Chapter 4: Negotiations

June 1, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

I arrived home just before noon on Friday and contemplated stopping in the office, but elected to just go straight to the condo. When I walked in, I saw Chelsea sitting at the breakfast bar with a bible in front of her.

"Hi, Chelsea," I said as I slipped off the new pair of casual shoes I'd bought.

"Hi, Jonathan," she replied, closing her Bible. "I was sorry to hear about your car and more sorry about your friend."

"The car is insured and can be replaced," I replied. "Sadly, that's not true about my friend."

"Was she Christian?" Chelsea asked.

"Yes, though I'm not sure what that has to do with the price of tea in China."

"Because God understands despair and loves His children!"

"I don't think we should have this conversation," I said. "I assume Sofía is asleep?"

"Yes. She'll be up around 1:00pm to eat."

"I'd like to feed her, please."

"OK."

I went upstairs, changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and tossed my new jeans and polo shirt into the hamper. I grabbed Les Misérables, which I'd almost finished, and went downstairs. Rather than sit in the conversation pit, I sat in one of the comfortable reclining chairs in the TV area. I had just finished the book when I heard Sofía stirring over the intercom. I let Chelsea know I'd take care of Sofía, then went upstairs.

Sofía gurgled and smiled when she saw me, and after I changed a particularly messy diaper, I took her downstairs. I went to the fridge to get a bottle of milk, which I put in a pan of warm water for ten minutes to take the chill off. Once I'd done that, I took Sofía to the chair in which I'd been sitting and fed her.

There was something calming about cuddling Sofía while I fed her, but I couldn't explain exactly what it was. Even holding her gave me a positive feeling, which was not something I'd experienced with Heather, nor had I expected it with Sofía. Whatever it was, it made me feel happy, which was a good thing, even if I had no clue as to why or how it worked.

"What do you usually do with her after you feed her?" I asked Chelsea.

"She likes 'tummy time' on the area rug by the sectional sofa, and I read to her."

"What do you read?"

"Bianca bought some books for her, you know, little kid books like Go, Dog, Go! and Are You My Mother. I also, uhm, read to her from The Children's Bible."

I knew that book because it was the one from which my mom had read Bible stories to me when I was little, and it was still on the bookshelf in the living room at her house.

I frowned, "Does Bianca know about that?"

"I don't think so. I haven't said anything to her."

"Please stop reading that to her."

"Why?"

"Honestly? Because I don't want her head filled with superstitious nonsense."

"It's not..."

I held up my hand to cut her off.

"Please don't, because all it's going to do is create problems. There is literally nothing you can say to change my mind on this topic, and you won't appreciate anything I have to say. Bianca thinks you're doing a great job, and I have no reason to dispute that, but I do want you to stop proselytizing."

"Uhm, OK."

I got up, took Sofía to the conversation pit, and put her down on the rug, along with a ball, a small stuffed lion, and a pair of blocks. She didn't really do anything, but she seemed happy and was cooing and gurgling. After about ten minutes, she fussed, so I picked her up and sat down on the sectional sofa. After about fifteen minutes, she yawned, so I carried her upstairs and put her in her crib.

As I was heading back downstairs, I heard the phone ring, but Chelsea answered before I got to the kitchen.

"Your insurance agent," she said, handing me the phone.

"Thanks," I said to her, then raised the handset and said, "Kane."

"Hi, Jonathan; it's Clay. Do you have a moment?"

"I do."

"I saw on the police report that you have both sets of keys."

"I do. And I have the entry ticket from the parking garage."

"Could you bring those to me? That will expedite the claim. Also, if you could bring the receipts you mentioned and any paperwork for the car, that would help as well. Have you had the car serviced recently?"

"The only service it's needed so far is oil changes. The last one was in February."

"Did you lend the car to anyone in Ohio?"

"No."

"And you locked it before you walked away?'

"I did."

"OK. There's no lien, so I should have a check for you by Friday next week, at the latest. I'll call you before we cut the check to confirm the amount. You have a $500 deductible, which will be withheld from the fair market value. The clothing will depend on type and age."

"I understand."

"If you hear from the police, let me know. I doubt you will, but you never know."

"Will do. I'll bring you the keys and paperwork in a bit."

"Thanks. If you're buying a new car, let me know, and I'll switch your coverage."

