crapapult

Not necessarily related to anything, but I’m having a strong memory of when I was a kid –

My father sold hand-made children’s toys at shows and malls. Usually, selling was the easiest part of the business he ran. He worked hard (non-stop, actually); made good, polished pieces; and sold them for what they were worth. I remember specifically, an event in Denton, TX:

A woman came by and was admiring a wood puzzle with the name “Dustin” cut into the pieces (so kids can learn the letters of their name). I could tell, even at my age of 12, that she wanted it. But, she decided it was too much, so she began haggling with my father. Shortly there after, she became irate… telling my dad that it wasn’t worth what it cost, that it was, “cheap”, and he should give it to her for half price.

Her abuse stretched out to 15 minutes. I was ready to kick her for being so mean. My dad was ever-polite, but didn’t give her an inch. She became red faced and infuriated, and was beginning to make a scene. Just before she seemed as though she would go over the top, he reached over the table, and delicately took it out of her hands.

“I’m very sorry, it’s no longer for sale.”

He put it under the table and instructed me not to sell it to anyone. A few hours later, another woman, looking nervous and behaving strangely, came by and asked if we had a puzzle with “Dustin” in it. We didn’t have one for sale.