Father/daughter

A friend and her hubs just bought a pair of new cars. A nice, sedate gray VW sedan for her and a chartreuse Ford Fiesta for him.

Huh? What?

He went from a Clinton-era earth-toned car that he drove into the ground to a brand-new, sleek and brightly-colored Fiesta? How did this happen?

Well, it just so happens that their 15-year-old daughter was his date to the auto show last weekend. He denies it, of course, but it seems obvious that the lass who's on the verge of getting her driver's license did some intense, and successful, lobbying when she had his ear.

Or, as my friend said, "She has her father wrapped around her little finger."

On another bright note -- though not as bright as their new car -- they were able to afford these two new cars in part because she got a big bonus at work. This is wonderful news because she works very hard in a tough industry and deserves it. And because she's the second person I have heard of to receive a bonus in the last 90 days (the other being my best friend, who received an iPad as his Christmas bonus). Here I was beginning to think that those lucky enough to receive bonuses were creatures of fable, like unicorns. So maybe this means the economy finally is turning around!