Nice bit on the negotiation for the bride price.
Author's response
This scene truly happened with a friend of mine. We went together to school, and together joined the Dutch army.
I was witness of asking permission to marry to the father of the girl. The only difference was not the cars, but they negotiated about cows, pigs and goats. And he was also forced to buy them. That father (he was a farmer) had 11 children!