Do they fly balloons over big auto sales where you live?

So he wasn't smoking when he sauntered over to my old Honda to schmooze with me about whether I wanted to shop the big sale.

But his long black overcoat on a warm almost spring day was a bit ...well, ostentatious. Where'd he come from anyway?

No, I told him, I'm just picking up my husband who dropped off the PT Cruiser here to see if they could figure out the electrical problem and make it stick this time.

How about a new ride for you? he said.

No, I said. Not till it hits half a million miles.

What's it got now? he asked.

When we get home it will be 337,000 even, I told him. Still runs great, but the mileage has dropped a bit below 30 mpg since I don't do the commute on the freeway every day.

Oh.

Now someone else might say half a million miles but since it's two thirds of the way there, it has some cred.

It's a really big sale, he told me, great deals. Gary (I think he said Gary) the owner--he just bought the dealership says sell all the cars in stock at his cost--some of them below his cost.

Oh, I told him. Yeah, sure, I didn't tell him.

How do you like the PT Cruiser? he asked me.

We love it, I told him.

We have a yellow convertible one, (I think he said yellow) preowned, low mileage, implying that I should be interested.

Hmm, I said.

It would be perfect for you, he suggested.

No, the bears could get into it, I told him.

Hesitation.

I mean, really, how do you counter that?

Oh, well, yeah, that's true. (What in the world is she talking about? What bears?)

We've thought about it, I told him. When we trade it we are thinking of something with all wheel drive (He doesn't have anything with all wheel drive. His brand doesn't make any.) Or maybe 4 wheel drive. (Give him another opening--see how he takes it.)

He told me he could show me something.

And we figure about another year, I tell him. We're saving for our trip to Scotland.

Oh? Are you going to Scotland? When?

This summer--hiking in the Highlands.

It could have gone on. Actually it did go on.

And when my husband was finished in the service department, I pulled my Honda out of the lot and we headed home.

And so the story goes.

With Honda hitting half a million, after his hesitation about hiking in the Highlands, my husband and I headed home.

I think it's ABC H.

And a story to boot.

For more ABCs approach to H, see the site.