The Acknowledgement of Wealth

With Fat Tuesday came the necessity for me to swear off something that I love for Lent. As it happens, my lenten sacrifice is a little more permanent than 40 days. I gave up my beloved BMW.

See, my BMW was 16 years old. I had been its' caretaker for the last 7 years. I know that whomever takes it over from me will have a good car. But it was time for a change. I bought a new car on Tuesday. It's not really new, per se. But it is new to me. I purchased a 2000 Mercedes SLK 230. Though almost a full 6 years old itself, this vehicle appears very new. Its' body styling could best be described as "classic". That distinction will help it to age very well. Very much like my BMW. The appearance of the vehicle is what leads me to the topic of today's blog entry: The Acknowledgement of Wealth.

For those of you reading this, you know that with my recent self-funded foree to New Orleans, I am far from being considered a person of wealth. But my new car purchase has gained me entry into a club I didn't even really know existed. The Wealth Club, as I think I would like to call it, is a group of people who pay no real dues (excepting of course perhaps a car payment), have no scheduled meetings, and don't even have a newsletter. But go ahead.....ask yourself...."How does Alan know this club exists? What evidence has he been privy to?" Well, I am glad you asked.

On Thursday of this week, I received my first odd salute. All salutes I have received, it should be noted, were offered to me by persons more aged than myself, as if to say, "Welcome, youngster! We are glad you made it. Now keep this hush-hush." I hope my betrayal doesn't lead to dire consequences. I've seen 'The Skulls'. (I haven't really, but it seemed funny to say something like that.) And so some don't jump in and say, "Alan, I drive a (jeep, motorcycle, mini, VW bug, etc) and other drivers in/on my car/bike wave at me all the time", it is important to note that all three salutes came from drivers of vehicles of different auto manufacturers. Their only common thread is that they are sold in the higher end market.

Anyway, Salute 1 came from a man in a Q45 Infiniti as I was pulling out of my bank parking lot. Nothing major. Just a wave and a sly grin. So subtle was the encounter that I really thought nothing of it. Just a kindly older gentleman, of my parents age. Perhaps he had thought I had yielded right-of-way to him, though I had not.

Next, and only a few hours later, was my second salute. Still subtle. But I immediately reflected back to Mr. Infiniti. I wondered could there have been a correlation? But certainty would not come to me until almost 1:00pm, this day. I pulled my car into the dealership to have it washed. I am still parking it in the driveway while I am cleaning out my side of the garage and it had rained the night before. I just wanted the water spots taken care of. When I pulled my car into the service drive, I parked immediately behind an almost identical version of my car. The only difference that I noticed was that hers was the SLK 320 and had wood grain in the cabin. This woman not only started a conversation based on the coincidence of our vehicles, but she then enlisted me, until only moments before a complete stranger, to aid her in making a decision, the outcome of which would either cost her several thousand dollars, or not. Though I have to admit the conversation came to a screeching halt, in my mind, when she confided that she loved her car so much, she wanted to keep it and get one of the new "smaller" Hummers. That could be a blog entry for another day, though.

From clandestine head nods and stealthily planned waves to an overt request for assistance in a major financial decision, it became clear to me that I had unwittingly joined The Wealth Club. But I will keep vigilant for future Acknowlegdements of Wealth. I think, much like my "Target Shoppers Unknowingly Dress In Red" observation, this one too, may have legs.