Tag Archive for 'Adria Twin'

VW campervan valuation disappoints

Published on January 16, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

The note under the windscreen wiper of the VW campervan gave Ruarc’s valuation. Mandy looked at it, tried not to pull a face and passed it to Tom Hutchinson without comment.

“It appears that your boss is successful at least partly because he doesn’t give any money away,” Tom Hutchinson said wryly. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“I’m sorry,” said Mandy. “Perhaps we could shave a bit off the asking price for the Adria Twin campervan.”

They both looked back at the Adria Twin.

Mandy had to admit to herself that Tom Hutchinson’s VW campervan did look rather old and forlorn in comparison with the newer Adria Twin. Perhaps Ruarc’s assessment of its value, she thought privately, had not been so far from the mark.

Mandy noticed a young couple walking amongst the motor homes, obviously looking for somebody to help them.

“I’ve got to go,” she said, with a sigh. “Customers waiting.”

She laid her hand on his arm. It felt strong and full of muscle – not at all like a writer’s. She wanted to tell him that she wanted him to came back but could think of no words that would be appropriate. They hardly knew each other. He was  just a customer.

“Mandy,” Tom Hutchinson said said. “I’ve really enjoyed our lunch together, not only because it was a chance to try out the Adria Twin camper van, but also because I feel I might have found a kindred spirit in you. Perhaps we could get together again some time, maybe for a walk and perhaps another picnic. My VW campervan might not be as impressive as the Adria Twin camper-van but it does have an awning and I’m sure I can dig up some more caviar vol-au-vents, if I try hard.”

“Tom,” said Mandy, gazing into his brown eyes. “I’m not sure if I have understood you correctly so I want to make sure. I have been hurt too much in recent years and am very fragile. I’m also very poor. Do you see that motorhome over there, the scruffy one. That is where I live and it comes with my job. I have almost nothing at all except the clothes I stand in, a few personal belongings stored in a rented garage in town and the small hope that there might be people out there that think I am worth something just for myself. If you are one of those, I would love to see you again – anytime you suggest – irrespective of selling you a motorhome.”

They stood facing each other. The bond that had quickly been growing between them suddenly seemed overpowering, yet their relationship was still bounded by the proprieties of customer and sales.

A plaintive voice of complaint came from across the grass where the young couple that needed service.

“Excuse me,” said Mandy, hurriedly. “I have to go.”

“I’ll telephone you,” Tom Hutchinson promised.

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and turned on her heel.

As Mandy crossed the grass to help the young couple, she could see Ruarc’s son, Ralph, glaring at her from where he was standing in the shade of a motorhome. The glare spelt trouble.

Under the awning of an Adria Twin motorhome

Published on January 15, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Tom Hutchinson gazed at Mandy over his wine glass as they sat comfortably under the awning of the Adria Twin motorhome.

“It’s the old story, I suppose. I was too busy working hard to notice that I wasn’t spending enough time with my wife and when I got back from a major project, she was spending all her time with my neighbour and had no inclination to come back and spend time with me. It happens a lot in my line of work.”

“I would have thought that a writer would be working at home a lot and therefore would find it easy to spend time with his wife,” said Mandy, puzzled.

Tom Hutchinson hesitated, momentarily. “I do a lot of travel writing,” he explained, Mandy thought lamely.

Something didn’t ring true but Tom Hutchinson was the customer and she was the one needing a sale so she didn’t think it appropriate to press him.

It was enough to check the flow of conversation and, for a while, they ate and gazed over the rolling fields towards the sea, each in their own thoughts.

Tom Hutchinson was the first to break their silence.

“Marriage sucks,” he said.

“I’ll drink to that,” said Mandy.

They clinked glasses. The bond seemed to have been forged again between them.

“What about your boss’s farm. Do you think he makes a lot of money farming.

Mandy decided, suddenly, that Tom Hutchinson had asked too many questions about Ruarc’s business.

