Rent a Car

By: Gene Giles

My employer awarded me the honour of being Employee of the Month since I had to rent a car to make it to one of my shifts. This may appear a little extreme. Why would anyone spend money to rent a car just to work for a few hours? It was very necessary that I made it to work, and renting a car was my only solution.

I work with autistic children and this population is very hooked on structure and routine. Therapists are urged not to set aside shifts for trivial reasons and they are encouraged to make arrangements with their employer to assure that the child receives services. The services are prescribed by a doctor. Missing a therapy session is like missing a dose of medication for the child.

When my car broke down, I was at a loss. We put a lot of miles on our vehicles. I provide services in my clients’ homes, schools and in the community. I would often travel nearly eighty miles in a single day. My poor car just couldn’t keep up. It waited until I was safely in my driveway and it collapsed.

Fortunately, I had an errand to run that evening and I found out that the car would not start. I quickly decided to rent a car to assure that I made it to my early morning therapy session. An employee from Enterprise arrived at my house in the morning and took me to the car rental company. I quickly chose an efficient car and in a few minutes, I was on my way.

When I arrived at my client’s house, her mother noticed the new car and said that it was very nice. I told her that I had to rent a car because mine broke down and she was very surprised. She called my employer and told him how pleased she was that someone would care enough about working with her child that she would rent a car to make it to the therapy session.

I was pleased that the mother took the time to inform my employer about my dedication and I was pleased to finally be Employee of the Month for the agency. Nevertheless, I’m not quite sure that I deserve the honour. I found out later that my car insurance covered the car rental. It did not cost me a dime.

I did enjoy renting the little car. In fact, I now and again rent a car when I go on long weekend trips. Renting a vehicle for long trips saves your own car a lot of wear and tear. For those of us who put a lot of miles on our vehicles, renting is a great choice.