The Cadillac: The Car Wash

“No disrespect intended, Ma’am,” said the scruffy-looking, owner of Sassy’s Car Wash. “It will cost you twenty dollars to drive your Cadillac through. The price that young man quoted was correct.”

“Does that include cleaning the interior, too?” asked Tilley.

“No Ma’am, if we clean the Cadillac interior, it will be another fifty dollars.”

“That is a total of seventy dollars,” protested Tilley. “I only pay five to run my Mustang through.”

“That is a Mustang, not a Cadillac,” argued the red-faced owner. “Do you want to run your car through? If not, you are holding up the line. You have to move your vehicle immediately.”

Tilley pulled twenty dollars out of her wallet.

“I need a receipt, please.”

“You can afford it!” replied the owner.

“We have to go to a wedding,” she said, quietly.

He said nothing, as he made out a cash receipt.

“Just wash the exterior.” 

“There will be an extra five dollars for soaping the windows and the hub caps, first." 

"Forget the soap,” replied Tilley. “Just use water.”

“It would look better if we wax it, too.”

“How much is the wax?”

“Ten dollars.”

“Forget it.”

As Tilley walked toward their huge, 1973, gold, Cadillac, there was a growing lineup of drivers honking their car horns.

The car wash owner’s laughter was annoying, too.

“We get the rich ones every time,” he said.

“I’ll drive the Cadillac through the car wash for you, Ma’am,” offered a tall, young man.

“How much?”

“You can give me a tip, Ma’am, but you don’t have to. It will be an honor and a privilege as we almost never see expensive cars here.”

“Hop in the passenger seat,” responded Tilley, with a smile. “You get a tip for sitting in the car beside me.” 

“I got to ride in a Cadillac!” boasted the young man, as he got out of the car, several moments later. “A tip, too!”