meri drove

It rained and thundered on and off in the early morning. First we’d call it off, then it’d quit raining and it was on again. We had rented a car on line, just for the day, and finally decided to take a bus to the Termini and get our car.

Fine. We showed up at the Termini and they had no knowledge of our reservation. No trace, no how, no car, no way, no shit!

At the next counter, three inches away a polite girl for another company had a car and a good price. We were on our way. Meri drove us around Sabina.
More about Sabina at another time.

When we got the car back, we went down to the office, Meri used the bathroom while I had to go back up to the fourth floor of the parking lot and drop off the car keys, put them in a slot in a box. I thought it was a good trick just finding the box and figuring out that was where the keys are dropped.

When I came back down, I nodded toward the bathroom and the guy behind the glass slipped me a metal door handle with a square block on it that fit where the door handle goes. I have taken a few door handles apart so I knew what the thing he gave me was for. How do others do it?

Later, on the way out, I asked the guy behind the glass if tourists had difficulties. Yes, with the door handle, but finding a gas station and getting the car back to the rental place also. He said the Italians have trouble. Even the people that work there have trouble getting to work. Nothing is easy for anybody, ever.

“Yeah, but Roma is bella,” I told him. We laughed.