Status Car

“Jim-san, you should rent a bigger car.” I looked up from my desk at Fukuhara-san, who held my expense report in his hands.

“Why? When I go to Las Vegas, I’m just driving myself from A to B. The taxi lines are so long, one has to drive to make good use of the time. But I don’t need a big car for that,” I replied.

He did that Japanese “suck air in between your teeth” thing and gave his head a shake. I guessed this had something to do with my rank and station within Itochu. Visitors to the office usually came in big cars, even if they were alone. Even CTC engineers arrived mid-size. I’d never seen anyone parking outside in a sub-compact.

I had to interpret his concern as complement, which I sincerely appreciated. Still, it wasn’t as though I could blast along the Strip in a Mustang, or put the top down on a Sebring. I was just going from one convention site to another, parking, and hitting the floors. Didn’t need a luxury-mobile for that.

“Thank you for your offer, Fukuhara-san; but I really don’t need a large car just for myself; and I don’t like to waste the money.”

He looked up at me with a half-smile and repeated his simple advise: “Jim-san, I think you should rent a bigger car.”