carmelita still didnt want to believe what she already knew , and fought back now and then to deny it , and old lady buffington moved me from modeling into the offices at buffingtons , and she let me pretend like i had some say in what fashions went into their lineup for fall , and i think its around then that everyone else got pretty wise to what was up , and mr. buffington finally got himself a p.i.. also , in the midst of all that , i remember that time some old man i mowed lawns for ( in between all my other jobs and school ) died and left me a jewel of a classic car , a 1949 pierce-arrow , garage-kept and pristine .