“I think there are two different kinds of businessmen in the world,” she said, cautiously. Whatever the economic climate, there are the sort of businessmen that succeed and there are the sort of businessmen that don’t. My boss is obviously very successful in his own way with his motorhome business and I’m sure that he applies the same business skills to his management of the farm. ”

It was a careful political answer. Both of them understood why – nothing more needed to be said. It was clear that Mandy had no intention of discussing her employer’s business any more.

They chatted inconsequential for a further five minutes and then, at Mandy’s suggestion, packed up and drove back to the Ruarc’s motorhome sales office.

Ruarc had gone out but there was a folded note under the windscreen wiper of Tom’s campervan.

Tom meets Mandy to try out an Adria Twin motorhome with the fixed double bed

Published on January 14, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Tom Hutchinson arrived on time with a cold box and Mandy and he were soon bowling down the road in the Adria Twin motorhome with the fixed double bed.

Tom Hutchinson drove and Mandy sat in the passenger seat keeping quiet while he got used to the controls.

They climbed up the hill along quiet country lanes until they reached a viewpoint with the countryside spreading all around them. In the distance there was an estuary and behind them they could just see in the distance Ruarc’s motorhome sales and  farm.

Tom Hutchinson pulled into the parking area and switched off the engine.

“It runs very nicely,” he said. “A bit different from my rattly old VW campervan.”

Mandy smiled sideways at Tom Hutchinson. She was feeling very mellow.

“If you move the Adria Twin motor home over there onto the grass, we can pull out the motorhome awning and I’ve got a table and two chairs I put on the back earlier so we can eat in comfort… and I brought an apple.”

Tom Hutchinson started the engine again and pulled over to the grass as directed. Mandy felt relieved that the awning wasn’t difficult to open and retrieved the table and two chairs from the back of the motor home.

Tom opened up his cold box. Mandy observed that he had far more than he needed for himself and even a bottle of white wine at the bottom keeping cold.

“You are going to have to help me eat this,” Tom Hutchinson said.

“It looks an absolute feast,” said Mandy. “What on earth are those?”

“Caviar vol-au-vent!” Tom Hutchinson gave his easy smile.

“Don’t you think that caviar is a bit expensive for a working lunch? You must be a very well paid writer!”

“I get by. Unfortunately, my income is only ever as good as my next work. That’s the way it goes in my occupation. It’s a winner takes all market. I’ve been a winner a few times but that gives no guarantees for the future. How about you? Have you always sold motor homes? ”

“Certainly not. I did a degree in music but it’s a very difficult way to make a living – probably like writing – so I turned my hand to office work for a while. Then I got married and my career seemed less important as I followed my husband around Europe with his job in Finance. When we split up, after five years, I didn’t know what to do with myself so I started a ladies boutique but it never worked and I lost a lot of money.”

Tom Hutchinson passed Mandy the dish containing the caviar vol-au-vent and a glass of white wine with a smile of sympathy and pointed towards the motorhome sales business in the distance.

“Your Ruarc seems to be making money, even in the recession, how does he do it?”

“He tells me that he provides customers with what they want,” said Mandy. “He keeps quite a big stock and relies on turnover to make it worthwhile which benefits the customers through low prices so they keep coming back.” It was the official line and, even if Tom Hutchinson’s eyes were gorgeously brown, it wasn’t the time to change it. How about you? Are you successfully married as well as being a caviar and white wine writer?

Motor home advertisements keep Mandy busy

Published on January 13, 2009 in motor home, motorhome, online novel and serial novel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

As it turned out, Mandy wasn’t able to ring Tom Hutchinson the next day. Ruarc had put motor home advertisements in the local newspaper which brought in a number of people to look at the motor homes and Mandy was kept very busy showing prospective customers around.

Of course, Ruarc didn’t miss the opportunity to moan that she had not made a sale to Tom Hutchinson there and then.

“Strike while the iron is hot,” he said, after calling her into his office, and he clapped his hands together for emphasis.

“Strike fast, like a snake, so they don’t know where you coming from. It’s the only way to make a sale. There’s no point in shilly shallying around. Your wages have got to come from somewhere at the end of the month.”

