My new best friend

Remember the other day when my neighbor C came over to borrow a pot? Well, I never got my pot back, but the story didn't end there.

Friday, we had our friends Josh and Sarah over for dinner, and as we were finishing Sarah's amazing strawberry rhubarb pie, there was a knock at the kitchen door. It was C, all dressed up in a shirt and tie, asking if I might have time the next day to help him practice his sales presentation for a new job. I agree to do it Saturday evening at 7:30. He seemed so earnest, and it reminded me of when my brother was selling home security systems.

So, Saturday, we go about our business, attending a little league game with the sole purpose of having hot dogs and slush puppies, and then launching the rocket Sebastian has been working on Chez Flapdoodle. We come home and I decide I don't really feel like cooking and we still have some gift certificates from my mother, so I grab my purse and make for the door. And there is C wondering if we could do the presentation a little early. Like, now. A half hour? Fine, come on in.

So, of course, he's selling knives. The most sanitary, ergonomically-designed, sharpest knives known to man. He also has a pair of shears that can turn a penny into a corkscrew. It is all terribly thrilling, and then he hits us with the price. Close to a thousand dollars a set. Yeah, no thanks. I would love a nice knife. I truly would. But now is not the time for spending that kind of cash on something I don't need.

I managed to get out of it all thanks to the remnants of the giant pit in my yard. For it is true that I have no extra money right now due to that broken sewer pipe. So Jeremy and I gave him lots of encouragement and sent him on his way. He's a nice kid and I hope this works out for him, even though I know it probably won't. In a town of 12,000 people, how many sets of knives do you think you can sell?

Sunday, I'm out working in the yard when C walks by dressed in his presentation finest. He's just made a $700 sale, probably because they took pity on him for slicing off the tip of his thumb during the demonstration. Can't wait for the next update from my new best friend.