The floating bookshop re-opened after a five-day hiatus. It wasn't too cold the first hour, as the sun was strong, but, when it began to be partially obscured by the large tree 20 yards behind me, I felt it. I can't complain. It's been a mild winter so far, and the forecast for tomorrow is encouraging. I thank the woman who purchased a heavy tome on computer networking and several children's books, even though she shook me down for a lot more than she paid. At present my inventory is so high, thanks to the donations of passersby, that I can rename the floating bookshop overstock.vic. Thanks also to the 84-year-old vet, who left a bunch of spiritual books for me at Waj's gyro stand.
When I made the airport pickup the other night, the parking booth scanner declared my Ez-Pass tag invalid. Since the previous driver had paid using one, I knew the device was working properly. I shrugged it off, as I was anxious to get my great niece and her family to the funeral parlor for the wake of her grandpa. As I went to bed that night, exhausted from a long day of driving and greeting people at the hall, I recalled my previous attempt to pay for airport parking. The woman in the booth told me to hand my tag to her, which was odd, as I'd never had to do that before. I pulled it from the windshield, thinking there was some malfunction that required a closer scan. Suddenly I was wide awake, fearing I'd been the victim of a scam. I went right to the computer and to the Ez-Pass website, and sent them an email. As I saw it, there were three possibilities: One, I'd replaced the tag upside down, which was not the case, as I discovered the next morning; two, the automatic replenishment of funds tied to my credit card had not occurred; three, the attendant pulled the old switcheroo. If she did, the tag had yet to be used, as there were no unexpected charges to it. The greater worry, of course, is identity theft. I called my credit card company in the middle of the night, and the guy said there shouldn't be a problem. I hope he's right. The booth attendant would have to have a cohort in administration to get it done. I don't recall any articles about Ez-Pass fraud, but we've all read about it being perpetrated elsewhere. The last time I had a problem, when I was accused of non-payment at a point I probably went through too fast, my inquiry was answered in a week. If there is a problem with the tag, I'm glad I found out now, as I use the express lanes every time we go to my niece's house in Jersey. That might have added up to at least four violations each way, which activates the cynic in me and makes me wonder if it's a union ploy to raise cash and keep people in jobs. I guess it's possible the woman was simply angry about something and took it out on me. If she was up to no good, I hope she's canned, and ineligible for the cushy pensions they get.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
No comments:
Post a Comment