Of course, he was completely ignoring the fact that Mandy had just made a good sale of a rather old and decrepit motorhome that had been hanging around Ruarc’s neck like a millstone for months.

In the end, it was Tom Hutchinson that telephoned a week later early in the morning.

“Tom Hutchinson here,” he said.

“Good morning Tom, how you?” Mandy didn’t have to make an effort to make her voice friendly.

“Thinking of you – and the good deal you might be able too offer me on my VW campervan.”

Mandy felt a thrill going through her body and paused, lost for words. Tom had been thinking of her. It sounded good – but she told herself not to be foolish. He was a customer.

“I’ve only got the lunchtime today,” he continued, “but I could come around somewhere between twelve and 2 o’clock. I’d quite like to try the Adria Twin motorhome on the road. Perhaps we could take it for a drive while your Ruarc is looking at my camper van. We could stop off somewhere for a bite of lunch. ”

“I’m afraid that the arrangements here don’t exactly run to an expense account to pay for customers lunches,” Mandy grimaced down the telephone, feeling inadequate.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be my pleasure. Shall we say twelve midday?”

Mandy put the telephone down and looked into the distance at the green countryside that lay around Ruarc’s motorhome sales. She noticed for the first time that the lambs were skipping in the fields and needed a few moments while her heart slowed down to its normal rate.

Then she walked through to Ruarc’s office and checked he’d be available at lunchtime to price up the VW camper-van.

“His wreck is not worth much, so don’t get your hopes up,” said Ruarc, uncompromisingly.

Your dream motorhome

Published on January 12, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Silly me, thought Mandy, as she checked her hair and repaired her make up in the small mirror behind her desk. He’s probably short, fat and ugly with sweaty hands.

But Tom Hutchinson wasn’t. As he got out of his VW campervan and Mandy walked towards him across the grass, she saw, instead, that he was tall, slim and athletic with brown hair. As they shook hands, his grip was firm and his eyes seemed to draw her into his soul.

“Now you must tell me absolutely everything that you want … in your dream motorhome,” said Mandy, smiling her best smile.

“Sales are down, are they?” Tom Hutchinson was clearly looking for a bargain.

“There’s a recession, everybody knows that,” said Mandy. “It’s hurting everybody but of course it means that you can get some really good deals.”

Tom Hutchinson wandered over to an Adria Twin.

“That’s the sort of thing that I want,” he said. “It has a good dining room up front where I can do my writing – I’m currently writing an online novel – and a fixed double bed at the back which I can fall into after a long day’s work.”

“It also has a very good bathroom”, observed Mandy. “Do you travel alone or would they be somebody with you? ”

“Mostly alone,” admitted Tom Hutchinson. Then a twinkle came into his eye… “unless I’m lucky of course.”

Mandy gave Tom Hutchinson a rather prim and proper sideways look to put him in his place. There was no mistaking his innuendo but it was said gently, with humour and a very endearing smile which Mandy rather liked.

She opened all the cupboards for him and stood back as he tried the bed.

“If you like the Adria Twin, you may also like a Ford Transit camper van over there,”  said Mandy. “It is very similar to the Adria Twin and about the same price. Would you be wanting to trade in your VW camper van?”

“It depends on the price you’d give for the the VW camper-van in part exchange.”

“Ruarc, the owner here, tells me he gives the best prices in England for motor home part exchanges.” Mandy had chosen her words carefully. She didn’t want to lie. It was true Ruarc had told her that he gave the best prices but then he’d added the word ‘not’ and hugely enjoyed the emphasis.

“I can’t stay too long this afternoon, “said Tom Hutchinson, “but perhaps I could come back another day and get your Ruarc to give me a price on my VW camper. Then I will know what I have to play with. I can check out the Ford Transit at the same time”

As he drove away down the road, Mandy stood watching. His cheery wave made her stomach feel strange in a way it hadn’t for years.

Mandy resolved to call him the next day to make a date, then stopped herself and rephrased it in her mind to ‘appointment’ to get his VW valued.