With a new sense of resolve flooding through me, I glance once more at the car flyer, leave the stall, smooth my new bangs over the slight bump I’ve given myself on my forehead and walk calmly out of the bathroom.

I manage to eat half of my burger before the waitress comes over to check on me. “Um, I saw the sign for the car for sale in the bathroom,” I say.

The waitress nods. “Yep,” she says noncommittally. “Why, you interested?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Do you know who I can talk to?”

“That would be me,” she says. “But come on. You got a thousand dollars on you? You’re just a kid.”

“I have a thousand dollars,” I say right away, without even thinking about the fact that that’s probably not the best thing to go around admitting to people.

“Really,” the waitress says flatly, arching an eyebrow and looking at me like she doesn’t really believe me.

“Well . . . yeah,” I say. Suddenly I feel nervous. I notice that the guy two seats down from me at the bar has taken an interest in our conversation.

“Maple, you tryin’ to con this girl outta her money?” the guy asks. He smiles at me.

“Teddy, you stay outta this,” Maple replies. Teddy, who looks like he’s old enough to be my grandfather, rolls his eyes.

“That car ain’t worth a cent more than eight hundred,” he says, loudly enough that I know he means for Maple to hear. She rolls her eyes back at him.

“That’s not true,” she says. “It’s worth a thousand. Just like it says on the flyer.”

“Aw, come on, Maple,” Teddy says. “Give the kid a break. How about eight-fifty?”

“Nine-fifty,” Maple retorts.

“Nine hundred,” Teddy says. “And that’s our final offer.”

Maple looks at the two of us for a minute before sighing.

“Fine,” she says. She looks back at me. “Now you wanna see the car, or what?”

She storms off without another word. I turn to Teddy.

“Um, thanks,” I say, mystified. He shrugs.

“Don’t mention it,” he says with a grin. “I love arguin’ with that woman. Makes my day. But if you want to use some of that extra hundred to pay for my dinner . . .”

I dig out a twenty and lay it on the counter, figuring it’ll cover both of us.

“Thank you kindly,” Teddy says. “Now you gonna follow Maple and get that car?”

I quickly pick up my bag and scurry after Maple, who has disappeared out the back door.

Maple’s standing beside the Beetle, which to my surprise is painted bright pink. I hadn’t noticed that in the black-and-white ad in the bathroom.