Current mood:

happy

The opposite of Bruce Willis
Almost all of you have heard this story already, but it needs to be told again and again, and I will issue a fiat that no one has a stranger story today. In fact, I'll take the whole week.

I signed up for my floorplan today (I can use it Monday!), and since I was on 441 anyway, I went to the auction to get my titles. I had a piece of paper where I wrote down the VINs for the two titles I needed. It also had some other information about me and my dealership. Between the visitor (customer) parking lot and the entrance to the auction, there is a van, Danny's Dealer Supplies. I stopped there to spend $6 on a new Black Book, which contains the most up-to-date printed pricing for used cars.

It was after today's sale, so the place was pretty dead (though not as dead as I thought). The guy had packed up most of his stuff, and he took forever to give me my $4, all in cash he had on himself. I wasn't really in a hurry, since I had 50 minutes until I was supposed to meet Angela and Darrick for lunch. But I'm always impatient, so eventually I put my paper with all my personal/company information on it down on the table, and weighted it down with my company checkbook, so it wouldn't blow away. Then I asked him what other books he had. He had the old car (gray) book, and the truck and van book. So I decided to take the gray book, for $10. As he's going back into the van to get it, a guy walks up next to me, puts his hand on the paper on the table, and drags my stuff toward him and looks at it. I pull it back toward myself and basically ignore this rudeness. I give the guy $10, take my book, and get ready to leave, and the guy next to me says "How you doing, Mr. James?"

He had a lot of nerve to read my name off my paper. I grudgingly say "Doing good" and turn to leave. Then he says "Don't tell me you forgot me already." For the first time, I look at him squarely in the face, and I see Nelson Ospina. I didn't forget him. I recognized him instantly.

I just stared at him for maybe ten seconds, in total disbelief. Finally he got a little uncomfortable and basically asked me why I was doing that, though I can't place the words he used. I eventually got a grip on myself and told the simple truth: "I thought you were dead." He never reacts with major intensity, but he did seem surprised by this belief. But, as he assured me, he is not dead. In fact, he appears in as good health as he ever was, and he's become a car dealer, though a less legal one than me.

I gotta tell you, it totally blows me away. It wasn't a flaky girl who told me he was brain dead and expected not to survive the week. Plus it was backed up by the HR lady. But apparently the diagnosis was incorrect. And supposedly he's gonna give me a call tomorrow, and come up and check out my warehouse. I imagine we'll be able to work out an arrangement where he confers some success on me and I confer some legitimacy on him, at least that's what I hope. I really like the guy, and, in the words of that guy from Indiana Jones, "My friend! I'm so pleased you're not dead!"