"Alright, from all the estimates that I carried out, this would be the total amount that will be needed to repair the car" said Pedro as he sat at his desk and Pete and Natasha sat across him, and he handed Natasha an invoice.
"Oh my…" said Natasha as she was speechless, this was way beyond her budget, she had not planned for this at all.
"Let me see" said Pete as Natasha handed him the invoice, and his eyes popped out as well, this was a large sum.
"Pedro, are you sure that these estimates are correct?" asked Pete as he looked up at Pedro and Natasha nodded her head, because she agreed with Pete, this was just too much for her.
"Well yes they are correct, I checked them twice" said Pedro.
"Well, I mean Pedro… don't you think that 20 000 is a bit too much?" asked Pete.
"We are not buying the car, we only need it repaired" said Pete as he looked at Pedro.
"I agree, Pedro, I feel like this is too much, I only just bought this car, and It was very close to that same price" said Natasha as she shook her head.
"Well I am sorry to say Commander and Mrs. White, but this is just how things go" said Pedro.
"Car repairs, are sometimes even more expensive than the car itself" said Pedro.
"And the damages to your car are not minor at all" said Pedro.
"The front bumper, as well as the back bumper have both fallen off, the hood of your car was severely damaged" said Pedro.
"Most of the airbags in the car were deployed, which means that I need to replace all of them, and that also means that I need to place an order for the airbag brand of the car, and I also need to order a new bumper covers that are the same colour as your original car" said Pedro.
"And on top of that, the car needs to be serviced, just as a safety measure to check if the internal parts of the car are working properly" said Pedro.
"That sounds like a lot" said Pete as he sighed.
"Yes Commander, so you see, a lot of work needs to be done on the car, and seeing as we are good friends, I will make sure to attend to the car personally" said Pedro as he smiled.
"I do appreciate that Pedro, but I don't have that kind of money right now, I never budgeted for this at all, at most I thought the total cost would come to 5 000 or something, and not 20 000" said Natasha as she shook her head, it was problem after problem.
First she was almost killed them morning, and now, she had to bring out 20 000 dollars, that she of course did not have at all, and most of all, she just bought this car on Friday, she had not even owned it a week.
"Mrs. White, you are more than welcome to leave your car here until you have the money to have it fixed" said Pedro.
"But I cannot, I need that car" said Natasha as she sighed, she had bought it in order for her to be mobile, and now that she could not fix it, it was as if she was back to square one.
"But Nat, don't you have insurance on your car?" asked Pete as he turned to look at Natasha.
"Well no, I don't" said Natasha as she sighed.
"Like I said, I just bought the car last Friday, and at the car dealership, the man who is the insurance dealer was not around, so I was told to come back on Tuesday, which I was going to do, until this happened" said Natasha as she sighed, she had always thought that insurance was a hoax, but now that she had to pay out of her own pocket, she was starting to see insurance in a new light.
"The most I can afford right now is half, I can pay 10 000" said Natasha.
"I would like to give you a discount Mrs. White, but it is often hard in this sort of business, prices are mostly fixed on parts, and the only way I would receive a discount from the suppliers would be if I bought many parts at once, but for now, we only need the parts of your can in particular" said Pedro, as much as he wanted to help Natasha, he could not, his hands were tied.
"Alright, I believe that this back and forth is enough" said Pete.
"Pedro you can go ahead with the car repairs, and place the orders, I will pay half the money, since Natasha has said that she can pay the other half" said Pete as he looked at Pedro.
"Are you sure commander?" asked Pedro as he looked at Pete.
"Of course I am" said Pete as he did not give Natasha a chance to speak at all.
"So go on, Natasha needs her car to be fixed at the possible earliest convenience" said Pete as he smiled.
"Well alright then commander, please excuse me" said Pedro as he smiled as he left the office.
"Pete you don't have to do this for me" said Natasha as she looked at Pete.
"Besides, I am not sure you have 10 000 dollars just laying around" said Natasha as she sighed.
"Oh but I do Nat, funny enough I have that exact amount in my savings" said Pete as he smiled.
"Oh no, no, no, no Pete, I am not going to allow you to use your savings to fix my car, it's just not done" said Natasha as she shook her head.
"Oh but Nat, you said it yourself, you need your car, and we will split the money between us" said Pete as he smiled.
"I do appreciate your thoughtfulness Pete, but I will not let you use your money like that, it's your savings" said Natasha as she shook her head.
"Oh come on Nat, you need it, and I know that you would have done the same for me" said Pete as he smiled.
"So just like me do this" said Pete as he smiled at her.
"*Sigh*, Fine" said Natasha as she sighed and she shook her head.
"Alright fine, I will let you help me" said Nat.
"But, I will pay you back every single cent, because I will not feel at ese until I have" said Natasha.
"I was expecting that clause Nat, and of course I agree, but don't pressure yourself too much, you can pay it back when you have the money" said Pete as he smiled.
"Oh why are you so sweet Pete, I really thank you" said Natasha as she smiled at him.
"Anytime, what are friends for?" asked Pete as he smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.
"Alright, so I have placed the orders for the new parts, and my boy are taking apart the damaged parts of the car as we speak" said Pedro as he walked back into his office.
"Thank you Pedro" said Natasha as she smiled.
"Don't mention it Mrs. White, I am only doing my duty" said Pedro as he smiled.
"Pedro, I have just sent you the money, you still use the business's bank account right??" asked Pete as he looked up from his phone and he looked at Pedro.
"Yes, I do" said Pedro as he smiled.
"Alright then, the transaction is complete" said Pete as he smiled and he put his phone away.
"I think the network is a bit slow today, but I trust you" said Pedro as he smiled at Pete and Pete smiled back at him and in that moment Pete's phone rang.
"Talk to me" said Pete as he picked up the phone.
"Mhmm, and what else?" asked Pete as the other person on the side of the line spoke.
"And you are sure that you cannot carry on without me?" asked Pete as he waited for a reply.
"Alright, I am on my way" said Pete as he ended the call.
"Well unfortunately something came up at the station and I need to go" said Pete as he stood up.
"We still need to hang out" said Pedro as he laughed and shook Pete's hand once again.
"Of course, this Saturday we are on" said Pete as he laughed.
"Nat you need a ride before I go to the station?" asked Pete as he turned to look at Natasha.
"No Thank you Pete, I will just stay here, I have nothing else to do" said Natasha as she smiled at him.
"Alright then, I will see you later Nat" said Pete as he smiled.
"See you Pete" said Natasha as she smiled at him and he left the room.
"Mrs. White, please make yourself comfortable" said Pedro as he looked at Natasha and he smiled at her.
"Thank you, I will" said Natasha as she smiled.
"I will make sure to repair your car as soon as I can, although it would take a few hours" said Pedro as he smiled.
"I look forward to it, and I can wait until you are done." said Natasha as she smiled and Pedro left the room as she brought out her phone to pay the remaining part of the money.
"*Sigh*, I never get a break now do I?" asked Natasha to herself as she sighed.