered an obvious fact.
"Good. So if you could provide some proof of funds—"
"Before I provide any financial information," Daniel interrupted, "I'd like to ask you something."
Blake's smile disappeared.
"What?"
"Do you treat every customer this way?"
The question was quiet.
It was not a threat.
It was not even particularly accusatory.
But the two salespeople nearby stopped talking.
Blake's cheeks flushed.
"Excuse me?"
"Do you ask every customer to prove they can afford a vehicle before you explain its features?"
"That's company policy."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Then perhaps you could show me where that policy is written."
Blake opened his mouth, but no answer came immediately.
Daniel waited.
The silence grew uncomfortable.
Finally, Blake said, "I don't have time for this."
"Neither do I," Daniel replied. "But here we are."
One of the nearby employees turned away to hide a smile.
Blake noticed.
His embarrassment quickly became anger.
"Listen, old man. I'm trying to help you understand something. People walk into this dealership every day wanting things they can't afford. My job is to identify serious buyers."
"And how do you identify them?"
"Experience."
"Experience," Daniel repeated.
"Exactly."
Daniel glanced at the young man's suit.
Then at his watch.
Then at his face.
"Tell me something. When you look at me, what do you see?"
Blake answered before he had time to think.
"Someone who probably shouldn't be shopping for an eighty-thousand-dollar vehicle."
A customer standing near the reception desk turned around.
Evelyn, who had returned from the service department, froze in place.
Daniel did not move.
He looked at Blake with an expression that was neither shocked nor offended.
It was the expression of a man who had heard the same sentence in a hundred different forms throughout his life.
"That's what you see?" Daniel asked.
Blake crossed his arms.
"That's what the evidence suggests."
Daniel nodded.
"Then I suppose the evidence has disappointed you before."
"What does that mean?"
"It means people are often more complicated than the first thing you notice about them."
Blake scoffed.
"Look, I don't know what kind of point you're trying to make."
"Perhaps no point at all."
Daniel stepped away from the Cadillac.
"I would like to speak with your manager."
For the first time that morning, Blake looked uncertain.
"Our manager is busy."