Renta Goat?

 

Renta Goat?

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For my daughter’s visit, it was necessary for me to rent a car. Etzatlan is not the Big City. Leo, our all-around helper for anything necessary, makes a lot of the Big City Trips.

A few years back Leo quit driving his own car for the back-and-forth airport runs. Around town, hey, no problema. His car has aged out of the long trips. Kind of like me.

Several years ago an enterprising local entrepreneur in town began purchasing automobiles for rental purposes. He started out with a multi-person van, seats ten. We rented it with the driver the year we had our class reunion here in Etzatlan. These days he has a fleet of rental vehicles, a very small fleet.

Leo took me to the rental garage, way out on the west end of town, to see what cars were available. I wanted one large enough for four long-legged adults to ride in comfort.

The Rental Man had a quite large storage building. I don’t know how many cars he has in total. The day I went to look at those available, he had three cars plus three large ten-to-twelve people carriers plus empty spaces for other vehicles.

In the back of the garage, he had a stable with two horses and a goat and an area for chickens. This is not Hertz or Enterprise or Budget.  

Leo and the Rental Man entered into what might have been haggling but was more likely something like this: “How’s your Dad doing these days?” “Pretty good for an old man. You know, some days good and some days harder.” “Your brother still working in Fresno?” “Oh, no, he’s in Phoenix these days, managing a gaggle of Auto Zone stores.” “Say, I heard your Grandmother passed. My condolences.”

This kind of conversation can go on for hours and often does. It is the polite way of easing the way into the real business. We Americanos are rude. We just say, “How much and where do I sign?”

I have just enough Espanol to be rude and not enough to be polite.

I wandered over to talk to the horses and goat while the men conversed.

After a while, Leo took me aside to see which car I wanted. I eyeballed one of the big people carriers just to watch Leo blanche. That’s my kind of vehicle. Then I chose the larger car, the one with the most leg room.

I couldn’t help but wonder, though, if the goat pulled a cart.  

Sondra Ashton HWC: Looking out my back door, November 26, 2025

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