This evening, Mr. Rilch and I set off to Bob’s Big Boy. On Cahuenga, we saw a nice-looking bedroom set on the curb, with a black stuffed bear hunkered down on top of the dresser. He looked stubborn, but also in need of a friend. Mr. Rilch turned the truck around and pulled over.
Up close, I could see a sign on the dresser announcing an imminent garage sale. “Phooey,” I thought. “I’ll have to pay.” I went up to the door of the house (ajar) and knocked.
“How much for the bear?” I asked when someone appeared.
“Oh, I don’t know…how much do bears cost? Uh…five?”
“Mmm…He’s kind of damaged on the paw (tiny rent that will take me 90 seconds to sew up)…how about three?”
“Okay.”
As I pulled out three singles, the guy added, “We’re having a garage sale…the bear was just for decoration.”
“Oh, he’s free?”
Then there was that moment when I could have said, “I shouldn’t have to pay if he wasn’t originally for sale.” But I didn’t. I should have just taken the damn thing without even knocking! Goddamn my honesty!
Anyway, Bernie Black Bear is a new member of the fold. I suppose he’s flattered that I was willing to pay for him anyway.
What’s $3 in the grand scheme of things?
The most loved stuffed animal I have cost my mom $5. Scrappy still sits on the dresser by my bed, and I’m 23 years old. Sure, free would be nice, but hey, three bucks for a best friend full of love and happiness that can last you years on end…I think he deserves a little “You’re worth it.”
So, sew up that paw, tell him he’s the best three bucks you’ve ever spent, and give that bear a hug.
Is it possible that the bear wasn’t even for sale? I mean it could’ve been sitting on the dresser looking cute to attract buyers for the dresser!
Its not like the bear was in rubbish heap and I’m glad you didn’t steal it!!
Forgive me for being obtuse here, but I’m not following. If he wasn’t originally for sale, that doesn’t mean he’s free. It means he wasn’t for sale! He was just decoration. It’s like going to a banquet and trying to eat the centerpiece.
But kudos to you for convincing them to sell it.
Hairy, you’re right. At the time, I thought, "Well, I’ll forgo $3 worth of junk food for this and it’s all good.
Elvis: That’s right! And I’ve sewn it up already.
caviga that’s what it was. In that context, $3 sounds all right.
Ender, I suppose you have a point. But when I worked at Universal (theme park) the rule was that EVERYTHING in the store had a SKU number (for scanning at the register) just in case. It was unlikely that anyone would really want to buy the humungous novelty slate, but if they did, we were prepared to sell it.
If you could see this bear, you’d know the likelihood of someone going to the sale with their Bambi-eyed little kid, who would say, “I want him! I want him!” So I prevented an awkward moment such as that.