I thanked him, and after I hung up, I considered what car I wanted to buy to replace the LeBaron. I could easily pay cash for anything short of a high-end sports or luxury car, which meant I had almost infinite options. I decided my best bet was to look at car magazines, so I let Chelsea know I was going out and went to the grocery store on the 47th floor. In the magazine rack, I found exactly what I was looking for — Car & Driver and Road & Track, along with Consumer Reports, all of which had reports on cars I'd consider viable options.

I paid for them, then stopped in the Concierge office to get a replacement security card and sticker for my car, which I'd need, and to cancel the old ones. I had to pay $15 to replace the magnetic card, and they canceled the old one. Card and sticker in hand, I returned to the condo and sat down to peruse the magazines.

I didn't get very far before I heard the doorbell ring. I wondered who it could be, given the doorman hadn't called, and I wasn't expecting anyone who had access without a call. I put down the magazine, went to the door, opened it, and was confronted by a clearly annoyed young woman.

"I should have called you," I said defensively before Violet could say anything.

"Yes, you should have! You spoke to Mr. Matheson, Bianca, and Tony, but not me?! Why?"

"I didn't want you to worry," I said lamely.

"Brilliant," Violet said sarcastically. "You tell Bianca, and she tells me, and so I worry because you didn't call me! I'm your assistant, and you didn't feel the need to tell me you were going to be out today?"

"I have no excuse," I said. "I'll take my thousand lashes with a wet noodle."

"I thought you were supposed to lash me with a wet noodle!" Violet smirked.

"Go back to work, Miss Clemmons!" I said with a grin. "I won't make the same mistake again."

"Good!"

She gave me a quick kiss, then left. Properly chastised and chagrined, I returned to the sectional sofa and resumed looking through the magazines for reviews and ideas. I ruled out sports cars, like the Corvette, Mustang, Celica Supra, and Dodge Daytona, as impractical for driving in the city, as well as handling in the snow. The cars that looked interesting were the BMW 316i, Saab 900 Turbo, Audi 5000S Turbo, Honda Prelude, Ford Thunderbird, and a new car being introduced at the end of the Summer, the Pontiac Grand Am.

The cars weren't all in the same class, nor were they in the same price range, with starting MSRPs ranging from around $ 8,000 to $17,500. None of those numbers scared me. Even the base price of a Porsche 944 — around $22,000 — was doable, but a Porsche was no more practical than a 'Vette or 'Stang. Among the cars that interested me, the most attractive were the BMW and the Saab, followed by the Audi.

I put the magazines on the table and got up just as the door opened, and Jessica came in to relieve Chelsea. I greeted Jessica, then contemplated what to do for the rest of the afternoon. I looked at the calendar, and my schedule was basically booked solid for two weeks, which would make it tough to visit dealers and take test drives. I retrieved the Yellow Pages from the cabinet next to the phone and looked up dealers, focusing on those on the North Side, as well as the North and West Suburbs.

With classes starting on Monday, I was going to have to take the L, but that would work out OK because I could travel with Violet. Dinner would really only work if she planned meals that could be prepared quickly or used a crockpot. The other option was eating at the condo, but I knew Violet would strongly prefer we had the time together. In any event, because Illinois law required dealerships to close on Sundays, I would only have Saturday afternoons available.

Even that was problematic because I had a date with Nikki on Saturday and the grad party for Katy's little sister and her friends the following Saturday. I had just under three hours, and I could, if I borrowed Bianca's car, visit one dealer and take one test drive if I set it up before I arrived. I called Bianca to check on borrowing her car, and she quickly agreed. I thanked her, then considered which car to try first.

I decided to try the BMW dealer, and I spoke to a salesman who could accommodate me at 4:30pm, which didn't work, given I needed to meet Jack, Kristy, Costas, Trevor, Nick, and Taya at 5:10pm at the Hancock Center. After discussing options with that salesman, we agreed on Tuesday evening at 6:30pm.

I thanked him, then called the Saab dealer. I spoke to a saleswoman who said that if I could arrive by 3:00pm, she could accommodate me. I agreed, thanked her, and promised to arrive by then. After I hung up, I considered what to wear and decided 'preppy' was better than one of my tailored suits.

I wanted to look the part of having money, but not flash my expensive suit, lest that interfere with negotiating price. I changed clothes, and less than fifteen minutes later, I was on my way north in Bianca's car. I stopped at Mr. Gerke's office in Rogers Park to drop off the keys and paperwork I had, as it was on the way, and still managed to arrive at the dealership about ten minutes early.