I could still remember the thrill of buying it right after Mary and I moved out there from New York. It was the first car I bought new, and when I financed it for five years I never dreamed I’d still have it for so long. It got me and Rochester from point A to point B, and sometimes that was as far as I wanted to go. Rochester loved to ride in the car. He plopped his big golden butt on the passenger seat and pressed his nose against the window. “What’s the matter, haven’t figured out how to operate the switch yet?” I asked. I pressed the one on my side of the car and the window slid down. He stuck his head out, and the gold fur on the back of his neck fluttered like a bunch of Tibetan prayer flags. I bet that if I showed him how the switch on his side worked, he’d master it quickly. Rochester and I pulled up in front of the café as Rick approached on foot from the police station, a half a block away. When I opened his door, Rochester jumped out to greet him, licking his hands as if he’d dipped them in doggie treats.
